Quote:
Originally Posted by Sol Invictus
Pine needle tea and phloem chips to stave off starvation and vitamin c deficiency.
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Found this when trying to figure out what Phloem chips are...
This is a survival tip for those out in the wilds who need a drink and a bit of a health boost
So its snowing, your down to the survival firelighter, your axe and a steel cup. Your thirsty, hungry and feeling a bit under the weather. You come to the edge of a pine forest. So what do you do? eat and drink well, and get a huge vitamin C boost to boot is the answer. Heres how.
See that pine tree? that there is your food, drink, shelter AND fire.
The fires easy, pine goes up well. Shelter? well, the boughs will shelter you well enough for the while in the lee side. Your drink? well you just fill your cup with snow or water, and boil it to kill any nasties. 10 minutes of a rolling boil is well enough to sterilise it. So what to add? Pine needles. Using a patch of material to act as a tea bag, gather up a handful of nice green needles, as close to the trunk and low down as you can - these are packed with vitamin C. Fill your material, and add it to the water. Let this boil until your water takes on a nice deep colour. Remove your make shift tea bag and sup up. There is 5 times more vitamin C weight for weight than a lime or lemon. Thats pine needle tea.
Now for some food.
Take your axe and remove a large square of the lower top bark from your tree. Underneath this bark is a sappy fibrous layer called the phloem. This layer transports all the goodness around the tree - it is packed with sucrose and other goodness. Taking you axe, cut off thin strips all the way down to the hard inner core wood. Take these strips, slice it down further, and place them over your roaring fire to bake. The sucrose will make them go golden crispy, and then you can eat away.
Drink, food, fire AND shelter, all from your good honest pine tree.
NOTE: DO NOT USE OR EAT A YEW TREE. It is a distinctive tree, deep bushy green with red chinese lantern shaped berries with a thick waxy appearence. This tree is deadly poisonous to a human. Do not use, eat or in any way try to consume this tree. Avoid it.