5 Uses for Pine Needles in Your Kitchen and Bathroom

Conifers are evergreen trees that have needle-like leaves that remain green throughout the winter. Two major families of conifer trees are the Pinaceae and Cupressaceae and are made up of firs, spruces, hemlocks, cedars, pines, and redwoods.

Many of the trees from these groups are edible and medicinal, but there are some to avoid, such as Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta), yew tree, Norfolk Island Pine (Araucaria heterophylla), and the Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa). That is to say, if you are harvesting needles from an evergreen that you intend to ingest or use medicinally, make sure you have a 100% certain identification. Use local experts and consult guidebooks for reference.

Needles from the many different species of pine trees (Pinaceae), such as the Eastern white pine, form a good percentage of the needles that you can collect for kitchen projects. You can identify Eastern white pine by its long green needles growing in clusters of five (some can be missing, so make sure you check a few bunches). The individual needles also have a white stripe along the underside. Again, make a positive ID on the pine tree you come across before harvesting needles.

1. Pine Needle Tea

A really simple way to use needles is to make a lovely cup of hot tea. Once you have carefully sourced your edible pine needles, wash them of any dust or debris. Next, break and crush them to help release the piney oils, add a bunch of them to hot water and allow them to steep for ten to fifteen minutes. Honestly, the steep time is quite subjective and depends on how strong you like your tea. You can add any sweetener you like for taste.

Pine needles are very high in vitamin C making them a great tea for the winter cold and flu season.

2. Pine Needle Infused Vinegar

Get hold of a bunch of edible pine needles then wash and crush them up to release the lovey oils and aromas. Next, sterilize a glass mason jar and pack it with your pine needles. Pour apple cider vinegar or white vinegar over your pine needles until they are completely covered.  You can also add other spices at this point, such as peppercorns or garlic. Screw a lid on tightly and leave it in a dark place for about two months.  Eventually, you will have an infused vinegar that would make a great salad dressing

3. Pine Needle Cookies

Pine needle cookies would make such a fun winter treat. Once you have collected your edible pine needles, you will have to wash and dry them. You can either start by making a whole batch of pine needle powder, or you can add the needles to the flour and whiz them together in a blender.  That way the needles are chopped up and dispersed evenly throughout the flour. You can then go ahead and use this pine needle-infused flour to make your favorite vegan shortbread cookies or sugar cookies.

4. Pine Needle Infused Oil

Much like with the infused vinegar, pine needles make a deliciously aromatic and flavorful oil to use in cooking and in the bathroom. You need to fill a mason jar about two-thirds full with clean and dry edible pine needles. Next, fill your jar with organic olive oil, a great choice for infusions as it has a long shelf life, until the needles are completely covered. Seal your jar with a lid and keep it in a dark place to infuse. You can return to your jar every day and agitate it to help the infusion process. After six to eight weeks, you can strain your oil and use it on your skin, hair, as cooking oil, or for salad dressings. Alternatively, you can use it to make balms and salves.

5. Homemade Pine Needle Cleaner

Lots of store-bought cleaning products come with that pine scent. The smell of pine is almost synonymous with fresh air and clean counters!  However, you don’t need to buy such products with their questionable ingredients when you can make your own.

It is commonly known that white vinegar is a wonderful cleaning product that makes windows and tiles shine. You can simply make an infused vinegar, just like the one above, and add essential oils, such as tea tree or lemon, for added scent and anti-bacterial properties. You will need to strain your vinegar well after the infusion process as you do not want little bits of needle clogging up your spray bottles.

Consult a medical professional before using medicinal herbs and wild medicinals.  Do your own research for allergy information. 

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