Having grown up in rural Minnesota my dad taught several rough and tough tricks.  One such trick was how to build a strong fire.  I’ve been up at my parent’s place for a couple of weeks now so that means I’ve been soaking up all the fire time I can get.  Every day I station myself and my computer by the fire with my mom and we happily work the day away.  On the days my dad doesn’t prep a fire for us, which is rare, I take on the task and have been happy with the result.

How to Build a Good ‘Ol Minnesotan Fire

1. find some fallen wood and chop it so it’s about 2′ long
2. set your base with two medium-sized logs
3. set your next layer with two small-sized logs
4. set your next layer with a row of large sticks and a little bit of kindling (twigs and sticks)
5. top it off with a large log
6. stuff paper and paper goods between the two medium sized logs
7. light some of the paper and it should take off from there

Congratulations, you’ve built your first Hagberg fire!