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Check Out The Different Types Of Fire
By Mitch
When we go for camping, it is always fun to have a fire, especially in the night. When it burnt and the spark flew up by the wind, it looks so beautiful. But there are types of fire which we can use during the for each purpose.
If you need a fire for cooking, add some heavy blocks of wood on top of the thicker branches as a final touch for a pile of strong, glowing heat. The best thing is a few short thick logs laid around the fire in the form of a star or the spokes of a wheel, so that only one end of each stick touches the flame. As the burning progresses, push the sticks further into the center and new glowing ashes will be formed.
Would you like to fry an egg in a primitive way? Use a flat, sun-heated stone from a dry stream bed as a hot plate, or you can even heat the stone in the fire. Remove the soft center from a slice of bread, so that you have a ring in the middle. Then lay this bread on the stone and break the egg into the ring. When the egg has cooked, you can eat it right off the stone.
You can slice or notch hot dogs at the ends and spear them on a green twig, then cook them over the fire or the glowing coals. Don't ever hold meat directly in a flame, or you will char it.
Raw meat should be salted and wrapped up, first in butcher's parchment paper and then in a few layers of damp newspaper or wrapping paper. Shove this package into the glowing coals, and continue to keep the fire going. In about an hour, a piece of beef that isn't too thick will be done. The damp paper keeps the meat from burning.
Even today certain islanders cook their meat this way, except that they use green plant leaves instead of paper. In this case, the moisture of the
leaves protects the meat from charring. A "caterpillar fire" is good for a campfire, because it needs little or no attention. However, you should build this kind of fire only when the wind direction is steady and there is no danger of rain. Build the wood pile as pictured below, beginning the pile in the direction of the wind. The supports underneath and at the sides should be green branches. The thickest support must always be under the middle of a log, and the thinnest under both logs. If there is a little wind, make the pile shorter by pushing the pieces further over each other.
In order to keep a fire overnight or for a longer period, cover it with a pile of ashes. This way it keeps glowing, and even after many hours you can rekindle it by blowing on it. But only in the rarest cases should you ever leave a fire or glowing embers unwatched. On an empty sandy beach you might leave it untended for a short time, but always keep in mind that a strong rising wind can carry sparks from glowing coals. At best, you might escape with a few holes burned in your tent; at worst, you could start a forest fire.
For a fire that will dry wet clothing, you need a strong glowing mass of coals. Around it build a pyramid of sturdy, green, branchy tree limbs and hang your wet clothes on this. Turn the garments every few minutes. And stay there as long as there is still wood in the glowing mass. Glowing embers will spring into open flames in a rising wind.
Fire can be used for any kind of purpose. But with these tips, we know how to use the fire in a proper way.
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