Yeah, the flesh is edible, nothing else is. It's got a nice flavour but I'd rather not risk it!
Is pine needle tea safe?
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we had a yew growing in the front yard when i was in pri... eerrhh... school 
many, many moons ago and were always warned to stay away from the "berries" -- it was actually our new chemistry (and biology) teacher the year before i left who told me about it...
many, many moons ago and were always warned to stay away from the "berries" -- it was actually our new chemistry (and biology) teacher the year before i left who told me about it...
sorry for going off topic, but i ate the fruits growing up without any i'll effects (i always spit the seeds out as they were rather hard)...
Hawthorn fruits are good food. Especially when you turn them into gummy chews. It just shows how false rumours are passed on.
That is where most sites talking about pine needle tea go wrong, they seem to assume that anything with needles or wintergreen is "pine", just normal stupid. A pine is anything with the sci. name starting with "Pinus". There are very few non-pines that can easily be mixed with the real ones. Few of those are some Podocarpus species and the relic Sciadopitys verticillata, can be seen in gardens but not really in the forest in Europe.
Of course I know the differences.
I just want to keep the beginners who joined the forum during the last two years.
I would be pretty sad if we loose some of them here because they experimented with the wrong plant.
I just want to keep the beginners who joined the forum during the last two years.
I would be pretty sad if we loose some of them here because they experimented with the wrong plant.
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True and yew berries look delicious. I have always wondered about people who eat something they don't recognize in the wilds.
I like the yew arils, they're a sweet soft jelly-ish tasty thing. Very careful eating though.
Hawthorn, I'm not so keen on. I just find them mealy. Might just be the local trees, because like elders and apples they're all a bit different from each other.
I was taught to take pine needles in pairs. That's how ours grow. I know of the fives, but for my tea, I'll stick to the pairs.
There were a lot of imported species around here in the policies (grounds) of the big houses and castles, and the locals got cuttings for their own. Victorian and Edwardian times were very active plant gathering times. Lots of small local shows and associations, so some really weird things still pop up on occasion.
Hawthorn, I'm not so keen on. I just find them mealy. Might just be the local trees, because like elders and apples they're all a bit different from each other.
I was taught to take pine needles in pairs. That's how ours grow. I know of the fives, but for my tea, I'll stick to the pairs.
There were a lot of imported species around here in the policies (grounds) of the big houses and castles, and the locals got cuttings for their own. Victorian and Edwardian times were very active plant gathering times. Lots of small local shows and associations, so some really weird things still pop up on occasion.
Then again some people do use the young branch tips of Norway spruce in tea and a kind of syrup can be made out of them. So some Picea species can be used, I don't know about Abies as they are not native here.
I met somewhere that the Am. P. strobus can be used for needle tea and that is a five needle pine. Some relatives live in Europe too so they might be drinkable, I have not seen any info on that though.
And some of the imports stuck around, more the reason to first recognize what one eats.
P. contorta is a two needle pine, I understand that some fairly large test areas have been planted in the UK:
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If you pack a little jar or pot with pine needles, not tight tight, but a fair load, and cover them with sugar, put the lid on and leave it aside. In a few weeks turn the jar upside down in a sieve over another jar and you'll have made what is known as pine honey.
It's a golden syrup that's very soothing when one has a cold or sore throat.
It's a golden syrup that's very soothing when one has a cold or sore throat.
Ah, that's a by guess and by how much I can shake in amongst the needles.
If you fill the jar three quarters full of needles, then start spooning sugar into it, and shake it down in among the needles, tap it on the worktop sort of thing, then you want just enough sugar to cover them.
Not terribly scientific, and I apologise for not being more informative, but that's just how I was shown and know of to make the pine honey.
The sugar draws out the liquid from the needles. I know we think they're pretty dry but it's quite surprising just how much liquid is actually in them.
If you fill the jar three quarters full of needles, then start spooning sugar into it, and shake it down in among the needles, tap it on the worktop sort of thing, then you want just enough sugar to cover them.
Not terribly scientific, and I apologise for not being more informative, but that's just how I was shown and know of to make the pine honey.
The sugar draws out the liquid from the needles. I know we think they're pretty dry but it's quite surprising just how much liquid is actually in them.
There's another sugar extraction syrup that works very well too.
It's surprisingly good at clearing a sore throat and the sinus' but it's not so pleasant to take.
Grate up an onion and put that into a jar. Cover it in brown sugar, put the lid on and put it into the fridge.
It'll seep a brown syrup that is really strongly tasting. It'll keep for a year in the fridge though without spoiling. A teaspoonful sooked slowly will soothe a sore throat, and is reputedly (and surprisingly considering the smell of the onion) rather good at getting rid of bad breath. Just take it, swish it around for a while and then brush your teeth. It kills the bacteria that can linger in the mouth and cause the bad breath stench.
It's surprisingly good at clearing a sore throat and the sinus' but it's not so pleasant to take.
Grate up an onion and put that into a jar. Cover it in brown sugar, put the lid on and put it into the fridge.
It'll seep a brown syrup that is really strongly tasting. It'll keep for a year in the fridge though without spoiling. A teaspoonful sooked slowly will soothe a sore throat, and is reputedly (and surprisingly considering the smell of the onion) rather good at getting rid of bad breath. Just take it, swish it around for a while and then brush your teeth. It kills the bacteria that can linger in the mouth and cause the bad breath stench.
Its toxic but the berries are edible and delicious if u spit out the seed of eaten thousands n did as a boyAttention!
There is one relatively common conifer that is very toxic!
Taxus baccata - Wikipedia
en.m.wikipedia.org
I've eaten the Yew berry flesh and spat out the poisonous seeds.
Err, it seemed to me to be sweet but without much flavour if you see what I mean.
At best I'd say it was OK but I don't have an especially sweet tooth so the sweet part wasn't so much of a plus for me.
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