Make Money from Pine Tree Needles

The ones who would benefit most from making money from pine tree needles would be those who own pine tree farms or those living in areas near forests with plenty of pine trees and have the right to forage them. If you think harvesting pine needles or anything in the forest is a walk in the park read my advice first.

Toxicity, Authorisation and Conflicts

Familiarise yourself with the different kinds of pine trees. There are pine trees which are not suited to be used as a source for tea because they are toxic. A list will be given later. This includes developing a visual picture of what the safe and unsafe pine trees are and where they can be harvested.

After you located a source of safe pine trees check with the authorities in the area if you are free to harvest them and how much you can harvest. Do note that there may be people who also harvest pine tree needles from the same tree. This may cause an argument and even an altercation if there are no set boundaries between you and these people.

Your Safety

After you have determined that you can freely harvest pine tree needles from tree sources and you have good relations with other harvesters if there are any then you must determine if the area where you will do your harvesting is safe. I once checked if I can harvest pine tree needles in some remote location and although it is free and there are no other people trying to harvest from the same location I found a big problem.

In the location I intended to harvest pine tree needles I found out that the area is being inhabited by criminals. Due to the remoteness of the area criminals are relatively free to commit crimes to people who live faraway from the towns. There was even a crime spree reported where the same criminal was able to victimise a lot of people and is still at large.

I have not even considered dangerous animals like snakes and dangerous insects which might bite me and cause me to become sick or may even cause my untimely death. I hate to sound pessimistic but people who are from the big cities might make the mistake that picking from nature is a piece of cake.

Alternatives to Harvesting from Nature

If you are familiar with the area, can readily access help, or have a companion then it is relatively safe to explore nature and pick from it. If you think that you are not safe then try to just buy from professional pickers and sellers of pine tree needles. You might also buy from people who live in urban areas where they own pine trees.

Of course the safest way to do this is to harvest pine tree needles from your own property. You can transplant pine trees to your property or you can hire people to do it for you. Pine trees are ideally suited to be transplanted from one location to another because of their hardiness. When I Googled ”is it profitable to sell pine tree needles” it listed encouraging articles. I advise you to read them. You might just become interested in the business.

Benefits

Pine needles make excellent tea because of their health benefits. It has five (5) times the concentration of vitamin C found in lemon and is an immune booster to prevent sicknesses such as flu and infections. It has high levels of vitamin A which is good for the eye, hair, skin and blood. It is an expectorant and good for coughs, chest congestion and sore throats.

This is why there are many articles online about it. Googling ”health benefits of pine tree needles” would show a list of many articles all reporting the health benefits of pine tree needles. You can use this information when you are marketing pine tree needles as a proof that you are selling them a beneficial product.

Fresh and Dried

You can make tea either using fresh or dried pine needles. This means long term bulk storage of the product is possible. This is especially good for wholesalers. I have not found out the exact answer of how long before pine needles decompose but the pine needles last approximately two (2) months when being hot composted. So it is safe to say that pine tree needles last way longer than two (2) months.

How to Prepare Pine Tree Needles

You just need to clean the fresh pine needle and then just boil it in water. It is this simple. The minimum equipment you would need is a teapot or a kettle and a small sieve. Every household has a kettle and a sieve and if you do not have one it is easy to improvise. Harvesting pine tree needles also can be done by hand without the need for special tools.

Preparing Dried Pine Tree Needles

Dried pine tree needles can also be used to make tea but you would have to use a greater quantity than fresh ones because all the juice have dried out. You should be able to snap the dried needles in half to ensure that they are ideal for tea making. This is the test to see if the dried pine tree needles are suitable to be used for tea.

Toxic Pine Trees

Take note that there are pines trees which are toxic and produce side effects and should not be used to make tea. These are:

-Common Yew (Taxus)
-Norfolk Island Pine (Araucana Heterophylla)
-Ponderosa Pine (Pinus Ponderosa) also known as Blackjack, Western Yellow, Yellow and Bull Pine
-Lodgepole or Shore Pine
-Common Juniper
-Monterey Cypress
-Australian Pine

Experts also advise against drinking pine needle tea if you are pregnant because of its chemical properties. Take note of these when you are sourcing pine trees and selling to prospective clients who may be pregnant. Even to those who are not used to drinking pine tree needle tea it is safe to drink small amounts during the beginning until you are sure it is safe for you.

Other Uses of Pine Tree Needles

You can also make pine needle cookies to go with your pine needle tea. The website A virtual vegan has an article called Pine Needle Shortbread Cookies

You can also mix pine needles with drinks such as vodkas for “winter taste”.

Pine needles can also be added to salad dressings.

Conclusion

Pine tree needles have varied food uses and is not just for tea. Due to the variety of its food uses any enterprising person can find a good number of clients to sell their products to. However if you do not own your own pine trees and intend to harvest them from nature take care to note that you have the proper permission to do so and are safe from harm from both humans and animals as well.