#conifer tea

Conifer needles like pine, fir, or spruce are both edible and medicinal! Making a tea out of them is an easy way to ingest this tasty and health-beneficial forage, especially in the winter when other plants are sparse.

Types of Conifer Needles to Use for Tea:

*It's so important to properly identify any tree you're wanting to use! Many conifer species are safe to ingest, but not all! The main conifer trees to avoid is the Yew family because they are highly toxic. Use a reliable guide or bring someone knowledgeable along with you so you can sip your tea in confidence.*

Pine Needles:

Great Choices:

Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus)

Western White Pine (Pinus monticola)

Red Pine (Pinus resinosa)

Sugar Pine (Pinus lambertiana)

Most species of pine are safe to use, but there area few varieties to avoid if you're pregnant! There's a chance they could cause miscarriage in large doses.

Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa)

Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta)

With that said, ponderosa pine has been safely used medicinally by Indigenous Americans throughout history.

Fir Needles:

As far as my research has shown, all fir trees have edible needles.

Great Choices:

White Fir (Abies concolor)

Grand Fir (Abies grandis)

Noble Fir (Abies procera)

Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea)

Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga spp.) (not a true fir but still really yummy for tea)

Spruce Needles:

As far as my research has shown, all spruce trees have edible needles.

Great Choices:

Blue Spruce (Picea pungens)

Norway Spruce (Picea abies)

Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis)

White Spruce (Picea glauca)

Hemlock Needles:

Not to be confused with poison hemlock, which is a highly toxic plant and not a tree!

All three of the common hemlock trees are edible:

Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla)

Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)

Mountain Hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana)

Other Edible Conifer Needles:

Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens)

Conifer Needle Tea Recipe

Properly identify and forage your conifer needles.

Strip or snip the needles off the branch. If the needles are very long you can cut them into smaller pieces.

Place a spoonful of needles at the bottom of a mug or into a tea strainer if you have one.

Pour boiling water over the needles and let it steep for about 5 minutes.

Enjoy! You can add other herbs, spices, or sweeteners to the recipe as you desire. Cinnamon is a great choice!

This tea is packed with vitamin C. Most conifer needles also help with coughs, relieve chest congestion, and aid with respiratory ailments. Conifer needles also have pain-relieving and antibacterial properties! Brew some for comfort, healing, and relaxation. As always happy foraging and STAY SAFE!

Ingredients      

                                           Pine, spruce or fir needles            

                       Instructions

                                         You can use the needles on the twigs or off, it's up to you.  They can be fresh, or dried.  They can be whole, or chopped.  Chopping the needles and using method 2, below, will result in the strongest flavor.              

                                                   Clean the needles by rinsing well under water.            

                                                                                           method 1                                                    

           Put a handful of whole needles or several tablespoons of chopped needles into a saucepan and add 2 cups water.  Bring to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  Let sit for 5 minutes, then strain and serve.            

                                                                                           method 2