When and how to collect pine cones correctly?

Although cedars have thick branches, the shoots often break, and after damage, the plants begin to hurt, are attacked by insects, and fruits do not form. To protect trees from destruction and prevent forest inhabitants from starving to death, local authorities prohibit the harvesting of nuts until the start of the collection of pine cones is announced. Almost all parts of the tree have healing properties; the seeds are rich in:

• iodine and vanadium;
• copper and silicon;
• potassium and magnesium.

The needles contain many vitamins. Oil from nuts heals wounds and treats diseases.

Where does cedar grow?

A mighty tree from the Pine family lives for about 400 years and serves as a real treasure of Russia; it is common in Altai, feels normal in the Urals, but is most common in Siberia. Cedar forests purify the air and provide its inhabitants and people with nuts.

Local peoples have been collecting cones since ancient times, and already in the 16th century the valuable product was supplied to England and other European countries. The tree symbolizes strength, health, and longevity.

How often does the pine nut harvest season come?

Unfortunately, cones on the mighty Siberian plant appear no more than once every 2 years; average fruiting is observed after 5, high - after 10, or even 15. The tree goes through 3 stages in its development; at the juvenile stage, the cedar adapts to external conditions and is still unable to form germ cells, but at the end of the period fruiting is observed.

The plant develops well at the maturity stage, which begins at 18 years of age and continues until 250. After this, the aging stage begins, when the plasticity of the shoots is disrupted. Depending on natural conditions, cedars produce nuts for 300 to 350 years.

What determines the harvest season?

Not one, but many factors influence the time of ripening and harvesting of the product. The tree is fertilized during pollination and produces male and female cones. The first are in the center of the plant, the others are located at the top.

Flowers on cedar appear in the summer, but the seeds ripen after 18 months. The time for full ripening of fruits depends on:

• from the terrain;
• soil composition;
• age of the tree;
• climatic conditions.

Plants pollinate quickly on warm and sunny days. This process is slowed down by stormy and cold springs, and harvesting begins later.

Timing of ripening of cedar cones

Residents of Siberia and Altai, using signs known only to them, determine when the time comes to harvest nuts. In which month you can collect pine cones depends on the area where they grow. In some regions, harvesting begins already in the 2nd ten days of August, in Siberia - at the end of October, in the mountains - even later. In early spring, padanki are prepared, which are torn from the treetops by strong winds.

What to take with you

Having gathered in the taiga for cedar cones, you need to prepare your equipment. They knock fruits from trees, armed with a stick with a hook or a long pole, but this requires skill, otherwise you can break the branches. To pick cones on a cedar, you need to stock up on a nylon cable; it is tied to the trunk and used as insurance.

Local residents cling to the base of the plant with iron claws and, with the help of such spikes, relying on a rope, climb up. Many people extract a valuable product by making a special hammer.

Methods for collecting cones

In order not to earn a fine from the authorities, you need to harvest cedar fruits correctly, following the permitted technique. There are several methods used to harvest the crop.

“Knocking down” cones with a stick

Ripe cedar fruits are not held very firmly on the branches of the plant. To crush cones, people take with them a heavy stump with a long handle. The weight of the hammer, as this device is called, exceeds 80 kg. The tool is used to strike several times a tree trunk whose diameter is less than 35 cm.They knock down cedar fruits with a short pole.

Gathering from the ground

Strong winds tear cones from trees; collecting padankas, unlike using a chop, does not harm the cedar, but to collect the harvest, you will have to walk kilometers, and besides, the inhabitants of the forest harvest a lot of fruits for themselves.

Climb onto a tree

In this method of extracting cones, a person climbs a cedar tree, clinging to it with a sharp metal hook, strikes the shoots, and knocks down the fruits with a flexible pole. In order not to fall from the tree, they are tied with a cable.

What to do with collected pine cones

They go to harvest a valuable product in a group, not alone. After collection, people set up camp to rest before returning to clean the buds, which are crushed, husked, then sifted and dried. To carry out such work, graters and drums are used.

In order for the cedar fruits to dry, they are placed in a wooden frame and secured with an iron sheet with cut holes. A fire is lit inside the space, wood is added little by little so that the fire does not flare up too much.

Hand cutting

You can clean the valuable product yourself at home, but since it contains a lot of resin, you need to wear gloves. To make the nuts fall out faster, the cones are placed on a board and each specimen is hit with a hammer several times. You can clean resin that gets on your hands by simply lubricating the problem areas with cream or vegetable oil.

Peeling device

Professional pickers collect pine cones in bags. Cutting the product by hand takes a lot of time. This work can be done using special devices. A ruble is used to extract nuts.Cones are placed on the lower part of the structure with teeth, which are pressed down on top with a board with a handle and ground.

Another device for peeling works on the principle of a mill and consists of a box where rollers rotate, through which the buds are passed. The nuts are placed in a hanging bag, and the husks fall onto the cellophane underneath.

How to clean the nucleoli from excess debris

To make it easier to remove the shells from the grains, at home they are scalded with boiling water, frozen, heated in the oven, fried in a frying pan, or simply placed in a garlic press. If after such manipulations husks and debris remain, the pine nuts are washed under the tap and dried thoroughly.

Store a valuable product by placing it in a cellar or pantry. To prevent it from spoiling in the apartment, place it in a wooden box, glass or tin jar, or cardboard box.

The shelled kernels are sifted, but not washed, poured into a container that is hermetically sealed, and sent to the freezer.