FRUITWOOD: Available at 800drywood.com. 70 lbs. of apple wood costs $49.95; peach wood runs $69.95. Good for: More expensive than standard firewood, but when burned, the wood from fruit trees gives off a subtle, juicy smell. Also perfect for cooking over an open fire, giving dishes a distinct down-home tang. Or use fruitwood chips to smoke meat.
BIRCH LOGS: Buy them at firewood.com. For $53 you’ll get a 40-lb. case; that’s 3 to 5 logs, each about 16 in. long. Good for: This premium hardwood’s known as “the Cadillac of firewood.” It lights easily and produces a near-continuous flame (no annoying flickering). And, oh yeah, the white logs look great stacked next to the hearth.
FATWOOD: $19 at LLBean.com. The 7-lb. basket of fatwood’s a great housewarming gift (literally). Good for: Forget those Duraflame logs. This is nature’s perfect kindling. With high resin content, a few sticks of pine fatwood have any fire blazing in seconds–and it burns relatively long, so you won’t have to keep fiddling. Also good for wood stoves and campfires.
