pine pollen

[danmc]

Anyone have favorite ways of cooking with pine pollen?

Judging by the layer of pollen I accumulated all over my stuff while sitting under a tree for a few hours last weekend, it is that time of year.

I've always heard "use as a flour substitute" but what I have found is that pine pollen doesn't like water. Just doesn't mix well with it. I ended up using more or less a regular pancake recipe last year where I cut the flour pretty heavily with the pollen. Also I used honey instead of sugar. It seemed that the lack of gluten (maybe) contributed to them not really rising. All in all it was a fairly non-descript fried-dough sort of result. *no* hint of a turpentine taste. Not at all like what the inner bark tastes like.

I'd like to try something different this year.

-Dan

[Gray Wolf]

I really enjoy Pine nuts. You can use them whole, crushed, diced and powered.

[danmc]

I really enjoy Pine nuts. You can use them whole, crushed, diced and powered.

here's a stupid question.... when is the right time to go looking for those? The times I've pulled apart pine cones I didn't really see anything. In my yard it is all loblolly pines. If I drive an hour north there are a lot of white pines.

[Madrox]

on that note can pine nuts be eaten safely raw?

[trax]

are you guys beaver clan?

[Mountaintrekker]

Pine nuts can safely be eated raw. They are from the Pinion tree primarily in the Southwest. We used to eat them when we lived in the Sangre De Cristo Mtns in Colorado. MMMMM!!!
Pain to harvest though and a crop comes every 4 to 7 years depending on moisture levels. Some rogue trees will have "nuts" sporadically, but every few years is the norm.

[danmc]

are you guys beaver clan?

well... I have eaten inner bark from white pines... and the mascot from a school I went to was the beaver..... and no one can accuse me of not being busy.... and my wife says I smell bad so maybe we're on to something here

-dan

[Rick]

Well, depends on what you call safe. They won't kill you but.....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_nut

[Runs With Beer]

How do you collect the pollen?

[crashdive123]

You could come wipe it off of my truck every morning.

[Runs With Beer]

You could come wipe it off of my truck every morning.

That was good.

[Rick]

Here's a link. It doesn't tell you to collect pollen but does describe how to collect the nuts. Over all, good article.

http://www.eattheweeds.com/www.EatTh...r_Power_2.html

[danmc]

How do you collect the pollen?

I needed to prune back a branch that was too close to the house so I just shook the little male cones (the pollen producers) over a big piece of paper a cone or two at a time. That way I had a pretty good idea it was pine. It really didn't take many to collect 1/2 a cup or so.

Last year about this time my son and I were camped out by a small lake. There were moderate winds all night long and in the morning one end of the lake was so thick with pollen (probably mostly pine but I wouldn't eat that not knowing what others may be in it) that you could put smallish rocks (quarter sized) onto the pollen. The rock would stay there for 15-20 seconds before finally sinking through. It was amazing how much there was.

[Runs With Beer]

I needed to prune back a branch that was too close to the house so I just shook the little male cones (the pollen producers) over a big piece of paper a cone or two at a time. That way I had a pretty good idea it was pine. It really didn't take many to collect 1/2 a cup or so.

Last year about this time my son and I were camped out by a small lake. There were moderate winds all night long and in the morning one end of the lake was so thick with pollen (probably mostly pine but I wouldn't eat that not knowing what others may be in it) that you could put smallish rocks (quarter sized) onto the pollen. The rock would stay there for 15-20 seconds before finally sinking through. It was amazing how much there was.

I have seen it on the water before, Not quite that thick, but I would think you could skim it off the water and dry it out?

[danmc]

I have seen it on the water before, Not quite that thick, but I would think you could skim it off the water and dry it out?

We did skim some off the water. Took 30 seconds to fill a 16 oz plastic cup. Ignoring issues of the feeder creek running through a dairy pasture I still worry about what other unknown pollens are in it. Like mountain laurel. Not sure if that pollen is good for you. The leaves sure aren't (fatal I believe).