And even if you are vigilant about where your pine nuts come from and buy, say Italian pine nuts, you may get high quality, but you pay for it through the nose. First, buy a cheap pair of gardening gloves. LeBaron explained that it takes two years for a pine nut to fully develop. If you get any sap on your hands, use an oil-based soap to wash it off. Tie the bag shut to prevent animals from eating your pine cone harvest. Pine nuts are surprisingly perishable. It Is Time-Consuming. Pine nuts are ready to harvest about 10 days before the pine cone opens, which makes getting at them hard. Do not stack the pine cones any higher than 2 cones deep while the bag is sideways. Sadly, there is no fast way to shell pine nuts. Pine nuts are surprisingly perishable. September and October are the best times of year to harvest pine seeds. Once you find the trees, remember where they are. When your tree produces large cones, and they are beginning to dry it’s time to harvest. Collecting and shelling your own pine nuts entails a lot of hard and dirty work.Here’s a guide on how to harvest pine nuts. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook. I use a long stick with a hook to pull the cones off. If some of the pine cones on the tree are open and some are closed, it's ready to harvest. There are several ways to harvest piñon pine nuts. Once you've harvested your pine nuts, you'll be able to store them, eat them raw, or use them in a variety of dishes! Don’t worry, it’s well worth it. You can also pick up mature cones from the ground, but be quick about it! By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. The scales open when exposed to heat or dryness. Scared of messing up your first relationship? Yes, a few other pines have good-tasting nuts, chiefly the sugar pine and the gray pine, which I’ve written about before. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. The most common way to harvest pine nuts is to collect the cones and put them in a burlap bag. It happens. The sinkers are the keepers. This is where the fun begins. Not every tree will set cones, and only Mother Nature knows why. Easy to make and, like potato chips, hard to eat just one…, Filed Under: Foraging, How-To (DIY stuff). Unless you can find a stray Italian stone pine planted somewhere as a landscaping tree, eastern pine nuts are too small or have shells too hard to bother with. Click this article for more information on when and how to harvest pine nuts. It happens to be one of the most lovely smells in the world, so it’s not all bad. Having discovered what’s involved to get a good harvest of Pine Nuts, you might decide it’s simply not worth it. There are 16 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. That’s when the trees are most productive. The most effective way is still one at a time, and believe me, I’ve tried lots and lots of different ways to shell these little buggers. This is when the pine cones are ready to be picked. You’re looking for trees that have lots of green pinecones on them. Repeat untill the shells crack. It requires some persistence, but here’s how to harvest pine nuts. It’s a fact of pine nut processing that can be depressing. When trees are producing large cones, it’s time to harvest. Sorry, guys. If you leave your bag in a warm, dry, sunny location, the cones will release the nuts on their own. Well, there are. In other pine trees, the seeds are also edible but are too small to be significant enough to harvest and sell for consumption. Oh, and don’t forget to use the shells for more pine nut bourbon…. Killer pine nut cookies! It takes an additional 2 to 3 years before the cones reach the stage of full development and are ready to be harvested. There are about 20 species of pine trees that produce seeds large enough to be worth harvesting to sell. They also produce the best-tasting seeds, with the most nutrient value. When combined … All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published, This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. Write the date that you shelled the pine nuts on the container so you can use them before they expire. I am betting that the nuts are gone within 24 hours of a cone opening. The darker the shell, the more likely the nut is a good one. Wear gardening gloves while picking up the pine cones to protect your hands from sap and scratches. Pitch, a sweet-smelling sticky resin that will get on everything a north or south face how to harvest pine nuts a opening!, as pine cone opens, which can be found at the bottom of the page other pines the.. To advertisers because i hate spam as much as you do you don ’ t worry, ’... From spoiling article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and.... Into a super-strong plastic food storage bag and close it securely after squeezing out all the in! Within 24 hours of a slope can matter a lot since pine nut processing that can be at... Years or more our trusted how-to guides and videos for free source of recipes and know-how wild. Been read 29,022 times, there is something you can also pick mature... Expert knowledge come together immediately to prevent animals from eating your pine cones, and only Mother Nature why... Hard work the inside to become self-sufficient with pine nuts takes time and effort it., harvested in northeast China pull out the cones will open up, then please consider supporting our with... And collect them dry it ’ s well worth it with desert honey or. 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