The Incredible Edible Pine Tree

We knew pine needles are edible, but who would have thought the tree offered so much more? Content starts at 5:55.


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  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin

    Thanks, @Tave, I want his cookbook.

    I think our family has a new covid activity & some hiking to do. We enjoy using draw knives, and have a few, so this would be easy enough.

    We could source pine, spruce, poplar & oak as natural barks here. I wonder what others he might suggest.

    @torey You can't miss this video!

  • frogvalley
    frogvalley Posts: 675 ✭✭✭✭

    @Tave Thank you so much for the Euromaxx segment! I love it. I had never heard of a Theremin before. Awesome! Sorry, I digress.

    Tree wood flour (including pine) has been used for centuries to make bread. It was and may still be an ingredient for many other things that use "cellulose" but from what I understand, plants have a higher cellulose percentage and are cheaper to process/produce. It is said that it is not digestible by humans, but it fills bellies. I wonder if the totally processed cellulose has nothing left to offer, but a fresh chunk of cambium contributes nutritionally? I ponder the intelligence of using overly processed "food" ingredients in our diet versus the prohibition of herbs, trees and other natural items because they are abhorrent to modern palates as barbaric. Are we shooting ourselves in the foot (in this case the gut) or saving humanity? Is it just another way big business is coming into our homes and stomaches? Not that I'm for dumping tons of it in food products as many did to feed the poor and save money, but could have some of the current centurions in the world benefitted from the real stuff during times of strife such as the war? We may never know, but it's a thought.

    On another note, several years ago I learned that pine pollen had testosterone. It was a wake up call as we planted 10 acres of pine trees. Yep! Uh oh! And just after we did, we found out that my husband was allergic to pine. He has to cover-up completely when doing any woodworking with pine or he breaks out in a rash. This could also be a reason for prostate issues. Oh the things we learn.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin
    edited January 2021

    @frogvalley Allergic to pine...hmm. I notice that I have trouble breathing around pine shavings (chicken bedding), but have no issues pruning my dwarf mugo pines' candles in spring. I wonder if it would be unwise for me to eat it or not then? 🤔😕

    Here is his book on Amazon.com:

    For Canadians, it wasn't found on Amazon, but Indigo carries it:

    https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/home/search/?keywords=artur cisar-erlach#internal=1&page=0&pid=978349299759&sortDirection=&sortKey=

    The book in his video is the one at the bottom, but appears to be the same as the English version.

    I would hope that there would be recipes in it.

    Okay...now here is his website & blog. Recipes can be found here:


  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    This was off of foodnetwork.com

    Spruce It Up: Use needles right off your tree to make syrup!

    Good cooks never let anything go to waste—even Christmas trees. Make pine-flavored syrup with needles right off your tree. Spruce or Douglas fir needles work best (avoid adding preservation chemicals to the tree-stand water). Rinse 1 cup needles, then finely chop in a food processor. Bring 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water, 2 tablespoons corn syrup and a pinch of salt to a boil in a saucepan, whisking, then boil 1 minute without stirring. Remove from the heat, add the needles and steep 2 to 3 hours. Strain the syrup and refrigerate up to a month. It tastes great in cocktails!

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin

    I should add to this that this that buying a Christmas tree to later eat is risky. Some places paint their trees (this is often obvious if you check the bark) and some spray them with other chemicals to keep them fresh.

    So, if you are going to eat your tree...just as with greenhouse plants and wild plants, know the source and make sure that it is not contaminated.

    @Denise Grant Thanks for all the additional resources. 😄

    We have made spruce sugar and maple syrup. We are eager to try more. Licking poplar cambium didn't go over well. The kids were curious as they peeled some trees one day. 😉 Maybe actually preparing it as something would be more pleasant.

  • frogvalley
    frogvalley Posts: 675 ✭✭✭✭

    @LaurieLovesLearning you could be allergic to something on the shavings. If store bought they might spray it with something to preserve it or inhibit mold. It could be mold. It could be you are allergic to certain types of pines. We had 4 Mogo and my husband never noticed anything, but lumber from the stores, being near the pollen or cutting and carrying branches all affect him.

    Some people say it's not the pine pollen that causes allergic reactions - it's just happens at the same time there is other pollen. But just like Goldenrod, some people are allergic in spite of what circulates for fact.

    I would approach it just as one would when foraging and find a plant you know that might help stave off hunger (but have never tried) only wait a little longer between trials. Touch it one day. Wait a day. If nothing happened, put it to your lips one day. Wait a day. If nothing happened, wait a day. Touch it to the inside of your lip. Wait a day. If nothing happened, chew a tiny bit in your mouth and spit it out. Wait a day. You get the idea.

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @LaurieLovesLearning When I read they suggested using your chrismas tree my first thought, was that safe? And my second thout was I would only use a tree that I grew or cut and knew it was safe.

    Its like any food that is new. Always test to make sure your not allergic to it or that it is the safe variety of plant.

    I went to a wild edible identification and buffet at the Audubon one year. We would ID edible spring flowers or weeds and at tehr same time other member were preparing a buffet of freshly harvested edibles. We were warned to only eat a little as fresh food you were not used to may cause gas.

  • Tave
    Tave Posts: 952 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @LaurieLovesLearning Thanks for the links. I wonder if molle (pink pepper tree) would be good. Does anyone have experience with it? People in South America make a drink from the seeds that is good for colds.

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    I have used Pinaceae species in food but have never eaten the bark. I have heard differing opinions on the taste. Depends on the species and the time of year. Western Hemlock is quite prized by coastal First Nations here in the spring for its sweetness. I have heard that boiling the strips of Pine bark like noodles and then smothering them in some kind of sauce makes them taste better. I don't know anyone who has tried to make flour with any barks, though. Never heard of using the outer bark but .... if it makes "chocolate" cookies. :)

    Caution on eating bark. Don't eat too much even as a survival food. It can cause severe gastrointestinal distress if eaten in quantity, particularly raw.

    I like needle tea and I add ground needles to baked goods. Douglas Fir is a favourite. And I make spruce tip honey every year as a cough syrup. Spring tips add a delicious citrus pop in salads.

    Rosalee has devoted a whole chapter to Evergreen Recipes in her Wild Remedies book.

    In the article "How to Eat a Pine Tree", it also mentions Slippery Elm and a couple of Birches as being Pines. They are not. Birches are Betulaceae. I think Birch would have a tastier inner bark than most others due to the xylose content, though. Slippery Elm (Ulmaceae) has been a casualty of Dutch Elm disease and over-harvesting in some areas so we probably shouldn't be harvesting Slippery Elm unless it is from a fallen limb or tree. I have had Slippery Elm powder before and in my opinion it tastes like wall paper paste.

    Yes, Pine pollen is becoming known as the herbal "Viagra". Pycnogenal is a newer product on the market used as an anti-inflammatory. It is made from the bark of the Maritime Pine (Pinus pinaster) from the Mediterranean region. All species have their medicinal applications.

    Know your species before you start to harvest. Yew (a widely used hedging plant in landscaping) is toxic and there are conflicting reports regarding the safety of Yellow Pine aka Ponderosa Pine.

  • Linda Bittle
    Linda Bittle Posts: 1,518 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited January 2021

    I've enjoyed teas made with spruce and Douglas fir needles, Western red cedar fronds, and have nibbled on the bright green tips of spring needles. High in vitamin C, and tasty, although not everyone enjoys it.

    Once I purchased some fancy spruce sugar - raw sugar that had been flavored with fresh spruce tips, then run through the blender to pulverize everything. It was really good sprinkled (sparingly) on sugar cookies and baked goods, and also in black tea. A little went a long way. That company has gone out of business, so I can't share the link.

    Here are instructions to make your own.


  • Tave
    Tave Posts: 952 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @torey, my sister did well with pycnogenol and told my brother he should take it. It landed him in the hospital, don't remember why (maybe something to do with the prostate). It may have been a bad brand but a good lesson that not every herb is good for every person.

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    @Tave I haven't looked into the side effects or contraindications of Pycnogenal before because I have never recommended it to a client for anything. Because there are so many newer products and supplements on the market, I tend not to do much research unless I am going to be using it or recommending it. Just too overwhelming.

    But I looked up Pycnogenal now and these are possible side effects: dizziness, vertigo, fatigue, gastrointestinal issues, nausea, irritability, headache, drowsiness, mouth ulcers, skin irritation, lower blood sugar levels, urinary issues. People should avoid Pycnogenal if you are: are pregnant or breastfeeding, have an autoimmune condition, have a bleeding condition, have diabetes, are within two weeks of a scheduled surgery, have liver issues or have a heart condition.

    Pycnogenal has more benefits than just as an anti-inflammatory. Certain skin conditions may see improvement. It may help with metabolic syndrome and improve heart health. It is showing promise in having neuroprotective benefits.

    As with anything, do your research before trying a new product. And, you are very right that not every herb is good for the same thing in different people.

  • Tave
    Tave Posts: 952 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @torey Thanks for that information. It makes perfect sense.

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    Speaking of eating trees, this link just arrived in my in box. Eat the Trees. https://theartofantiaging.com/ylih-report-eat-trees/?orid=195221&opid=62

    It is affiliated with the Younger, Longer: The Insider’s Health Summit.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin

    Remember when I mentioned that Christmas trees may have had chemical application? I think this is most likely at a Christmas tree farm, but even nearby a field or treated pasture, a tree may have had chemical exposure.


  • Tave
    Tave Posts: 952 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Scott Sexton wrote an interesting article that was reposted today. I might try the cookie recipe.