I’ve said it before — there’s nothing like the crackle and hiss of an indoor fireplace. I start in October, and will keep home fires burning into April.

Right now, I can smell wood smoke from chimneys in my neighborhood, a true reminder that fall and frost are in town. I don’t get much of a smoky scent in the house when I burn, which is probably for the best.

Of late, I’ve been thinking about leaf fires. When I was growing up in Rochester, the city asked home owners to rake all their leaves to the curb for eventual pickup. Some burned crispy reds and orange in back yard barrels, and you could pick up the acrid — but not unpleasant — scent a block away.

Around Halloween, people often watered down their leaf piles. If they didn’t, roving bands of “big kids” out after dark would set the things on fire. Big flames and big smoke were the result.

I know it’s against the law to burn leaves now, and has been for years in many town and municipalities. I’ve been thinking about breaking the rule; I’m getting the urge to once again smell autumn smoke.

I did interviews with the Yankee Candle guys in 1996, and they said they’re always trying to come up with new scents. “Popcorn” and “clove” were not popular introductions, they said. I suggested a scent that would remind people of burning leaves. Don’t think they jumped into the labs with that idea.

I know there’s an “autumn leaves” candle on the market, and may try it out one of these days. But while I am a candle fan, there’s nothing like the real thing when leaves are burning. I’m going to re-examine the theory.

Not with a bonfire. I’ve got an old, beat-up charcoal grill that saw its last cheeseburgers years ago. I’m just going to stash 25 or 30 crispy leaves in the thing, toss in a match and smell the seasonal smoke.

It will only be for a few minutes, then I’ll douse the grill. Leaves are falling now — I want to sample this autumn nostalgia before snowflakes muscle in on the action.