Pining For Fun

Today I went on a wonderful all-day hike in Mount Diablo SP. The weather was gorgeous - nice and warm in the sunny spots, cool and breezy in the shade. As we meandered up the mountain, we took off-shooting game trails to try to get off the beaten path. Ironically, just as we thought we had found remoteness, a picnic site with table and all would appear around the next bend. This happened repeatedly, to the point of comedy. As we neared the summit, we realized time was running out for us to reach the top. So we made the most of the rest of our afternoon at the last, and most scenic, picnic spot amidst some old pines. On the table sat a lone, rotund pine cone. Here's where we discovered the fun that pine cones have to offer.

We started with shaking and prying the pine nuts loose. This cone's nuts appeared a little chard. After fumbling with some rocks, we finally perfected the technique needed to crack open the shell without destroying the precious nut. Out of all of us, I was the monkey who had the hardest time whacking it open. The nuts disappeared within moments of being freed from their shells, their fresh piny flavor better than any bought from the store.

We then moved on to investigating the resin on the tip of each talon-like protrudance. Hard, yet malleable, the resign was sticky and crystalline somewhat like old, wet sugar. Its sweet forest smell prompted us to take a light to it. It burned elegantly, dripping off of the cone's tips like wax while producing a stronger scent. I was tempted to take the cone home to figure out how to make incense from the resin.

After eating a few more pine nuts, we left to begin our return trip. On our way back to the trail, we passed a family with arms full of pine cones. I asked why they were collecting the cones, expecting that they, too, would eat the little nuggets hidden near the middle. Perhaps they needed so many because they had ambitiously planned to make some wildcrafted pesto sauce. Wrong. They were getting ready for pine cone races down the hill. We started our trek on towards the bottom of the mountain while the gentle tumbling sounds of the cones trailed behind us.