So I have this garden-mate, Bob, who is an absolute wealth of knowledge regarding the local resources, foraging, and gardening for edibles. We have plans to go shrooming when the rains come. On our most recent garden meeting/workday, Bob brought in a box of recently foraged pine cones from a local spot. They were quite lovely and sticky, and full of pine nuts ready to be harvested.
He showed me how to sharpen a stick to the right point, and use it to pry the pine nuts out. They pop out if you get up under them with the point, much like a bird's beak.
I got about 3-4 cups total from this pile of cones, and left them in the shell, in a bag in the cupboard. They're pretty big when shelled, and have such a wonderfully fresh and light pine flavor.
