Collecting pine cones for pine nuts
One of the most awesome things about pine trees is collecting pine cones to use for decorating baskets, etc. for home decor. But did you know that every closed pine cone is also loaded with pine nuts? Today I decided that I wanted to try collecting a few pine cones to retrieve some pine nuts.
The reason why I decided to check today for pine nuts is because, normally, my pine trees don't start dropping pine cones until sometime in August through November. We are heading into July and my trees are already dropping pine cones and pine needles on the ground due to extreme heat-related-stresses. The temperature and moisture levels have a lot to do with how well pine trees produce pine cones and pine nuts.
Normally, the squirrels and birds will pick the pine cones clean, so the opened pine cones will not usually have any pine nuts inside them.
Collecting pine cones for pine nuts
Any type of pine tree will produce pine cones with edible pine seeds. So it doesn't matter what variety of pine trees the seeds come from. They're all nutritionally edible. Different varieties of pine trees will have different sizes of nuts (seeds).
Before gathering the pine cones, put on some garden gloves to protect your hands from pine sap.
Now, what you'll want to look for in your search are the pine cones which are still closed. Normally, they're still on the tree, unless a strong wind blows them off the limbs.
So the next step will be to twist the pine cone slightly to break it off the tree limb, without breaking any of the tree branches. However, I prefer to try knocking them out of the tree by using a long garden rake. I use the rake as a tool to kinda hook onto the pine cones, then knock them off on the ground. (I am a very short person and I have trouble reaching everything.) As I knock the pine cones out of the trees, I place them in baskets to help simplify carrying them.
After I get the amount of pine cones that I want, I then place them inside my hanging (air dry) dehydrator. This allows the pine cones to dry and open up naturally and I have found that this is the easiest method of drying them. Normally, it takes anywhere from two to three weeks for them to begin opening up.
Once the pine cones are fully dried, tap the pine cones over a clean surface. The pine nuts will then generally fall out with ease. Of course, you can also roast the pine cones in a regular oven, or in a smoker, if waiting isn't your thing.
When the collected pine nuts are dried, you can sprinkle them on salads, ice cream, and milkshakes. They can also be roasted and used in breads, as well as other baked goods, or simply eaten as a snack.