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Can You Eat Pinecones?

 


Pines are some of the most easily recognizable trees you'll encounter. 

They're also evergreen, and common. So you're likely to spot them at any time of year - in almost any part of North America.

Pine trees are also a great source for forgeable resources. And for many unexpected reasons. So, in today's article we'll answer two questions: "Can you eat pinecones?" and "What other benefits do pine trees offer?"

To answer the first question...

Yes! You Can Eat Pinecones!

There are about 20 varieties of pine trees that produce harvestable pine nuts. Pine nuts are the seeds inside of a pinecone. They are edible, and often expensive at the grocery store. If you're foraging for fun, this can be a great way to enjoy premium ingredients without the premium price.

But, if you are survival foraging in the woods, you may not want to focus on harvesting pinecones.

Why?

Because getting to the nuts can be quite time consuming. You generally need to dry your pinecones for 2-3 weeks, before smashing them open with a hammer. Then, you need to remove a second shell that encases each individual pine nut.

So, this isn't a food source that's instantly available. 

But, there is good news.

Pine trees have many other survival foraging benefits.

3 More Reasons To Forage Pine Trees

Fresh pine needles are high in vitamin C. Boil some water, add a handful of green needles, and let the beverage brew for 2 - 3 minutes. 

This leaves you with a healthy tea to help boost your immune system.

If you're curious about this beverage and its health properties, you can also try an all-natural, pre-prepared version that's available from Amazon.

Secondly, dry pine needles and branches are excellent firestarters. 

You can use these to ignite and fuel a campfire, fireplace, or even certain woodburning stoves. This is great for wilderness survival, or keeping cozy "off-grid."

And finally, pine resin (the sap from pine trees) is useful for sealing cuts and other wounds. In fact, it was a common first-aid instrument several hundred years ago. If you ever read a book about pirates or colonial armies, there's a good chance a doctor or medic will use pine resin to seal wounds. 

Putting pine resin on an injury helps to prevent infection. And, pine resin will naturally draw out any splinters. Simply add some resin over the area your splinter is embedded in, and the splinter will work its way out within a day or two.

Conclusion

Pine trees are easy to identify and a great starting point for new foragers.

Pines offer a lot of fantastic health and safety benefits, and you can use almost any part of them to your benefit. 

Pinecones can be harvested and prepared for an excellent source of nut-based protein.

And needles can be used fresh as an natural immunity booster, while their dry counterparts make excellent firestarter material.

And lastly, even the pine tree's resin can help you recover from injuries like cuts and splinters.

If you're looking for a simple starting point in your foraging adventures, look no further than the humble yet help pine tree.

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