Evergreen Teas

[imscotty]

So I wanted to see which type of evergreen tea was best. Left to Right I made White Pine Tea , Eastern Hemlock tea and Arborvitae Tea.
26975

Method: Heat water to near boil, add to freshly picked needles, seep overnight. The pine needles were chopped.

26976
Results:

White Pine Tea- very light flavored, citrus, lemony, floral, grassy.. A very weak tea, more like slightly flavored water, but pleasant.
Eastern Hemlock Tea - Very piney, aromatic, resiny like spruce gum, strong bitter finish.
Arborvitae Tea - Floral Scent, light taste, slight bitterness in the finish.

26977

Rating: My wife and son voted the Pine Tea as their favorite, my daughter and I voted for the Hemlock Tea (which the others disliked). On the trail I would be looking for a flavorful sipper so I would brew the Hemlock. The Pine or Arborvitae would be better choices if you intend to drink a lot to quench a thirst. I thought all three teas were good. I tried a blend of Pine and Hemlock tea and that may be the best of both worlds, light lemony with a strong bitter finish. I will have to wait till I head into the North woods to try a Spruce tea.

These teas are a great source of Vitamin C and a great change for when you tire of pure clean mountain water.

[Dogwood]

You can mix other plants in with those. Try adding others found in the wild: mint, teaberry, holly(Ilex verticillata), blueberry and hucklberry leaves, wild ginger, ginseng, Indian cucumber, sassafras, sasparilla, hibiscus, etc.

[slovakiasteph]

I like white pine tea! Had it at a wildflower foray, along with sassafras, wild ginger, and redbud. The pine was my favorite, though. Hadn't thought about drinking them on the trail. :)

[imscotty]

Thank you for the suggestions Dogwood. I will give them a try.

[Snowleopard]

Just be careful exactly what species you consume, because some plants called hemlock and holly are poisonous.
Hemlock (Conium) is highly poisonous; it was used to kill Socrates. Hemlock (Tsuga, common evergreen tree) is probably OK. The two species are very different and if you're familiar with Hemlock trees (Tsuga) you're fine.
Some kinds of holly are poisonous, with lots of variation in toxicity between species. Ilex verticulata was used medicinally by the Iroquois as an emetic and cathartic, so probably not fun to drink in quantity.

[imscotty]

An excellent warning for everyone to heed Snowleopard. Fortunately the Eastern Hemlock tree (Tsuga canadensis) is difficult to confuse with the flowering plant Poisonous Hemlock (Conium maculatum). When it comes to wild edibles the best advice to follow is that unless you are 100% certain what the species is do not eat, drink or touch it.

[QiWiz]

An excellent warning for everyone to heed Snowleopard. Fortunately the Eastern Hemlock tree (Tsuga canadensis) is difficult to confuse with the flowering plant Poisonous Hemlock (Conium maculatum). When it comes to wild edibles the best advice to follow is that unless you are 100% certain what the species is do not eat, drink or touch it.

+1, and that goes double for wild mushrooms. What you don't know (or what you think you know) can KILL you.

[Gambit McCrae]

Isnt the Hemlock harmful to us?

[Dogwood]

Hemlock Tea(Tsuga candensis and Tsuga carolina) is quite good. As said don't confuse that with the WATER HEMLOCK, a very different not evergreen plant, that Socrates drank.

[Dogwood]

That's the southern hemlock(Tsuga carolensis) which we see on the southern AT.

[Demeter]

Hemlock trees (Latin genera Tsuga) are safe. It's the herbaceous "water hemlock" (Latin name Conium) that is toxic. This is why anyone who eats wild plants needs to learn the Genera of a plant, not just the common name.