What Can I Eat Wild in the Winter?
Pine- A tree of Abundance
There is so much wild eating in the summer. Summer, Spring and Fall are season of abundance and winter is the season of silence and reflection. But there are some plants that you use for eating or medicine and winter is the perfect time to gather them!
The bustle of the holidays are done, the new year has been rung, and your Christmas lights are put away. The Christmas tree has been unadorned and waiting for storage or hanging out in the backyard for that epic winter bonfire. But your pine worship need not end! Because winter is tis the season of Pine. In all of that white wash there is always the beauty of the evergreen or pine. The tree that brightens are days of winter and reminds us of the green summer to come. But what an amazing tree it is.
You can utilize a large portion of the pine tree for both food and health. Just like anything else you try in nature there are a few tips for gathering pine:
1. Consider the source-try and choose trees that are away from pollution and contamination.
2. Consider the health and quantity of the plant- Does the tree look damaged? Does it look like it may be partially dead? Is it a single tree or a forest? In the case of harvesting bark use a branch instead of cutting into the trunk. You want to preserve the health of the plant as best as you possibly can.
3. Do not strip the plant or one branch. Spread out your harvesting so you do not kill or harm the plant.
What does the Pine Tree have to offer?
Medicinal Properties:
Pine is has been known as an Analgesic, antifungal, antimicrobial, antiseptic, disinfectant
It has been a remedy for colds, flus, mucus, skin infections, and maybe not so prevalent today but its been used to treat scurvy.
Pine tree or evergreens in general emit at natural chemicals called phytocides that have been found to help strengthen our immune systems. So just hanging out in a forest and breathing in the air can help improve your health and reduce stress.
Nutritional Properties:
Pine needles and the tree has been found to very high in Vitamin C and has been referenced to have as much as five times the amount of vitamin c in an orange. It has also been found beta carotene, starches, sugars, and vitamin A. According to some research Pine needles are higher in vitamin C in the winter which makes it an excellent choice for colds or just boosting your wellness in the winter.
Other Uses:
Pine has been used as a cleaning and disinfecting agent for hundreds of years. The pine wood has been used for all sorts tools and building. Pine boughs are excellent to sleep on to provide both cushion and insulation in winter camping. Pine Pitch or sap has been used in the construction of canoes, as a waterproofing agent, and it also makes an amazing fire starter.
Warnings: If you are looking for side effects of using this tree one of the biggest I have found is that the ponderosa pine (not native to Saskatchewan) has caused abortions in cattle. As with all things new you are trying start small and use moderation when enjoying tasting the wilderness.
My Favourite Pine Recipes:
Pine Needles:
Pine Needle Tea-This amazing little part of the pine tree is so versatile. The most common use of pine needles is to make a tea. The tea is a great way to get your dose of vitamin C and helps to clear congestion and clear up cold symptoms. I have to admit the first time I made this tea I was thinking it would taste horrible. I mean drinking a pine tree does not sound the most pleasant, but it was delicious and surprisingly sweet! I was really impressed and we now mix it with other wild herbs like mint or Labrador tea for a great bush brew.
To make the tea you just need to find a pine tree, harvest some needles (about 1 teaspoon per cup), cut them up with scissors or a sharp knife, and add some hot water. You want to boil your water first, let it sit for a minute or two, and then steep your tea for about 10min. You don't want your water too hot or it will harm some of the delicate medicinal properties of the tea. It has almost a citrusy taste.
Pine Needle Steam or Bath- Add some needles to hot water, put it in a basin, and add a towel over your head. Breathing in the pine and I like to add peppermint loosens up tough mucus and relives congestion. Its also nice just to throw some needles in your bath.
Pine Needle Vinegar- Take some nice fresh needles, add some vinegar, and seal them up in a jar. When making infusions like this you want to consider your container. I like glass because then nothing else will leach into your mixes. Add some fresh oranges peels as well and you have your own homemade, antimicrobial, antifungal, cleaner! Or add a bit with some lemons, rosemary, or raspberries and you have a very unique boreal salad dressing.
Pine Needle Butter- This was another great recipe that I love! You simply cut up some needles and mash them with some soft butter. Let sit in a sealed container and add the butter to whatever dish you want to infuse with unique flavours.
Pine Needle Sugar-Add some needles to a cup of whatever type of sugar you prefer to use. Let it sit for about a month for a good flavour infusion. I made some really tasty pine needle shortbread that I was very excited about.
Pine Needles as a Spice- You can dehydrate or dry out some needles, throw them in a grinder and add them to some Celtic salt or as an extra seasoning to any dish you are making. I love making a very fragrant rice pilaf with both pine and wild sage. Pine is a strong taste so start small and add to enhance your dishes. I have also used a bit in with some Montreal steak spice as a rub and it turned out so good.
Cooking on a Pine Needles or a Pine Bough- This is another interesting way to inject some boreal forest into your cooking. A cast iron pan on the fire works great. I have taken a small pine branch, soaked it, wrapped it with some fresh rosemary, laid it on the bottom of my frying pan, and then set fish on top. It smokes a bit but gives your fish an awesome bit of flavour. Again experiment with flavour and strength. If you think a branch will be too much try starting with just some needles.
Pine Bark:
Inner Cambium Layer- This inner layer of bark in a pine tree has been used as a survival food and is very high in sugars and starches. I always look to a branch when harvesting bark but, should you need to harvest from the trunk you want to cut vertically along the trunk not horizontal line. The sap or blood of the tree travels up and down and you will create less of an impact cutting up and down strips versus across where you cut off the trees sap supply to a larger area. I haven't tried it myself but, friends of mine have not been enthusiastic about the taste.
Bark- There is an outer bark and inner bark. What can you use the bark for? First of all some folks have raved about using the inner bark of the tree to make a tea. I have combined it with the pine needles to give my tea a boost. There has been some research into the medicinal and immune boosting properties that lie in the bark of the pine tree. The other fun and interesting way I learned to use the bark was making pine back crackers. For the inner bark you peel the grey yellow outer pieces of the bark to reveal the reddish bark underneath. Then you dry it out and throw it in your grinder. You now have a pine bark flour and you can add this to breads or cracker recipes for another way to make your meals pop. There is a great pine bark cracker recipe in the Boreal Herbal by Beverly Gray.
Pine Pitch:
Pine pitch is one powerful ingredient for wilderness medicines. To collect it you are going to want to use a fixed blade knife or flat head screwdriver. Pine pitch is that yellow or golden, sticky balls of sap that the tree uses to seal up wounds or broken branches from insects or diseases. It is highly antimicrobial and antifungal so if you have a cut or wound its great for healing. Its also very soothing on achy muscles or I have heard of some folks success with inflammation. I had a friend who did use it in a tooth emergency to help seal off where a filling fell out. And I also have been a victim of the chew it till its gum. I have yet to make gum because pine pitch, unlike pine needles, is not tasty. I use it in conjunction with balsam poplar oil or other herbs to make a great boreal salve for all sorts of uses in our home.
A quick easy recipe for a salve:
1) A collection of pine pitch-half a handful
2) One cup of oil-You can use an infusion of oil and herbs, or just make sure whether its olive or just good ol' canola you are comfortable with rubbing it in on your skin.
3) 2 tablespoons of Beeswax
4) 1/4 teaspoon of Vitamin E (as a preservative)
Melt all of the ingredients in a double boiler. Start with your pine pitch because it takes a little longer. You want to chop or shred your beeswax into small pieces so it melts faster. The less heat you expose the mixture too the more medicinal properties of the plant will remain in tact. Once the beeswax is melted take it off the heat, if you want to add some extra essential oils stir them in, and pour into a heat proof container like a mason jar. If you are using a metal one make sure its food safe. And that is it. It will take less than ten minutes and you will notice your mixture starting to harden up. If it seems to liquid, chuck it back in the double boiler and add more beeswax.
There are many more uses for the Pine tree some for summer and fall! The above are just about the fun of collected wild ingredients in the winter. This simple tree that is in most folks backyards is so abundant with uses and yet we often overlook how lucky we are to live in a country with so many special plants.
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