Pine trees are common in many parts of the world. Their pine cones litter the forest floor in abundance. If you were in a survival situation would you try and eat pine cones? Are Pine cones edible? Yes, some pine cones and pine tree parts are edible! Pine nuts are particularly nutritious and make an outstanding survival food.

Be careful because not all pine trees or pine cones are safe to eat. Keep reading for more information on eating pine cones.

What is a Pine Cone?

Pine cones are the reproductive organs of all coniferous trees including Pine trees. All pine trees have both male and female pine cones. The male pine cones contain the pollen used to fertilize the female cones. When a female pine cone is fertilized it creates seeds that can grow into new Pine trees.

Only female cones contain pine nuts. Male cones only contain pollen.

There are many shapes and sizes of Pine cones. Some species can grow up to two feet in length. Others are short and round. There are even pine cones that look like berries.

Edible Parts of a Pine Cone

The main edible part of a pine cone is the nuts. Pine nuts are found within the pine seeds. If you want to harvest pine nuts look for green pine cones that are tightly sealed. These will yield the best quality nuts. You can eat pine nuts raw or roast them in a pan.

To extract pine nuts break open the green pine cones. Crack the seeds to reveal pale yellow pine nuts. The pine nuts will have a rich nutty flavor and they are rich in fat and protein. An excellent survival food.

Pine trees with edible nuts:

• Sugar Pine

• Western White Pine

• Longleaf Pine

• Red Pine

• Pitch Pine

Can you eat an Actual Pine Cone?

Eating pine cones is not something I would do unless I had no other choice. The Female pine cones are usually too woody to be edible.

If you’re desperate you can boil pine cones to soften them up and eat them. Male pine cones will be softer and edible without any boiling.

What Other Parts of a Pine Tree are Edible?

Pine needles and the inner bark can also be eaten. You can boil pine needles to make a tea. Pine needle tea is rich in vitamin C which will be beneficial during a survival situation.

Pine bark can be stripped from the tree to eat the soft inner portion. If you’ve ever noticed a pine tree with the bark stripped off the trunk twenty feet off the ground, it was probably a Black Bear eating the bark.

Which Pines are Safe to eat?

Pine trees that are safe to eat:

• White pine (considered to be the best tasting)

• Sugar pine

• Slippery Elm

• Black Birch

• Yellow Birch

• Red Spruce

• Black Spruce

• Balsam Fir

• Tamarack

Which Pines are Poisonous?

The following pine trees are poisonous:

• Norfolk Island Pine (Araucaria heterophylla)

• Yew (Taxus)

• Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) – also known as Western Yellow Pine

Nutritional Value of Pine Nuts

Pine nuts are rich in many vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They are high in fat, protein, and calories making them an excellent survival food.

Serving Size: .25 Cup

Conclusion

Hopefully you’re never in a SHTF situation where you’re forced to eat pine cones. Surviving on pine cones would be tough and sounds miserable. Ideally you will be prepared for any natural or man-made disaster and never have to resort to such desperate measures. If you’re interested in storing emergency food so you don’t need to eat pine cones check out our post on how to store food long term using buckets.

FAQ

One of the best ways to start stockpiling emergency food supplies is by using canned food. Canned foods are relatively cheap and have a long shelf life. They also don’t have any special storage requirements. The best canned foods for survival and emergency prepping depends on what you like to eat.

Canned food isn’t the best thing for long-term emergency food, but as long as you rotate your stocks regularly, they will be much better than nothing. Keep reading for more information on the best canned foods for survival.

Common Canned Food versus Canned Survival Food

Store-bought canned foods are different than canned survival foods. When we are talking about canned food in this article, I am primarily talking about typical canned food you find at your local grocery store. The contents of this canned food are usually wet or have lots of moisture.

Canned survival food has a long shelf life and is for emergency use. They commonly contain freeze-dried meals, dried fruits, or other dry food. Canned survival food can last a decade or more.

You Need to Rotate Your Canned Food Stockpile

Most canned foods have a best-by date of two or three years from production. Some may be a little longer.

If you store canned food in a cool, dry place, it will likely last years beyond the best-by date. I still recommend rotating your canned foods before reaching the best-by date.

Store Canned Food you Regularly eat

The easiest way to keep your canned foods rotated is by buying things you enjoy eating regularly. It’s much easier to incorporate rotation of your canned food if you don’t have to work at it.

In the past, I bought some canned items which weren’t part of my regular diet. I forgot about them and eventually tossed them when I moved because they were beyond the best-by date.

I keep things like canned beans, canned meat, canned chunk chicken breast, and chicken noodle soup because I like eating them.

Don’t Risk Botulism!

Canned foods beyond their best by date can still be prone to botulism. The Clostridium bacteria can get into canned foods if the can is damaged. This bacteria produces the botulism toxin, which is highly toxic to humans. If you eat food with botulism, you risk severe injury and even death.

If any of your cans are bulging or if they release pressure or bubbles when opened, this is a good sign botulism may be present.

If in doubt, do not risk botulism poisoning!

How to Store Canned Foods

The best place to store canned food is in your pantry or indoors in a similar position. Ideally, you want to avoid storing canned food in areas with extreme temperature swings like most garages.

Extreme heat and cold can cause canned food to spoil faster. Freezing temperatures will make cans of food rupture. Any ruptured cans should be thrown out and not eaten.

Keep Canned Food off the Floor

Storing canned food on the floor exposes them to more moisture and potential damage, especially in places like basements or garages.

I like getting free wood pallets from local stores to store my emergency food and water. Many stores will give them for free, and they work great. You can also cut them up and use the wood for shelving and other things.

Canned Foods are Just the Beginning

Canned goods can work decently well as survival food, but the limited shelf life means it isn’t ideal. The bulk and weight of canned food can be a problem should you need to relocate or transport your food.

As a relatively advanced prepper, I still use canned food as part of my emergency food storage. Still, most of my supplies are dry foods packed in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers. Even the best canned food has a relatively limited shelf life compared to dry foods.

By using mylar bags and oxygen absorbers, many dry foods can last for decades. I don’t need to rotate them, and they are relatively lightweight.

When you’re ready to upgrade your food storage, check out our posts on the best food storage containers.

The Best Canned Foods to buy for Survival

Canned Meats and Other Proteins

• Canned tuna

• Canned chicken

• Canned bacon

• Canned poultry

• Mackerel

• Sardines

• Sausages

• Beef

• Ham

• Turkey

• Beans

• Lentils

• Chickpeas

Canned Vegetables

• Canned Tomatoes

• Tomato sauce

• Corn

• Peas

• Baked beans

• Green beans

• Carrots

• Mushrooms

• Potatoes

Canned Fruits

• Tomatoes

• Peaches

• Pineapples

• Pears

• Cherries

Canned Meals

• Soups

• Chili

• Spaghetti-Os

• Ravioli

• Beans and rice

Other Canned Foods

• Canned soups

• Powdered milk

• Condensed milk

• Coconut milk

• Pate and spreads

• Gravy

• Pudding

• Bread