The needles of some pines, such as ponderosa pine, and other evergreen trees that are not actually pine, such as Norfolk Island pine, can be toxic to humans, livestock, and other animals. Although pine trees are edible, this does not apply to all trees. Some of the plants are poisonous and dangerous to people. Never eat Pinus Ponderosa pine, yew, Norfolk Island pine.
Most conifers are not only edible, but they are also medicinal. Every part is useful, including bark, needles, resin, nuts, and cones. Doug Fir branch tips are the newest and are usually a lighter green color. They are tender and edible, and can be made into a tea rich in vitamin C.
Beware of inedible pine trees. Norfolk Island pine (Araucaria heterophylla), yew (Taxus) and Ponderosa pines (Pinus ponderosa also known as western yellow pine, blackjack pine or bull pine). The short answer is yes, you can eat pineapples. All parts of the pine are edible, although the cones aren't necessarily the tastiest.
However, yew trees, Norfolk Island pine, Lodgepole pines and ponderosa pine are poisonous and should be avoided at all costs. Adding pine needles to homemade bath salts can help relieve headaches, relieve exhausted nerves, relieve muscle pain, and treat skin irritation. But most pines (slippery elm, black birch, yellow birch, spruce, black fir, balsamic fir, tamarack, etc.) gather a handful of pine needles (without the branches to which they are attached and without male or female pine cones) and use a knife to cut them into as small pieces as possible. There is the red pine (pinus resinosa) and the mugo pine (pinus mugo), the latter is not native to the area, but is used as a low-growing ornamental pine in landscaping that originates in the mountainous region of Europe.
A powder made from the outer bark of pine trees is even sold as a modern dietary supplement, which according to the manufacturer “can support healthier cardiovascular and circulatory function. If you get lost in the forest without food sources, then the main advantage is obvious: you will not starve if there is a pine tree nearby. The inner bark is especially a rich source of vitamin C, and as Nordic Food Lab points out, “Pine phloem is rich in ascorbic acid (vitamin C), which during the 19th century helped the Sami people of inland Norway and Sweden avoid scurvy that was at the time devastating coastal populations of non-Sami farmers. Pine needles are generally used in a tea that can be used internally for respiratory ailments, or externally for a multitude of skin conditions.
First you'll want to remove or cut the needles from the branch, and if they are very long (as are many pines), cut them into smaller pieces. It doesn't affect buffaloes, which regularly feed on these species, so I can say it's just a problem with cows and a specific reaction to a specific species of pine (Ponderosa pine). Similar to harvesting bark, intentionally injuring a tree to harvest pine resin will leave a scar on a tree and provide access to insects and microbes that could stunt or kill the tree. Most people know pine pollen as that annoying yellow dust that covers their cars and sidewalks in spring.
Pine nuts are famous for their use in pesto, but they are really useful in all kinds of recipes, savory or sweet.
Leave Reply