Exploring the many gifts offered by Pine trees in the context of Food Forest Design. This is Installment #18 of the Stacking Functions in the Garden, Food Forest and Medicine Cabinet series.
Fantastic article. Here on the southern east coast we have a relatively small subset of species to appreciate. I love the species of the west and northwest. One of my favorite species is the Hemlock. Thanks for all the knowledge. My next kraut will have some white pine needles and I'm super tempted about the eggnog.
Thanks Steve! :) Yes Hemlock are beautiful, I am looking forward to getting up north into the Algonquin area where I know some groves of really old ones still exist soon.
With pine needle kraut I have found that finely dicing and/or bruising the needles with a mortar and pestle first brings out the foresty flavor and allows for a nice finished texture. Please let me know how it goes!
quite an extensive gathering of information. it probably took a long time. thanks for the shoutout, i've been studying pines while traveling for a long time, its a hide world!
What an encyclopedia of some of my favorite trees, Gavin! I will have to come back to it a few times. I pinch myself daily that my backyard is now a forest filled with these beautiful beings. The evergreens are mostly White Pine, Hemlock, and Balsam Fir, with a few others here and there.
Your photos are spectacular, as always and omg, the food! 😮😮 Almost every morning, I throw a handful of White Pine needles/stems into my first drink of the day with ginger and cinnamon. It makes a nice combo. Sipping some right now! Wish I was a more enthusiastic cook/baker. :)
And, while I don't like to link my own posts to other writers here, I'm going to include this little plug for my White Pine Oil that I make/sell from the fallen branches in the woods. I have only four bottles left. It smells just like the forest. 🌲🌲🌲 . Feel free to remove it if it's not appropriate. XO https://barbarasinclair.substack.com/p/potions
I had a feeling you might appreciate this post in particular :)
That sounds like a lovely morning ritual, I often add white pine needles to my yerba mate with ginger and mint in a thermos for working outside on cold days (like today).
Don't be silly ! Your posts are lovely, informative and provide much needed medicine for the heart, mind and spirit, you are always welcome to link them in the comments! :)
I would like to buy a bottle of your White Pine Oil if you have any left and can ship to Canada.
Hi Gavin! Sorry, I missed this reply. I have just a couple of bottles left and have only been shipping within the US. If you email me your address, I'll try to determine what the shipping would cost you. It might not be worth it. I'd love for you to have a bit of The Quaking Poplar Woods in a bottle. :) 🌲🌲🌲💚
Thank you for the info on extracting essential oils using an espresso machine! I’ll definitely be checking that out further. A lot of stuff to check back on in this newsletter. I’m currently living in Australia where Pinus radiata is an invasive weed and I come across it a lot at work (I work in bush regeneration), this has definitely inspired me to try and use the plant for medicinal purposes. We’re often encouraged to ring bark them but depending on the size, we tend to leave them as they are such a valuable resource for native birds. The native “equivalent”(similar food source) is often missing in their absence so we tend to pick off smaller ones and leave the larger ones.
I’ll be moving back home next year and am looking forward to using the information here for the pines I’m used to back home! Mostly Pinus sylvestris.
Awesome article Gavin, I'm only part way through, but wanted to ask a couple questions. 1. If you use the espresso machine for essential oil extraction does it leave strong flavor behind or could you still use it for espresso (I've never had an espresso machine so I know nothing about their care and maintenance). 2. Do you know of anyway to preserve pine resin that you could use it to repair wounds outside of summer?
I write some plant profiles on my substack, though I haven't really gotten into trees yet. If you'd ever be interested in writing a plant profile about a tree or an article about food forests dm me and we can talk more.
Oh ya and I forgot about your question regarding the espresso machine. To be honest I am more interested in the medicinal compound/essential oil extraction of herbs than making espressos, so I am not the best person to ask as far as judging espresso quality but one the few occasions I made espresso with the machine after extracting pine needle essence, the flavor was not off, a little foresty but not super strong. I imagine you could wash it with alcohol and get any resins off too if need be.
Awesome. I’m also more interested in the essential oil extraction, but I love me some multipurpose kitchen appliances :) Maybe I’ll have to add it to my Christmas list. Thanks!
I look forward to learning more about your work as time allows and i`ll think about the possibility of a collaboration in the future and get back to you if I come up with something.
Great questions. Those are things I have been experimenting with myself a bit this year.
What I have done so far in my experiments is melt the resin down in glass jars which I placed in a slow cooker (half filled with water) until I could separate the liquid from the solids, after which I stored some pure resin in the freezer and then mixed some in other experiments where I made variations of this topical salve ( https://gavinmounsey.substack.com/p/sacredsevensalve ) that incorporated up to 1/5 pine resin (instead of part of the Coconut / Cacao oil ratio) and excluded some of the less shelf stable ingredients (like aloe gel) to make a more solid salve for carrying in my trail / bug out bag natural first aid kit.
I store both in the freezer in air tight containers simply because I know colder temps and lax of light/oxygenation will preserve the medicinally active compounds at a higher potency for longer, but I imagine the pure pine resin would be fine and retain good medicinal properties for years if stored in an airtight container in a cool/dry/dark place.
I added several more links to other people's posts pertaining to "purifying" pine resin via various melting and combining with other oils in the Pine Resin section of the article above for other people's perspectives.
"if your oil is fresh and the product is stored in a cool dark place, you can expect a shelf life of at least 2 years".
and in this post ( https://redheadedherbalist.com/harnessing-pine-resin-for-skincare/ ) on "Processing Pine Pitch for Use in Personal Care & Health Products" the author states "cover your jar with an airtight lid and store at room temperature out of direct sunlight. Properly stored, a jar of this valuable stuff (purified pine resin or "tar" as she calls it) should last virtually forever."
For some scientific studies that provide additional context, I found the following:
"Effect of Temperature on Various Rosins and Pine Gum" :
"Mexico has the highest species diversity of pines" - whoah! I had no idea!
My own range is west of the Continental Divide, so many of these were totally new to me.
I'm especially fond of Pinus monophylla because of the delicious nuts, which I've had the pleasure of wildcrafting. Cool to see you quoting Kelly Moody in that section, as she's a friend.
This real THESIS work is truly amazing in every aspect! THANK YOU!!! Hope you didn't need helicopter to get down from this beautiful rock there;))) Boy, one gets really hungry for all the delicacies you show here!
Just hope people will START growing more of these wonder incredible giving trees! I had for many years a japanese black pine tree growing in pot, all the time. It was doing good. As soon as I replanted it into the ground this summer, it started to die, in few weeks completely dried out.... Almost cried when chopping the dead branches.. And another type, at least 40 years or older, ~15m tall, with stem between 0.5-1m was literally put down by a wind of >70mph in Jan 2023.. It landed exactly in the only spot which didn't damaged a single thing, including my neighbors and my home, both ~5m away in each direction from the stem basis...
Thank you I really appreciate you saying that, it did require quite a bit of work, and your welcome. I am glad you value the info and hope you can put it to good use in the future.
haha the Quartzite rock outcrop I was standing on in that photo seems more hard to climb than it really was in the pic. There was a more gradually sloping stone face on the backside I was able to scramble up (and then slide down) without needing ropes or anything. One thing that I did find a little unnerving, is as my wife was taking those pics, a little kid that was hiking with his family nearby saw me and followed me up there sneakily before I could discourage him. I stayed in between him and the edge (just in case) until his parents wrangled him down haha.
If you thought those recipes were scrumptious looking, go back and look again (I updated the article with Pine Nut Recipe ideas too now).
Thanks for sharing your experiences, your love of trees and your hopes that others will use this info to plant some of these trees for future generations.
Fantastic article. Here on the southern east coast we have a relatively small subset of species to appreciate. I love the species of the west and northwest. One of my favorite species is the Hemlock. Thanks for all the knowledge. My next kraut will have some white pine needles and I'm super tempted about the eggnog.
Thanks Steve! :) Yes Hemlock are beautiful, I am looking forward to getting up north into the Algonquin area where I know some groves of really old ones still exist soon.
With pine needle kraut I have found that finely dicing and/or bruising the needles with a mortar and pestle first brings out the foresty flavor and allows for a nice finished texture. Please let me know how it goes!
Happy Winter Solstice my friend!
Thanks for the tip. You also
quite an extensive gathering of information. it probably took a long time. thanks for the shoutout, i've been studying pines while traveling for a long time, its a hide world!
Thanks Kelly, glad we cross paths. Happy trails.
What an encyclopedia of some of my favorite trees, Gavin! I will have to come back to it a few times. I pinch myself daily that my backyard is now a forest filled with these beautiful beings. The evergreens are mostly White Pine, Hemlock, and Balsam Fir, with a few others here and there.
Your photos are spectacular, as always and omg, the food! 😮😮 Almost every morning, I throw a handful of White Pine needles/stems into my first drink of the day with ginger and cinnamon. It makes a nice combo. Sipping some right now! Wish I was a more enthusiastic cook/baker. :)
And, while I don't like to link my own posts to other writers here, I'm going to include this little plug for my White Pine Oil that I make/sell from the fallen branches in the woods. I have only four bottles left. It smells just like the forest. 🌲🌲🌲 . Feel free to remove it if it's not appropriate. XO https://barbarasinclair.substack.com/p/potions
I had a feeling you might appreciate this post in particular :)
That sounds like a lovely morning ritual, I often add white pine needles to my yerba mate with ginger and mint in a thermos for working outside on cold days (like today).
Don't be silly ! Your posts are lovely, informative and provide much needed medicine for the heart, mind and spirit, you are always welcome to link them in the comments! :)
I would like to buy a bottle of your White Pine Oil if you have any left and can ship to Canada.
Hi Gavin! Sorry, I missed this reply. I have just a couple of bottles left and have only been shipping within the US. If you email me your address, I'll try to determine what the shipping would cost you. It might not be worth it. I'd love for you to have a bit of The Quaking Poplar Woods in a bottle. :) 🌲🌲🌲💚
No worries, I sent you my mailing address via email.
Thanks for the response :)
Thank you for the info on extracting essential oils using an espresso machine! I’ll definitely be checking that out further. A lot of stuff to check back on in this newsletter. I’m currently living in Australia where Pinus radiata is an invasive weed and I come across it a lot at work (I work in bush regeneration), this has definitely inspired me to try and use the plant for medicinal purposes. We’re often encouraged to ring bark them but depending on the size, we tend to leave them as they are such a valuable resource for native birds. The native “equivalent”(similar food source) is often missing in their absence so we tend to pick off smaller ones and leave the larger ones.
I’ll be moving back home next year and am looking forward to using the information here for the pines I’m used to back home! Mostly Pinus sylvestris.
Glad you found the info helpful Nick.
Ahh well one man's "invasive weed" can be another man's opportunity to make powerful medicine and preserve nutrient dense food.
I found these posts that focus on Pinus radiata specifically in that regard:
https://hedgewitchadventures.com/2021/12/10/edible-tree-of-the-week-monterey-pine/
https://pruefreefood.wordpress.com/2012/01/03/gone-nutty-over-pine-nuts/
https://pfaf.org/User/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Pinus+radiata
Thanks for reading and for the comment.
Awesome article Gavin, I'm only part way through, but wanted to ask a couple questions. 1. If you use the espresso machine for essential oil extraction does it leave strong flavor behind or could you still use it for espresso (I've never had an espresso machine so I know nothing about their care and maintenance). 2. Do you know of anyway to preserve pine resin that you could use it to repair wounds outside of summer?
I write some plant profiles on my substack, though I haven't really gotten into trees yet. If you'd ever be interested in writing a plant profile about a tree or an article about food forests dm me and we can talk more.
Oh ya and I forgot about your question regarding the espresso machine. To be honest I am more interested in the medicinal compound/essential oil extraction of herbs than making espressos, so I am not the best person to ask as far as judging espresso quality but one the few occasions I made espresso with the machine after extracting pine needle essence, the flavor was not off, a little foresty but not super strong. I imagine you could wash it with alcohol and get any resins off too if need be.
Hope that helps.
Awesome. I’m also more interested in the essential oil extraction, but I love me some multipurpose kitchen appliances :) Maybe I’ll have to add it to my Christmas list. Thanks!
I look forward to learning more about your work as time allows and i`ll think about the possibility of a collaboration in the future and get back to you if I come up with something.
My plant profiles tend to get a bit more into the woowoo than yours, but I like the style of yours! Reach out if/when it feels right.
Thanks Amy!
Great questions. Those are things I have been experimenting with myself a bit this year.
What I have done so far in my experiments is melt the resin down in glass jars which I placed in a slow cooker (half filled with water) until I could separate the liquid from the solids, after which I stored some pure resin in the freezer and then mixed some in other experiments where I made variations of this topical salve ( https://gavinmounsey.substack.com/p/sacredsevensalve ) that incorporated up to 1/5 pine resin (instead of part of the Coconut / Cacao oil ratio) and excluded some of the less shelf stable ingredients (like aloe gel) to make a more solid salve for carrying in my trail / bug out bag natural first aid kit.
I store both in the freezer in air tight containers simply because I know colder temps and lax of light/oxygenation will preserve the medicinally active compounds at a higher potency for longer, but I imagine the pure pine resin would be fine and retain good medicinal properties for years if stored in an airtight container in a cool/dry/dark place.
I added several more links to other people's posts pertaining to "purifying" pine resin via various melting and combining with other oils in the Pine Resin section of the article above for other people's perspectives.
This post ( https://apothecarysgarden.com/blogs/blog/preparing-winter-medicine-with-tree-resins ) with a recipe that includes pine resin as an ingredient for a "Winter Chest Rub" salve the author states:
"if your oil is fresh and the product is stored in a cool dark place, you can expect a shelf life of at least 2 years".
and in this post ( https://redheadedherbalist.com/harnessing-pine-resin-for-skincare/ ) on "Processing Pine Pitch for Use in Personal Care & Health Products" the author states "cover your jar with an airtight lid and store at room temperature out of direct sunlight. Properly stored, a jar of this valuable stuff (purified pine resin or "tar" as she calls it) should last virtually forever."
For some scientific studies that provide additional context, I found the following:
"Effect of Temperature on Various Rosins and Pine Gum" :
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/i360027a006
"Effect of heat treatment at mild temperatures on the composition and physico-chemical properties of Scots pine resin" :
https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3897681/v1/dabce1f4-7803-46ef-85b5-ba0edadcc0c2.pdf?c=1715112515
"Quality aspects during pine resin storage: Appearance deterioration, turpentine chemical components change" :
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0926669024020521#:~:text=However%2C%20the%20quality%20of%20pine,a%20six%2Dmonth%20storage%20period.
"A study of the physico-chemical properties of dried pine resin" :
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334547739_A_study_of_the_physico-chemical_properties_of_dried_maritime_pine_resin_to_better_understand_the_exudation_process
Thanks very much for the kind comment, glad you appreciate and value the content.
"Mexico has the highest species diversity of pines" - whoah! I had no idea!
My own range is west of the Continental Divide, so many of these were totally new to me.
I'm especially fond of Pinus monophylla because of the delicious nuts, which I've had the pleasure of wildcrafting. Cool to see you quoting Kelly Moody in that section, as she's a friend.
This real THESIS work is truly amazing in every aspect! THANK YOU!!! Hope you didn't need helicopter to get down from this beautiful rock there;))) Boy, one gets really hungry for all the delicacies you show here!
Just hope people will START growing more of these wonder incredible giving trees! I had for many years a japanese black pine tree growing in pot, all the time. It was doing good. As soon as I replanted it into the ground this summer, it started to die, in few weeks completely dried out.... Almost cried when chopping the dead branches.. And another type, at least 40 years or older, ~15m tall, with stem between 0.5-1m was literally put down by a wind of >70mph in Jan 2023.. It landed exactly in the only spot which didn't damaged a single thing, including my neighbors and my home, both ~5m away in each direction from the stem basis...
Thank you I really appreciate you saying that, it did require quite a bit of work, and your welcome. I am glad you value the info and hope you can put it to good use in the future.
haha the Quartzite rock outcrop I was standing on in that photo seems more hard to climb than it really was in the pic. There was a more gradually sloping stone face on the backside I was able to scramble up (and then slide down) without needing ropes or anything. One thing that I did find a little unnerving, is as my wife was taking those pics, a little kid that was hiking with his family nearby saw me and followed me up there sneakily before I could discourage him. I stayed in between him and the edge (just in case) until his parents wrangled him down haha.
If you thought those recipes were scrumptious looking, go back and look again (I updated the article with Pine Nut Recipe ideas too now).
Thanks for sharing your experiences, your love of trees and your hopes that others will use this info to plant some of these trees for future generations.