How to Collect Pine Nuts

Pine nuts are harvested from Pinyon trees.

Pine nuts have been a staple food for indigenous cultures for hundreds of years. Collected from the cones of the scrub pinyon pine tree, the harvest begins when the cones are still in the trees, considered "green," and continues until the mature cones fall from the trees. Before collecting pine nuts in the wild, check with your state's conservation agency to determine harvesting limits and other restrictions.

Things You'll Need

• Large tarp
• Tall ladder
• Wire hook
• Gloves

Instructions

Collecting Green

1. Lay a large tarp beneath the pinyon tree.

2. Carefully secure a tall ladder against the trunk of the tree.

3. Climb the ladder and use a wire hook to pull the branches containing the pine cones toward you.

4. Remove the cones from the branches. You can allow them to fall to the tarp below the tree.

Collecting Mature Nuts

1. Pick up any cones that have fallen beneath the pinyon tree.

2. Lay the tarp down beneath the tree.

3. Shake the tree to cause more cones to fall from the tree.

4. Pull upper limbs toward the ground using the hook to remove mature cones.

Tips & Warnings

• Glove should be worn doing either process of cone collecting as this will keep sap and bark off your hands.

• Once collected, the cones must be dried in order for the pine nuts to be released easily. This can be done easily by placing the cones on cookie sheets and setting the sheets into a 170 degree F oven for several hours or overnight.

References

• Journal of Archaeological Science (1996) 23, 351--371: Plant Utility Indices: Two Great Basin Examples
• Utah State University Extension: Pine Nuts - A Utah Forest Product