Collecting pine needles to make a drink.
The video in this post shows some ways to identify pine trees. How do you know the species or variety of tree? I show a website that helps:
I accessed the web from some Arkansas woods using wifi and a Nokia N810 Internet tablet. Using the Arbor Day website, I was able to determine one of the pine tree species to be Loblolly.
On the adventure, I found a beautiful green-colored snake perched up in a tree.
This snake is not poisonous. I know this because its eyes have round pupils. How do you know if a snake is poisonous? If it has cat-like eyes, with pupils shaped like vertical slits, then it’s poisonous. The snake I found in the woods had round pupils, so it was not poisonous.
I brought the needles home and enjoyed a Pine drink. Even though in the video I said I would avoid Loblolly, I since changed my mind and I have drank more Pine drink made with Loblolly pine needles. I haven’t noticed any ill effects and I like the light taste. I still think pregnant women should avoid Pine due to its anti-estrogen effect. But maybe this is a good thing for some men? This needs more research.
Conclusion
Foraging can be fun and you end up finding new things you didn’t know existed until you looked.
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