How can your character utilize their Christmas tree after Christmas is over? What health benefits can your character get out of pine? What do torchs and baskets have to do with pine? How could pine be used in a survival situation? What about a goat? Find out on this episode. Welcome to Writers Rural with Alley, a fiction writer's inspiration station for rural life and lifestyles. From historical to post-apocalyptic, helping you bring your rural stories to life. I'm Alley, and this episode is going out on Christmas. So if you're listening in real time, Merry Christmas. I wanted a Christmas themed one this year, and my kids informed me that it had to be a pine tree. So without further ado, welcome to episode 53, The Many Uses of Pine. Stick around to the end to find out all the ways things could possibly go wrong. A quick disclaimer, I am in no way, shape, form or fashion a medical anything, nor am I a nutritionist. Nothing on here is meant as medical or food advice, but it is solely for the purposes of fiction writing and nothing else. Now let's get into this. Every year pine trees are cut down to be used as Christmas trees, but what can they be used for afterward? They can be used for a few things. Please remember that if a Christmas tree is sprayed with chemicals, it is useless and could be deadly. Never use any that have chemicals on them. About 85 % of commercially sold Christmas trees are sprayed, but in history, they were not. It's unlikely they would be in an apocalypse either. In our home, anytime we have goats, we often take people's real Christmas trees off their hands for free, and then we feed them to the goats. The reason is that pine is a great dewormer for goats. That's what we use every year and it works wonderfully. Keep in mind we had many goats, and like anything else, too much of anything can be harmful. For a single animal, they should be fed smaller amounts over a longer period. Otherwise, they might get diarrhea. With that said, there are two pine lookalikes that your character will have to watch out for, as they can be deadly to goats. Hemlock, the tree, yes, there is a tree with that name and Yew pine. Both of these are toxic to goats, digestive tracts, and your character will need to be on the lookout. Make sure they ask the seller. Another thing that could be done is to make pine chest out of them. Pine is amazing at keeping moths away. People used to store special clothing and pine chest to keep them safe from moths eating them. Plus, it smells amazing. There is also fatwood. Fatwood is a sap-filled wood, preferably dried until hard, but it could be used before then. Pine has sap, sometimes called resin. This sap filled wood is highly flammable and will hold a flame longer. That is important in a survival situation and for easy lighting of a fire. However, pine is not advisable as wood to burn in a fireplace or a wood stove. Pine gives off smoke that has particles that cling to the chimney. This is dangerous because buildup can lead to chimney fires, which is the leading cause of house fires. My own home burned down from a chimney fire. It is hard enough to lose a home in modern times. It would be even more devastating in history with no firefighters or people nearby. Another type of fire starting was pine cones. Pine cones also have sap inside of them and are good for starting fires. Historically, the branches have been used as a type of natural torch. Your character could also make tea from pine needles. Before we dive too far into what can be used like this, remember, Yew trees look like pine but are deadly. Also, Ponderosa pine is said to be unsafe for pregnant women. Your character has to be careful. Okay, back to the subject, pine needle tea. Pine needle tea is surprisingly yummy and has a citric flavor. It is high in vitamin C and helps boost the immune system. It has antiinflammatory properties, and some research suggests it may support the heart and brain. Many native tribes use it to help with menstrual cramps and as a sleep aid. Pine needle tea is easy to make. Your character will gather fresh green pine needles from the tree. If possible, they will rinse them. However, this would be hard to do in a survival situation with limited water. Brown needles will be thrown out, and many people cut off the brown tips, but others do not. They will be steeped in the water for 15 to 20 minutes, and then the needles will be removed by straining them. Again, survival situations can make this hard or impossible, or you could just be a stubborn like my dad and leave them in. Honey and lemon juice can be added. Sugar can also be used. It is ready to drink and will help your character warm up on a cold day if it is drink hot. Many native tribes also ate pine needles raw. Pine needles, eaten like this, contain vitamin K, A, C, and D. Vitamins A and C help with making red blood cells. They also help your immune system. Vitamin A also helps our eyes, and vitamin D helps with bone health. Vitamin K helps with blood clotting and wound healing. They also ate pine cone seeds. Pine cones can be heated over the fire and they will naturally open to expose the seeds inside. Pine cone seeds have protein, magnesium, iron, omega-3, and vitamin E. More modern research suggests that pine cone seeds can help the heart, help stabilize blood sugars, and even slow cognitive decline, such as that associated with Alzheimer's. However, it will not stop the decline altogether. Another food type thing that can be done is pine smoked meats, pine infused vinegar, pine infused cooking oil, and pine needle cookies. Yummy. There are many medical uses such as pine bark bandaids. Enough bark is taken off to cover the wound and held on with duct tape or twine. I know that sounds painful, but the inside of the bark is what is placed against the wound, and it's actually quite soft and soothing. George Washington made mention of the best bug repellent that he ever used, having a base of pine resin. He said that it had weeks of protection. I thought it interesting and also wondered how often he bathed as we know bathing today. The bark can also be eaten, okay, not with blood all over it, and is said to be fried like bacon. I suppose that's why they call it pine bark bacon. Other uses that I've come across are cough syrups, chest rubs, foot soaks, and even turned into steam to breathe in and help with congestion and other breathing illnesses. Many tribes used pine needles to weave baskets. The Seminoles are the most well-known basket weavers. Let's go over the basics of basket weaving. Pine needles were gathered in place in boiling water for roughly 10 minutes or until they were pliable, a fancy way of saying easy to bend without bringing them. They would be twisted into small bunches and tied together with some type of thread. This could be a thin yarn or a thick thread made of plant material. The bottom was formed first by twisting the pieces into a circle and tying them together. The end was left open to place the next group of needles into and twisting them together. They tied and coiled them. The coils are sewn together until the bottom is finished. Then the coil would be sewn in an upright position and continued until they've reached the ideal depth of the basket. After that, the end would be secured extra well and they had a new basket. However, the pine needles that fall off the tree have many good uses too. Brown pine needles make great mulch for the garden. Adding a layer of pine needles can help keep the ground damp and prevent weeds. It can also be used for chicken and rabbit bedding. The last few uses include soap. Some soaps have pine needles in the recipe. Beard bomb is another thing that can call for pine needles. Home made cleaners and air fresheners use pine to make the cleaner or the air smell more pleasant. Historically, pine was also used for fence posts. It has become less common with the modern t-post and treated lumber.
Fun fact:pine is one of the most popular soil erosion controls, as their root system is designed to hold tightly and they can not only grow but thrive in almost any type of soil. Now for everyone's favorite part, what could possibly go wrong? Before we get into the best part, if you enjoyed this podcast, I hope you will take a minute to follow, rate, and review on your favorite podcasting platform. And if you're listening on YouTube, subscribe and hit that like button. Don't forget to share with a friend. And now onto everyone's favorite part.
Likely to go wrong:your character used pine as a fence post. Even in the best of circumstances, after years, the post will start to rot and will need to be replaced.
Also likely to go wrong:your character is weaving a pine needle basket and they stab themselves with a needle they are using to stitch the pine needle coils together.
Possible to go wrong:your character is boiling pine needles to make a pine needle basket. When they go to remove them from the water, they accidentally scold themselves on the boiling water.
Also possible to go wrong:your character doesn't know that the lodge pole pine cones need to be opened with fire and they try to fry it open with a knife. In the process, they slip and slice their hand open. your character uses pine bark as a Bandaid. They do not know the correct way to use it and place the outside of the bark against their wound. This could be painful and further damage the wound.
Unlikely to go wrong:your character makes pine needle tea but doesn't strain out the needles. When they go to drink it, they choke on a pine needle.
Also unlikely to go wrong:your character brings that Christmas tree home, only to find that they have a new feathered roommate living in their tree. your character gives their Christmas tree to their goat, but it was sprayed with pesticides. This could kill the goats. Improbable, but still technically in the realm of possibilities: your character makes pine needle tea only to discover that they are allergic to it. Their throat could swell and shut off. This could be deadly. Also improbable, but still tactically in the realm of possibilities: your character doesn't know the different types of pine trees and eats some Yew Pine. Yew is toxic and this could be deadly. Thanks for listening. You can find this episode, to show notes and helpful links to learn more on my website, alleyhart. Com. That's A-L-L-E-Y-H-A-R-T. Com. Subscribe and follow up with more episodes. Connect by dropping me a comment on my YouTube videos. A new episode comes out every Monday. Until then, happy wordsmithing.