Collecting & Using Pinecones

Fall is the perfect time of year to collect pinecones.  Most of them have fallen from the trees making it easy to collect them.

When it comes to debugging the pinecones, I never wash them.  If it is damp or the ground is wet, the pinecones will close up.  Similarly, once they are placed in water, they will close.  The bugs will stay inside until the cones open again.

I wash them only if they are dirty.

All of the collected pinecones are placed on a foil-lined or parchment-lined baking sheet and put in a 200-degree oven for approximately two hours.  Two hours are usually enough, but they can stay in longer if necessary.

I don't believe any bug can live beyond a good baking.

I open the oven from time to time to check on them.  As the cones start to open, I stand them upright so that they bake more evenly.

Some cones will not open or only partially open.  I can't explain why that happens.   If it does happen that some don't open remember that pinecones make good mulch in the garden.  

The green pinecone opened.  It has a slightly lighter colour than the others.

Different trees produce differently shaped cones.

The cone at the top left was one I found on a trip to the Caribbean.  The tree appeared to be some sort of pine tree, but when I brought the cone home and checked to find out what it was, it turned out not to be a pine tree at all.  It is a Casuarina tree.

I will still be using these small and unusual cones in my seasonal decorating, though.

Spruce trees, cedar trees, as well as different varieties of pine trees produce cones.  They are worth checking out.

In another post, I will be talking about my method for frosting pinecones and ways to incorporate them into your seasonal decor.

Thank you for stopping by.

This is an original Fair Meadow Place Publication.

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