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Coloured Cones and Fragrant Fires
By Marie Browning, Marie Browning Creates

Everyone is always asking for the formula for making these fire cones that you toss into the fire to create colourful flames!

Yellow-green Flames:
one pound copper sulphate (Garden centres or hardware stores)
30 medium sized pinecones

Blue-green Flames:
1/2 Pound boric acid (drugstores)
16 large pinecones

Orange-yellow Flames:
1-1/2 pounds rock salt (grocery store) 
24 small pinecones

Instructions:

Put 1 gallon of warm water in a large plastic pail. Dissolve the chemical in the water, stirring with a stick. Submerge the pine-cones, you may need to add a plate and a rock to keep them submerged. Allow the cones to soak for 5-7 days, stir everyday.

Remove the cones and spread on newspaper to dry. This may take up to one week. They will open as they dry.

Package them in burlap bags or mesh bags. To use, toss a cone into the fire for a dancing dazzle of fiery colour.

Fragrant Fire Bundles:

When harvesting herbs from the garden, don't throw out the stems after the leaves have been stripped! Bundle them up with cinnamon sticks and raffia to make fragrant herb bundles to throw into your fire. Fragrant stems include: Lavender, rosemary, sage, mints, thyme, and lemon balm.

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