In an effort to green my craft, I have been on the search for local and sustainable plant sources with properties related to spells that I already use. Enter Eastern White Pine. Not only is Eastern White Pine a powerhouse of Vitamin C and a good way to fight off the winter blahs (as I did with my Winter Syrup); it is also known to clear obstacles. As many of the other road opener type ingredients are grown and harvested far from my home in Southern New England – I was immediately excited to cultivate a relationship with pine with this intention in mind.
Luckily for me, two of my close friends have a number of large mature Eastern White Pines growing on their property. This meets my criteria for wild harvesting threefold: firstly they are mature trees – it is not safe to harvest from immature trees unless they need to be removed for other reasons, secondly, there is an abundance of pine in the neighborhood so I could not possibly use enough to change the ecosystem, and thirdly I know that they are not spraying on their property so the trees are safe for consumption. I started my experiments by gathering from a branch that had been injured in a storm that my friends eventually intend to cut from the tree so as to do as little harm as possible. Rather than just taking the needles, I gathered the tender branches around the needles as well.
All I used was a sharp knife and a recycled plastic grocery bag – be aware if you choose to harvest pine (or other evergreens) that you will get sap on your hands, your tools, and possibly your clothing – proceed with care! Incidentally, hand sanitizer does a great job of removing pine sap.
I knew that I was going to use pine to make my Winter syrup but also wanted to experiment with other applications as well. Since both my partner and I are avid cocktail enthusiasts, I knew that I wanted to try pine in a number of alcohol infusions. Due to its antiseptic properties, I was sure that a pine infusion would find use as a household cleaner even if we decided that we didn’t find it to be palatable.
We decided to start by making an infusion of Eastern White Pine into standard proof vodka, over-proof Everclear, and in combination with other herbals to make a winter gin that I read about online.
I’m not sure that I have ever been so pleasantly surprised by an experiment before! The gin, though interesting, was not to my particular liking but was a great proof of concept and I can’t wait to improve upon the recipe. The Everclear tincture was strong and piney – not enjoyable but has already seen great use in other parts of my magic. The vodka though – where has Eastern White Pine infused vodka been all of my life?
To be Eastern White Pine infused vodka tastes like childhood. It invokes memories of running around in the forests of Southern New England – drinking it triggers so many memories for both my partner and myself that it is a full-body experience. The flavor is complex (both the taste of the needles and the sap come through) and a bit bitter – if you’ve ever wanted to drink a forest, this vodka just might be for you!
It’s so good that I think if you live near Eastern White Pine that is safe to consume, you really ought to try it for yourself. Vodka infusions are so easy and take no specialized equipment. All you need is a jar with a lid (I use mason jars but recycled food jars would be fine), eastern white pine, and some mid-grade vodka. This pine really mellows the bite of the liquor, so you don’t need the good stuff to make this drink shine.
The instructions are so simple: fill a jar with pine, then vodka, let sit for a week, strain.
Eastern White Pine vodka can be drunk straight or added to a mixed drink. My coven-mate loves it with tonic while I prefer it with citrus and a little bit of sugar. We have loved it so much that I’ve now made three infusions to keep having it around – on my second and third attempts, I added some spellcraft to it to activate its road opener properties. Stay tuned for that post soon! – Minx