Gather Kindling Now

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Along with lots of leaves, windy fall days blow plenty of dead branches out of the trees, so by now, you likely have lots of tree litter in your yard and garden. Stray sticks aren't very attractive, nor safe, to have lying around on your lawn - you don't want anyone to trip. Besides, they make great kindling for winter fires. So this is a perfect time to clean up the yard and collect those branches, particularly if you have Thanksgiving visitors this week to help you out.

Cut branches or snap the sticks to size and store them where they'll stay dry and you can find them fast; in a big bucket in the garage or a stack by the woodpile. Even easier, I find, is to put them in a large, empty planter that's pretty enough to keep by the door or on a covered porch, so you always have some handy. That way, all winter long, you can just grab a few sticks of kindling each time you go out to get wood, instead of wandering around your yard in the cold and snow trying to find a few twigs to get your fire going.

Reported By Phran Novelli, KYW Newsradio