Longing for spring
I work almost exclusively with fresh plants and as winter drags on, I am longing for spring. The days are getting longer, and the sap is starting to run. I am missing spending time out in the wild. Winter makes me feel hunched and chilled. I recently decided to bite the bullet and translate my longing for spring into some quality conifer time. A conifer is an evergreen that reproduces via cones. All conifers are evergreens but not all evergreens are conifers.
White pine
I am blessed that at the back of our property is a stand of white pines (Pinus strobus). They are huge, probably 40 feet tall. Pine can grow to be 150 to 200 feet tall. Male and female cones grow on the same tree. Even writing about them I can smell that uplifting smell of their needles. Alpha-pinene (aka pinene) is the dominant constituent of the essential oil of pine and is what gives them their characteristic aroma. This terpene is insoluble in water. It is absorbed through the skin, lungs, and intestine. Upon inhalation pinene is anxiolytic. The needles are in bundles of five and are about 2 1/2 to 5 inches long. The needles are soft and flexible to the touch.
I think this stand must have been planted as a wind screen. Not sure what they are screening as there is open field on either side of them. Perhaps a farmer had plans. Now they stand as sentinels at the edge of the easy trail that runs down to the river. I’ve been waiting for a sunny day and this morning is it. The sun is dancing over the snow and the sky is that winter welcoming shade of blue – crisp and bright. I can hear the pines whispering to me.
“Come outside, come outside.”
I wrap up well because notwithstanding the sun it’s -24 with the windchill. I choose rubber boots over my winter ones. The winter ones are warmer, but they have a few miles on them and therefore aren’t as waterproof as a gal might like. There was a storm several days ago and I am not sure how deep the snow will be. With tobacco in my pocket for an offering I head out the back door.
Wild mystery
There is a long trail of tracks in the snow. Coyote it looks like. Even when we are unaware, we are surrounded by nature and its mysteries. It’s been several years since I last caught a glimpse, but I know they are out there.
The sun is lifting my spirits but the cold leaves me gasping.
I was taught to always ask permission before harvesting. Reaching the pines – I look for the Grandmother. One tree stands out. Taller, straighter, her needles blue green and beckoning. The bark on her trunk is fissured, a dark brown grey in colour. I put my hand on the trunk and be. Communion. Over the years I have found that trees in particular have a way of slowing you down. Perhaps it is because their time frame is different than ours. There are white pines as old as 400 years. I explain that I am wanting to get to know her tribe better and would like to harvest. There is the thrum of the wind in the trees. Grandmother Pine gives me the go ahead and I gently place the tobacco at the base of her trunk.
Harvesting
The west facing side of the stand is soaking up the sun. This is the side I will want to harvest from. It is where the tree will be most metabolically active and where the most photosynthesizing will be taking place. I have scissors; however, I almost don’t need them. From the tips of the branches I harvest some needles. Moving branch to branch and tree to tree – I give thanks to each tree as they give me their bundles. I want to make tea and maybe throw some into the bath. Even though I am longing for spring the pine grove’s scent is taking my troubles away.
White pine tea
I head back inside. Stripping the needles from the larger twigs – I grab a pot. Smaller bits can go right in. Half of what I have harvested I put into the pot. I add some water. It’s a judgement call really, how many needles, how much water. When it seems about right, I put the cover on the pot and turn on the burner. Without a cover the aromatic compounds in the plant will be lost. White pine is known for its vitamin c content. While the older foliage has more vitamin c content they don’t taste as good the younger newer needles. I like to bring the water up to just under a simmer and then turn the heat off and let the needles infuse over night.
When snow is getting you down and you’re longing for spring – conifers to the rescue.