The Wood-Burning Stove

We cook on an old wood-burning stove that was made more than 60 years ago! It’s probably our favorite thing in our house. We use it almost daily, but it takes a lot of manual labor to keep it going. The hardest part about keeping the wood stove going is supplying enough wood for the fire—and since we live in the jungle you would think that wouldn't be much of a problem. We have lots of trees in our backyard, so finding an old tree that is dead and has already fallen down isn't too big of a job, but then we have to chop it up and haul it to the house.

Usually if the tree is small, we Wild boys will chop it into pieces with axes and carry it back to the house. Then, we cut the pieces with saws into sizable chunks that will fit into the wood stove. If the tree is really big, however, our dad will cut the log into disks with the chainsaw, and then we boys carry them back to house. After that, Morgan and I split them with axes and Kian and Asher stack the wood under the porch.

The next steps are cutting kindling and stacking it carefully in the fire box of the wood stove so that there will be a nice air flow. Lighting the fire is pretty easy; usually it will start ablaze almost instantly. Once it starts to get hot, we add bigger and bigger pieces of wood until we have a roaring fire.

Our stove heats up to 400 or 500 degrees Fahrenheit, which is perfect for baking bread or cooking vegetables on top of the stove. It also warms the house to a very nice temperature. It’s super nice sitting around the old wood-burning stove during the evening with a good book, some cookies, and a warm cup of tea!