Wild Tea

[Morgan]

Have you tried making tea out of the leaves in the wilderness? There are some leaves of trees, like the pine, that can be made into tea. Do you have the courage to try it? I know I won't but I would try if someone goes first and remain alive.

[northernbushape]

I have drank pine tea many, many times. I also graze the new shoots at the ends of the branches frequently while hiking or camping. The have an almost lemony flavor and are loaded with nutrition.

I have also eaten different greens in salads and stews. As long as you are harvesting from an area that has not been sprayed with pesticides or other toxins, there is great goodness out there waiting to be eaten.

Give it a try ... you might just like it

[GPER]

Tom Brown jr. has a lot of great books and some cover what can be eaten. I have made tea out of some of the plants.

[Newanderthal]

pine needle tea is great

[Morgan]

Originally Posted by northernbushape

I have drank pine tea many, many times. I also graze the new shoots at the ends of the branches frequently while hiking or camping. The have an almost lemony flavor and are loaded with nutrition.

I have also eaten different greens in salads and stews. As long as you are harvesting from an area that has not been sprayed with pesticides or other toxins, there is great goodness out there waiting to be eaten.

Give it a try ... you might just like it

Glad to know that we have a veteran here who can tell us which leaves can be eaten. Is there a rule on how to detect the leaves that can be eaten?

[northernbushape]

I am no expert on edible plant species, but I do know of many plants that can be used for various purposes. I am finishing up some video on another topic, but I will do a write up in the next week with some tips and points of concern once I have a bit more time ... unless someone else knowledgeable wants to field this first.

In the time being, I recommend you scour the library or book stores and pick up some specific material on edible species relevant to your own area. A lot of books have general guidelines, but often are loaded with plants that you may never encounter. You will have to be specific, and then spend some time in the field attempting to identify various species.

There is also a really good Youtube channel... Eat The Weeds that is an outstanding resource and a great place to start.

YouTube - EatTheWeeds's Channel

[SallyA]

I grew up in a family that raised pine trees for Christmas trees and I never heard of pine needle tea until tonight. Will any pine needles work or only certain types of pines?

[Morgan]

Thanks for the link northernbushape. That YouTube channel will be a big help for me to know which is edible and which is not. I would also ask our old folks around here about the edible leaves as I think they know a lot about these things.

[faye]

I have never tried pine needle tea but I have made aloe vera tea at home. Fortunately we grow aloe vera plants in our backyard but I haven't made one in the wilderness yet. I'm going to give it a try!

[KeikoOka]

I am trying to remember what a naturalist told me once. They told me not to eat plants with in 10-20 feet of a road. I guess lots of nasty things can wash off. Once I am 20 feet deep I like to look for edible plants.