How to properly dry spruce, cedar and pine cones - we dry conifer cones at home

How to dry pine cones for crafts

Collection time

The collection of raw materials for crafts is organized after the seeds have fully ripened. The best time is mid-autumn or spring. Spring cones are already completely free of seeds and will not change their shape.

If you need closed specimens or non-standard shaped cones for work, then it is best to collect them in the fall. At this time they are still very wet, because the seeds are covered with covering scales. From such cones you can make blanks, both with closed scales and with open ones. For the cone to open, you just need to dry it.

Preparation of raw materials

Before drying the cones, you need to remove the dried resin from them.This can be easily done using a cotton swab and alcohol.

To get rid of small insects living inside the cone, the raw material is soaked for 20 - 30 minutes in water with the addition of 6% vinegar. The ratio of ingredients is 1:1. If you use vinegar with a higher percentage concentration or vinegar essence, then the proportions of the solution should be recalculated.

After soaking, the cones may close, but the scales will return to their original position after drying.

If you need to keep the cone unopened, then before drying it will need to be treated with glue. To do this, the workpiece is dipped in wood glue or PVA glue for a few seconds, and then dried upside down. The scales stick tightly, and the cone maintains its unopened shape.

If specimens of irregular curved shape are needed for crafts, then before drying the cones are soaked in boiling water until elastic and then bent. To fix the shape, use insulating tape.

Drying methods

There are 4 main ways to dry pine cones for crafts:

• On air. The drying area must be dry and well ventilated. Lay sheets of paper in baskets or lattice boxes; you can use old newspapers. The raw materials are laid out on them in a small layer, maximum 10 centimeters. If the cones are already half-open, then the layer can be increased to 20 centimeters. Drying time depends on the initial moisture content of the product and is approximately 2 – 3 weeks.
• In a frying pan. The cones are placed on a cast iron frying pan in one layer so that there is a small space between them. Set the heat to minimum and dry the product until completely cooked, turning occasionally. There is no need to use a pan lid.
• In the oven.Wrap the baking sheet in foil and place the cones on it, keeping a distance between them. The oven is heated to 250 degrees and the raw materials are placed there. To ensure the outflow of moist air, keep the oven door slightly open. Drying time – 40 – 50 minutes.
• In the microwave. Cover a flat plate with a paper towel and place the pine cones on it. Drying occurs at maximum oven power for 1 minute. In this case, the drying process must be under your constant control.

How to dry pine cones for medicinal purposes

Cones are widely used in alternative medicine as a vitamin and tonic. Various infusions are prepared from them. Young green cones are used to prepare medicinal raw materials. They should be collected from mid-June.

Medicinal raw materials should be dried in mesh boxes, placing them in a dark, dry place with good ventilation.

Watch the video from the “Fast Kitchen” channel - Healing tincture of pine cones

How to dry pine cones to light a samovar

You need to collect spruce cones for heating purposes in the fall, on a dry, sunny day. It is better to choose specimens with open scales, without seeds. They should be dried naturally in air. Containers with raw materials can be exposed to the sun for faster drying.

Watch the video from the channel “TIP TOP TV” - How to melt a samovar with pine cones

The pine cones can also be grilled. A video from the SYuF Krasnodar channel will tell you more about this.