Pine trees as food

K

KMB

Joined
Feb 14, 1999
Messages
15
I read in the SAS survival book that certain trees, including pine trees, have an edible inner bark. How deep into the tree does one have to cut to get to this layer of edible bark? Also, how thick is the layer of edible bark? Last, is there any danger to cutting to deep and ingesting the 'bad' bark?

With regard to pine cones, the book also states that the seeds are edible and can be obtained by heating the cones. How is this done? Do you throw the cones into the fire or put them in a covered pot? Something else?

Thanks,

Kevin
 
You better wait on some feedback from the experts on this. But I think the book meant you could eat the soft lair of inner bark between the outer bark and the sapwood. I don't think going too deep would necesairily make you sick, but you'd have to do a hell of a lot of chewing once you got to the actual wood.Just make sure you don't eat the outer bark(dark part)It isn't as clean as the inner bark.Especially if anything has recently marked its territory.

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Fix it right the first time, use Baling Wire !
 
I believe that the inner layer of edible material is called cambium. If memory serves...
 
Hi, Kevin,

When you take the bark off of a pine tree, the part that is edible peels off the outer layer very easily compared to the outer layer. It's probably the last part of the tree you'd wanna eat, from the taste standpoint. Just be careful of the wood itself or of any pitch (sap) that gets in there. It's good to boil the bark if possible, and remove any oil that ends up on top of the water (save that oil as a natural disinfectant for cuts, etc.). You may smell turpentine while boiling -- that's good, because it means it's being removed from the bark, as it can be dangerous.

You can pull apart mature cones and remove the seeds, then roast them over the fire until they crack open. Yum! Sometimes boiling the entire mature cone will soften it enough to extract the seeds more easily.

The needles of the tree can be chopped finely and mixed with boiled water to make pine needle tea. Steep them for about five minutes or so, and enjoy!

Hope this helps,

Brian.
 
I prefer to use the inner bark of a birch tree and cook it like spaghetti, tastes ok but you sure can live on it. Just my opinion. Geoff.
 
Thanks to everyone who replied, especially Brian.

Another question though: how big are the seeds inside a pine cone and how many should I look for (approx). As you may be able to tell, I live in an area with lots of pines.

Thanks again.
Kevin
 
Pinyon nuts are particularly good and they happen to be the largest seeds in the Pine family. There are two types of Pinyon tree but the one I'm familar with is Pinus edilis. The cones are medium size but the nuts inside are quite large.

Spencer
 
KMB,

Pinecone seeds are under each "scale" of the cone, unless they've already fallen. There are times of the year when you can just walk under the tree and pick up all the little insect-wing shaped "seed-thingies" that have fallen. The seeds on the pines around here are around .25 and inch or so for a good sized one.

Don't put the pincecone, ESPECIALY a green one, on a fire-it will explode with cataclysmic force, killing you and any friends that are sitting to near the fire...

Brian Jones,

Funny you should mention the oil slick from boiling pinecones as being a natural disinfectant. Around here we've long used pine sap on cuts and scrapes. I don't know what the informed medical view on this matter is, but it's never done me any harm.

By the way, are you the same Brian Jones as the one that turns up on HACA?
 
Howdy, Snick,

There are a couple of brian Jones's flaoting around on the net martial arts community. I don't hang out on HACA (what does it stand for anyway?).

I enjoy your posts and discussions, though!

Best,

Brian.
 
I once tried eating pine needles to see how they would taste. they were fine, as long as i didnt stop eating them-once i stopped a slightly unpleasant aftertaste would kick in.
I have a pretty poor sense of taste/smell, so other people may find them much less palatable then i did.

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AKTI member #A000911

 
Humans lack the enzyme to break down cellulose. So it may fill your belly, but you get little if any actual benefit from consumption.
 
Historical Armed Combat Association, John Clements/Hank Reindhart's organization. They mostly do Medieval and Renaisance swordsmanship. They do some good work, I've had no problem with the individual members, but ooohwee! Don't ever get them all together at once and say something they disagree with, wether or not it's back by historicaly documented fact! I made my mistake.

If you don't know, there's a big schism on the the Western arts scene, brought on because of bad blood between classical fencing and the Med/Ren boys. Unfortunately guys like me, who aren't a part of either side, get caught in the crossfire and have to run for cover in Bram's Common Sense Self Defense/Street Combat forum...

Anyway, I was just wondering since Western stylists having been popping up on Bladeforums a lot recently.
 
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