Pine Bark

Remember that old Euell Gibbons commercial for Grapenuts cereal? Well, Euell was right, many parts of the pine tree are edible. Since pine trees grow almost everywhere in the world, their food value is worth knowing. (Take the time to learn how to distinguish the pine trees in your area from other evergreens!)

• Pine needles are rich in vitamin C and A. That means that no one need get scurvy if there are pines around. All you have to do is once a day, take a few needles and chew on them for awhile. Swallow the juice to get the vitamins and spit out the needles. You could also make tea out of the needles, but heat kills vitamins, so chewing needles is easiest and best.
• The inner bark of pine trees is edible. There are 600 calories per pound of inner bark, which may not seem like much, but it'll keep you alive. I found a Ponderosa Pine once that had recently been felled. I scraped off the outer bark to get to the smooth, white, inner layer. I was able to pull hunks of it out, sort of rubbery. I chewed and swallowed little strips and they were fairly mild tasting. I referred to them as "chicken of the tree"! Indians used this inner bark to survive when low on food during winters--maybe it will save your life someday, too.
• Pinyon pines grow profusely in the West and produce pine nuts. They are delicious. You can pay a high price to get them from specialty stores. Pine nuts contain all 20 amino acids, i.e., complete protein! Most pinyon pines only produce cones about once in 7 years, probably to conserve energy in the dry areas where they grow. Pick the cones when they are still green, in late summer, to beat the animals to them. Allow the cones to ripen back at your camp, then place them near a fire to get them to open. I have heard that one Indian could gather over 100 pounds of pine nuts in a single day during a bumper year!

Posted on the Pole Shift ning.