Just as with human skin, Pine bark shows considerable variation as it ages from smooth and youthful to ridged and aged. I am going to experiment with this next fall. All parts of the Pine are edible including the seeds if you can manage to collect them before they are fully dry and dispersed. Save those needles and chop them up to brew into a tea that is rich in vitamins A & C. Tender new (light green) shoots can be stripped of needles, peeled, and boiled in Maple syrup or even a simple sugar syrup to be candied. After pollination the scales grow rapidly and again cover the ovules, allowing them to mature into seeds.” Isn’t Nature enchanting? The shape of the cones causes air currents to swirl around them to help catch the pollen. Elpel in his wonderful Botany in a Day, “the female cones briefly become elongated, exposing the ovules to the pollen in the wind. The latter matures into the familiar dry, woody cones and bears seeds. Pine trees produce both male and female flowers. This cone-bearing evergreen has clusters of long, slender needles along the twigs and branches and each bundle contains 5 needles. White Pine ( Pinus strobus) is very common in Appalachia where I live. What is not so readily recognized are its many nutritional benefits and uses. An easily recognized tree in many areas is the Pine. There are wonderful plants and botanical virtues to be discovered on cold and frosty mornings, too. Weed walks and wild herbal foods and medicines are not just activities for the warm months.
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