I remember years and years ago watching an episode of Bear Grylls. On the episode whilst obviously in some seriously hostile environment i remember him making a cup of tea out of pine needles and making some claim at the high vitamin c content compared to a citrus fruit.
That has always stuck with me, and hes right! Pine needles contain more than 4 times the vitamin c as a lemon for example. this tea is also a decongestant and has antioxidants.
I've be a newbie forager for a couples years now and love the idea of living off the land. So as the colder weather crept in this week along with the sniffles and blocked nose i thought it a good time to pick a few springs and try this tea.
Ingredients required.
2 handfuls - Pine needles
1 - Lemon
3 tsp - Honey
1L - Water
1. Cut and wash your pine needle springs...
2. Drain, add to simmering water and the juice of half a lemon...
3. After steeping for 20mins or until the needle lose their colour... drain into a jug and add 3 tsp of honey or to your own taste.
And there you have it...