Pine Needle Tea

Fine presentation. I read that during the Civil War that there were cases of troops layed out under the pine trees above them with scurvy. Had they only known to make tea out of the abundance of evergreen needles they could have been healed. I really liked the short video you made about using pine resin for bandaids and healing at the same time.

I LOVE Pine Needle tea! People think it's going to taste awful, but it doesn't! It has a light wonderful taste and a beautiful fragrance. I like to have it with Orange peel and raw honey.

Dan, your comment about meat being the number one staple of your diet was pretty awesome. You are a man of my own heart too! I was on vacation at a friends cabin in NE Pa when I was going on a day and half with no meat and when I found out quiche and blueberry pie was on the menu for Saturday night, had to make a run to the butcher store in town. Fattest bloodiest steak I could find rescued me!

Dan you have provided us with another fine video my dude!!! Sassafras Tea is my all time favorite tea!!!

Had to smile at this one. Brought back memories. Couple of years ago I taught mid-school kids at a colonial life demonstration event. Included teaching them about pine needle tea. It was fun to watch their eyes get big and round, as they'd never heard or considered that the plentiful pines in this area were good for more than Christmas trees. Yes, it is somewhat of an acquired taste. Just like a southerner learning to like Earl Grey hot tea. And, just like black tea, it can be tailored to taste. Adding honey or other natural/artificial sweeteners is an option. Thanks for sharing. I'm so glad you didn't boil those needles. Saw a YT fellow, one time, boil about 2-3 times as many needles for several minutes. Frankly, I don't know how he managed to drink the stuff and finish making his video on "pine needle tea". It must have tasted and smelled like pure turpentine!

Great video. I love that you clarified the importance of taste verse need.

Love your videos, probably some of the most informative bushcraft/outdoors videos on YouTube.

Use this to save yourself from the spike protien

A little agave nectar in the tea goes a long way, too, for those who aren't thrilled about the taste.

I cut the pine needles with scissors into about 1.5 inch pieces making one tablespoonful. Put that into 8 oz jar and poured boiling water over it. Let it steep for just under 15 minutes. Strained it and drank while still warm. Taste was very pleasant. Kind of a little woodsy and the water consistency was smooth - not thin like most herbal teas. I felt a little sleepy right after, but it went away rather quickly. We will see what comes of this new regime I'm about to take on: One to two cups per day. I'll share if anything worthwhile happens so we can all get better educated on the benefits of drinking pine needle tea from the White pine.

"If you can't get through that much water maybe you should pick another hobby." I laughed at that so hard, especially coming from such a meat enthusiast. Not that I disagree with that premise in a survival situation, but I also love learning about edible and medicinal plants since they offer so much. I like how you advocate for meat without discounting all the other food and resources.

w-h-i-t-e - Five letters and five needles. Easy to remember.

I learned to chew on spruce needles, they also provide a bit of Vit C... Im sure it can be infused into a tea as well. Thanks for the tip.

I feel better and perked up after drinking this, thanks for the video!

I've carried packets of honey with me to add to the pine needle tea. Honey is good for you, plus it adds a sweet taste to the tea.

When I gather my white pine needles for my tea, I just grasp the needles on one side of the branch tip and snip with scissors parallel to the branch. Needles are ready to use and i have left a little needle on the tree so it doesn't look so bare. Not sure if it helps the tree or not, but it makes me feel good to do it that way and I have less to do when I get the needles back to the kitchen. I boil up a quart of water and put it onto about 1/2-3/4 cup of chopped up needles and let it sit until it has cooled enough to drink. I have a cup right then and put the rest in a mason jar to store in the refrigerator. I like it cold too.

I have made it with needles from the pine tree in the front yard. Not sure what type it is. I was thinking that Dave Canterbury;s tea kettle with the strainer in it would work great. Boil your water in the kettle then put your needles in the strainer and let it seep then pour your cup full. You have gotten me hooked. Open the computer and the first thing is to see if you have posted anything. Enjoyed your Vlog the other day and the ones were you were out and about bringing everyone along. Thanks Bruce from the city of orange in orange county california.

Quick Trick: Don't take the needles off or cut them, just take the whole branch & pour the water onto it. When it's all wilted & whatnot, take the whole thing out.

Sometimes I just chew the needles. I figure the vitamin c got to come out sometime...

it s possible to eat them raw too , it give some "water" in worst case scenario . Vitamin C start to "die" at 40~45°C and it s completely inactivate at 75°C . But this kind of tea have other good thing for health, like you said , with the oils . Alternative cooking , in decoction (the plants will be in cold water and when it s boil, bolt it 1 min , and wait 10 min before drink it (normaly it s a beter extraction for no dry plants).