Pine Nut (Italian Pine)

These nuts are called seeds obtained from the Italian pine pine.

They are located in cones growing on a tree. As a rule, cones are located on the branches with brushes. One brush can include from 1 to 3 cones. Cones ripen only in the third year after their appearance, and in the middle of autumn.

With the onset of spring, the seeds begin to fall out. The optimal time for harvesting is the end of October or the beginning of November, depending on the region.

Seeds are characterized by an oblong shape, oval outlines. Their color is dark brown, but there are small spots of light color. The shell is more durable when compared with pine nuts. Therefore, the pines are processed (peeled) with manual nutcrackers or industrial rollers. On the side, the nut has about three faces. The ripe seed is about 1.5 cm long. The taste is delicate with notes of resin, similar to Siberian pine nuts.

It is worth noting that it is the pine seeds that are the largest of the known seeds in the pine family. Only edible nuts are taken into account.

Another distinguishing feature is the excellent yield. From 1 hectare of forest of mature trees, you can collect from 3 to 8 tons of seeds. The life cycle of Italian pine is over 500 years. Every year there is a harvest.

On the Mediterranean coast, in Asia Minor, as well as on the Iberian Peninsula, you can often find wild pine.And the tree is cultivated in the Crimea and the Caucasus.

The world leaders in the cultivation and export of these nuts are Italians, Turks, Spaniards, Portuguese and Tunisians.

If the shell is removed, after about 15 days the seeds will lose their taste, there will be much less useful properties. This phenomenon is associated with the oxidation of fats that make up the nut. As a result, the seeds become bitter and tasteless.

Do not forget about another important property of pine nuts - they absorb foreign odors. But if you bought peeled seeds, you can extend their freshness at home. To do this, put them in the freezer.

As research has shown, pine nuts are not only tasty and fragrant, but also have components that are beneficial to humans.

For 100 grams of product there are:

There is also a component such as ash in a weight of 2.4 grams.

As for chemical elements, pine nuts are rich in vitamins and trace elements, such as:

• Vitamins: B, E, C.
• Phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, potassium, manganese, iron.

In fact, all the beneficial properties of pine have not been studied to the end. But already today, there are a lot of ways to use Italian pine nuts for the benefit of a person and his health.

• Heal wounds;
• Struggling with stomach ulcers;
• Improve the work of the stomach, intestines;
• Help in the treatment of colds, coughs;
• Remove mucus;
• Counteract tick-borne parasites;
• Act as a diuretic;
• Improve the functioning of the kidneys, liver;
• Stimulate potency;
• Increase the activity of spermatozoa;
• Help to cope with chronic fatigue;
• Increase immunity;
• Contribute to the normalization of the work of the heart;
• Resist allergies;
• They remove stones from the gallbladder and so on.

Of course, you need to get the benefits of some products wisely. In addition, do not forget that each organism is special, which means that it can react differently to certain components.

As for pine, its nuts have certain contraindications:

• They can not be used if there is an individual intolerance;
• Not recommended for obesity;
• They should not be given to young children (due to the risk of clogging the airways with small nuts);
• With excessive use, hearing may be impaired (components of nuts cause irritation of the mucous membranes and receptors). But it goes away on its own after a few days.

So be careful and get the benefit right.

The oil obtained from these nuts has different grades. Depending on this, it is used as technical or edible oil.

So, refined edible oil is characterized by a light yellow tint, pleasant taste. The smell is practically absent.

As for the technical, it is added to the composition of paints and varnishes.

If we talk about essential oils, which are also obtained from the seeds of the Italian pine, then their properties are similar to the essential oils of other conifers. This tells us that it has an antiseptic, bactericidal, deodorizing effect.

Despite the fairly wide distribution of these nuts throughout the world, they have found the most active use in terms of cooking in France, as well as in Italy.

The kernels are crushed, or whole added to salads. A variety of pastries, cookies, confectionery products with the addition of seeds are also very popular.

The nuts are also finely ground, which allows you to get one of the best seasonings for marinating meat. Use only for red meat.

We bring to your attention a couple of recipes that are incredibly popular among the French and Italians. Try to cook these dishes at home. You will surely pleasantly surprise your guests and household.

To prepare it, you will need the following set of ingredients:

• Pumpkin - 0.8 kg;
• Beef - 0.5 kg;
• Carrot - 0.2 kg;
• Red onion - 1 piece;
• Pork - 0.5 kg;
• Cherry - 0.2 kg;
• Butter - 0.1 kg;
• Arugula - 0.1 kg;
• Pine - 0.1 kg;
• Sauerkraut - 0.3 kg;
• Paprika pepper - 1 pc;
• Seasonings to taste.

Cooking

Cut open the pumpkin and remove the contents. Cut the meat into small pieces, fry. Coarsely chop the onion and place it in the pan with the meat. Carrots are chopped coarsely, thrown into the meat. Stew the ingredients for 10 minutes. Mix the meat with cabbage, cherry tomatoes and sweet pepper, do not forget about the need to add butter at this stage. Mix the ingredients, place in a peeled pumpkin. Cover with foil and place in the oven for 60-90 minutes. The temperature should be around 180 degrees. Eat!

By the way, it is not necessary to use carrots, since the taste of the pumpkin itself perfectly compensates for it.

If you are a fan of red fish, then this recipe is for you. Delicious, tender, healthy.

For cooking, you will need the following set of ingredients:

• Eggplant - 0.6 kg;
• Carrot - 0.6 kg;
• Zucchini - 0.6 kg;
• Root celery - 80 grams;
• Fresh basil - 50 grams;
• Thyme - 20 grams;
• Breadcrumbs;
• Parmesan - 0.16 kg;
• Ground hot pepper, salt - to taste;
• Butter - 80 grams;
• Olive oil - 240 ml;
• Salmon - 1 kg;
• Pine nuts 60 grams.

Cooking

• Make thick slices of fish fillets, or you can cut it however you like. Fry it in olive oil;
• Mix one container of butter with breadcrumbs, add grated cheese;
• Lubricate the fried fish in the resulting mixture;
• Send the fish to the oven, preheated to 160 degrees. Bake until fish is golden brown;
• Make a sauce. To do this, take 100 milliliters of olive oil, finely chopped basil, nuts, hot peppers and salt to your personal taste. Mix (you can in a blender);
• Cut all the vegetables into strips or cubes, fry in oil (for a richer taste, squeeze a couple of garlic cloves into the oil, add thyme and your favorite spices to taste);
• Serve and bring to the table.

The recipes, as you can see, are quite simple. At the same time, the dishes are incredibly tasty, light and healthy. You should definitely try them.

Pine nuts are also well established in folk medicine. What can we say, even Avicenna used them when looking for new remedies for the treatment of otitis media and cough.

Since they contain an impressive amount of vitamins, microelements, proteins, this makes nuts extremely useful in the treatment of anemia, beriberi. They also help to increase the tone of the whole body, contribute to recovery after injuries and diseases.

There are some very useful pineapple recipes that we want to share with you.

• When coughing, take river mint (150 grams), pineoli (pinia seeds) and nettle seeds - 30 grams each. Pour 100 milliliters of flaxseed oil, and add hot pepper. Mix with honey and consume in small portions.
• When the potency is weakened, you can mix pineoli, almonds and honey, use this mixture for three days in a row before going to bed. This will allow you to be at your best in bed on the fourth night. This recipe was developed by the ancient Greeks.
• The Arabs have their own recipe, which acts on men in a similar way. Their healers advise eating 100 pine seeds and 12 almonds every evening for three days. On the fourth night you will be in excellent shape.

Having at least one Italian pine tree on your site is not only useful, but also very beautiful. Any beginner gardener can grow it. This is because the plant is unpretentious, does not need special care.

Having found a cone, you need to extract seeds from it. To do this, place the fruit on the stove or battery, to heat. After a few days, the cone will open and you can easily get nuts out of it.

Sowing is best done in boxes with holes for water drainage. Pour a layer of peat and loose soil there. Sow not deep and not often.

Please note that young shoots are often infected with all sorts of diseases. This is fine.

Put the boxes in the sun, water regularly, especially during drought. Do not forget about weeding and the use of ready-made fertilizers.

After about six months, the stem can reach 7-10 centimeters. In winter, they are left in a box, but not stored in greenhouse conditions. This will allow you to adapt to the cold.

With the onset of spring, seedlings can be transplanted into the ground (not to a permanent place). Be careful with the roots, do not damage them. Planting is carried out at a distance of 10-20 centimeters between seedlings. Landing is shallow, almost like in boxes. Sawdust sprinkled on the soil will help protect plants from weeds.

Periodically do not forget to add fertilizer, water and weed. Such manipulations will have to be carried out for the first couple of years. Around the third year of life, the tree can grow more than 0.5 meters. This suggests that it is time for the tree to move to its permanent place. Plant with soil that has stuck to the roots.

The simplest care, periodic watering will allow you to grow a huge pine tree, you, your children, grandchildren and many generations after them will enjoy the smell and appearance.

• They ripen in the third year after their appearance on the tree;
• They open only in the spring of the following year;
• The tree gives the most abundant harvest every 3-4 years;
• One adult tree has an average of 45 cones;
• From one tree, you can collect about 7-9 kilograms of nuts (seeds);
• Pine begins to bear fruit at the age of 12;
• The Italian name for the seeds is pineoli.

There are some pretty interesting facts about the Italian pine.

• This tree has a very close relative in Siberia, the Siberian pine.
• Pinocchio was made from Italian pine.
• The composition, properties and appearance of seeds obtained from pine nuts are almost the same as pine nuts, but pineoli are several times larger.
• In ancient Rome, these nuts were used as a powerful aphrodisiac.
• The seeds were cheap, they were an analogue of sunflower seeds for our time.
• They were often found in ruins, amphoras, on the territory of legionary camps in provinces where pine did not grow.
• The ancient Romans always took pineoli with them when they went to battle. With their help, they restored strength, and also satisfied hunger.