Friday, January 30, 2026

A Wire Saw & Some Pine Tea

 I wanted to show how those budget wire saws can do, and I figured I might as well make a hot beverage while I was out in the cold. Packed up a haversack and hit the trail They had plowed a couple of other areas so there's a nice change of scenery.




Below is the pitch pine needles. Notice the group of three.


Eastern white pine. 5 needle groups.






A couple of ways to know if pine needles are edible are by how soft they are. If they are somewhat soft and flexible it's usually safe. Also, if you rub them so the oils come out they should smell just a bit resinous with a hint of citrus. But again, I still suggest the book on foraging.

I want to mention that in the following video I accidentally call the pitch pine ponderosa pine a few times. 





Try Stick

 The following pictures are a couple of years old, they are from a challenge I was involved in at that time. This is pretty much a text book...