I miss the old days of backyard fire pits before all these fancy gas inserts

My neighbor just dropped $1,200 on one of those propane fire pit tables with the fake logs and a remote control. It looks nice and all, but there's something about sitting around a real wood fire that those things just can't match. I've been using the same basic stone ring in my backyard for 15 years now, the one I built with rocks I hauled out of the creek behind my parents' old house. The smell of the smoke, the crackling, the way you have to tend to it and feed it logs - it feels like you're actually doing something instead of just flipping a switch. Plus with the real fire you can roast marshmallows and hot dogs right over the flames, and those propane things just don't give you that same char. My neighbor's kids were over last weekend and they kept drifting over to my pit because they wanted to toast marshmallows. Has anyone else had this experience of the newer setups just not having the same soul? What do you use?

2 comments

2 Comments

averywright20d ago

Man, nothing beats that real wood smell though.

finley_wells6619d ago

Get yourself some feed grade molasses and rub a tiny bit on the unfinished wood inside the lid. Just a drop or two, let it soak in. That smell will come right back for months, way better than those fake spray cans. I've kept a beat up old cedar chest smelling fresh for years that way. Just don't use too much or it gets sticky, trust me on that one.