Conifers
Varieties
Araucaria - [genus Araucaria
of family Araucariaceae]
These are the southern hemisphere equivalent of pines, but are related
to the northern hemisphere pines only at the order level Pinales. A
few species, particularly the Monkey Puzzle A. araucana of Brazil and
Chile and the Bunya-bunya A. bidwillii of Eastern Australia are
harvested to yield seeds often called "pine nuts" even though Araucaria
are not actually pines.
The photo shows the densely needled habit of these
trees which are now widely planted as ornamentals in the northern hemisphere
from which they have been absent since the demise of the dinosaurs about 65
million years ago.
Junipers - [genus Juniperus
of family Cupressaceae (cypress)]
Junipers, ranging from tiny shrubs to medium size trees, are found
throughout the Northern Hemisphere in some 50 to 67 species (depending on
which botanist you wish to believe). Some have short needles and others have
their twigs covered with tiny triangular scale-like leaves. A number bear
cones that can be used for flavoring, two of which are
described here. The female cones are comprised of just a few fleshy scales
which are fused together to resemble berries.
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Common Juniper - [J. communis]
Eastern Juniper - [Eastern Redcedar,
J. virginiana]
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This shrub or small tree is found across North America, Europe and Asia.
It provides the juniper "berries" of commerce and those used to flavor most
gin. The leaves are moderate length needles and the three fleshy scales of
the cones are fused together to resemble a berry. These cones are too
bitter to eat raw and are generally sold dried for use as a flavoring.
They should be crushed when used to release the flavors. Photo from
Often just a shrub at the edges of its range, this juniper can be a tree
large enough to cut for lumber in the Southeastern USA. This is a "scale
leafed" juniper with twigs covered in tiny triangular green leaves,
but juvenile plants have short needles which may also appear on shaded
twigs of mature plants. The scales of the cones are fleshy and fused into
a "berry" as with the Common Juniper but the cones are lumpier in shape
and covered with a white wax which makes them a sky blue color. As with
the Common Juniper these cones are used to flavor gin but are not commonly
sold as a commercial spice. Photo by
Pines - [genus Pinus of
family Pinaceae (pines)]
Pine nuts (officially a seed, not a nut) have been eaten since prehistoric times in Europe, Asia and North America. Today the sweet resinous seeds are somewhat costly and used mostly as a flavoring ingredient but Italian pesto sauce is often based on pine nuts (other nuts are also used).
Pine nuts from a number of species are available. In Europe it's mostly the Stone Pine (Pinus pinea) and in Asia the Korean Pine (Pinus koraiensis) and Chilgoza Pine (Pinus gerardiana). Siberian Pine (Pinus sibirica) and a number of other varieties are also used. In North America seeds of various species of Pinon pines (subgenus Ducampopinus) are harvested.
The most common commercial pine nut is the Korean, a fairly large seed, followed by the Siberian, a fairly small seed. North American Pinon seeds are large but in very short supply, particularly due to forest destruction to make range land after WWII. Most now come from Mexico and the price is much higher than for Korean or Siberian seeds.
Warning: See Details and Cooking for description of problems with Chinese pine nuts (99+% of shelled pine nuts sold in the U.S.).
The soft layer between pine bark and the wood is also edible and has been used as a famine food. Pine needles are sometimes used as a flavoring.
The photo shows the end of a pine branch from a tree in my front yard with
tiny male cones at the center, a pine cone of unknown source and a few whole
seeds in the shell from that cone. The small shelled seeds were commercially
purchased and are from Siberian pines.
Spruce - [genus Picea of
family Pinaceae]
The many species of spruce are of great economic importance throughout the
Northern Hemisphere for lumber, paper making and as Christmas trees, but
have little culinary application. Buds and needles of young growth are
used as a flavoring, mainly for beer in areas too far north for hops to
grow, and sap of a few species is used locally to make a gum. The photo
shows foliage and cones of Red Spruce (P. rubens), one of the species
used to make spruce beer. Photo USDA (public domain).