Winter's Golden Sap: A Kootenay Guide to Ethical Resin Harvest & Use

Winter's Golden Sap: A Kootenay Guide to Ethical Resin Harvest & Use

By Sarah, Kootenay Wildcrafting Co.

My hands are cold, my fingernails are ringed with forest dirt, and my fingertips are sticky with the sweet, sharp scent of the high country. In front of me on my harvest mat is a small, precious pile of amber and gold—“tears” of resin gathered on a January walk. This isn’t maple syrup season. This is the time for something denser, more medicinal, and deeply protective: evergreen resin.

In the depth of winter, when the forest seems silent, the trees are still speaking. They speak in resin. This golden sap is a tree’s immune system and bandage, and in the cold, it changes. It becomes thicker, more concentrated, and incredibly potent. For us, it’s a direct link to the forest’s resilient heart, and harvesting it requires as much respect as understanding.

The Honourable Harvest: A Conversation with the Tree

First, the most important part: the how. This is a non-negotiable practice of care.

• Why Trees Weep: Resin is a tree’s defence and healing mechanism. It flows to seal wounds from insect damage, broken branches, or animal scratches. It traps pests, seals out pathogens, and protects the vulnerable inner cambium from disease and drying. It is, quite literally, the tree’s medicine.
• The Ethos of Our Harvest: Therefore, we never, ever create a wound to get resin. We are not takers; we are gatherers of what is already given.
• The Method: We look for natural “weepers.” These are old branch scars, cracks from frost, or insect boreholes where the tree has already exuded resin, often over many seasons. The resin hardens on the outside of the bark into glorious, amber “tears.” Using a small, clean knife or your thumbnail, you can gently pop these off. The tree’s wound beneath is already long sealed. The other ethical source is windfall branches recently on the ground after a storm. This is a gift from the forest floor.

Our rule: Harvest only the hardened excess, leaving the tree’s protective seal intact. If you peel away resin and see fresh, wet wood underneath, you’ve gone too deep. Stop.

A Guide to Kootenay Winter Weepers: Which Sap is For What?

Not all resins are the same. Here in Southern BC, we have a few key, abundant players.

1. The Pines (Pinus spp.): The Prolific Weepers

• Species: Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta) and Jack Pine (Pinus banksiana) are our classic, abundant “weepers.” You’ll often find their trunks studded with golden blisters.
• Scent & Properties: Their resin has a sharp, classic “pine” aroma—clean and turpentine-like. It’s famously antiseptic, warming, and stimulating.
• Traditional Use: The gold standard for chest rubs and steams for congested lungs. It’s a powerful circulatory stimulant. Think opening and clearing.

2. The Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa): The Vanilla Giant

• Species: Our magnificent, long-needled pine with plates of puzzle-bark.
• Scent & Properties: This is the magic one. When warmed, Ponderosa resin carries distinct, sweet notes of vanilla or butterscotch. Its properties are similar to other pines but are often considered even more soothing and aromatic.
• Traditional Use: Excellent in salves where you want potent antiseptic action paired with a surprisingly comforting, warm fragrance. A true treasure.

3. The True Firs & Spruce (Abies & Picea spp.): The Balsamic Healers

• Species: Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), Subalpine Fir (Abies lasiocarpa), Engelmann Spruce (Picea engelmannii).
• Scent & Properties: Their resin is often called “balsam.” The scent is deeper, sweeter, and more resinous than pine—think the heart of the forest. It is profoundly antiseptic, soothing, and vulnerary (wound-healing).
• Traditional Use: The premier choice for skin salves. It’s gentle yet effective for scrapes, cuts, dry cracks, and irritations. It promotes healing and forms a protective, breathable barrier.

The Central Question: Can I Mix & Match?

The short answer: Absolutely—with intention.

That jar of “wildcrafted resin” in my kit is often a blend. I call it my Forest Bandage Blend. Pines bring their stimulating, opening warmth. Firs and spruces contribute their deeply soothing, skin-loving balsam. Together, they create a broad-spectrum, synergistic medicine.

The key is to know your goal:

• For a chest rub or inhalant, lean on pine.
• For a skin-healing salve, lean on fir/spruce.
• For an all-purpose first-aid and woodlot salve, a blend is perfect.

Now, let’s get it into a form you can use.

Detailed Recipes for the Home Apothecary

Important Prep: Before use, clean your resin. Pick out bits of bark and debris. A quick rinse under cold water can help; pat dry. For recipes, you can use resin pieces as-is, or grind them coarsely in a dedicated spice grinder (it will get sticky) to increase surface area for infusion.

Recipe 1: The Foundational Resin-Infused Oil
This is your base for all salves, balms, and creams.

• Ingredients:
• 1 part (by volume) cleaned evergreen resin (e.g., ½ cup)
• 3 parts (by volume) carrier oil (e.g., 1 ½ cups). Organic olive oil is excellent for its stability and skin benefits; local sunflower oil is a wonderful Kootenay choice.
• Tools: Small saucepan, heat-proof bowl (for a double boiler), fine metal strainer or cheesecloth, glass jar for storage.
• Method:

1. Create a double boiler: Add 2 inches of water to the saucepan, place the bowl on top (it shouldn’t touch the water). Bring water to a gentle simmer.
2. Add resin and oil to the bowl. The resin will slowly melt.
3. Maintain a very low heat. Let the mixture steep for 2-4 hours. Do not let it boil or smoke—this degrades the oil. You’ll see the oil darken to a rich gold.
4. Carefully strain the hot oil through the strainer/cheesecloth into your jar. Press out all the oil. (The strained resin can be composted).
5. Label your jar with contents and date. This infused oil is stable for 1+ year.

Recipe 2: The Simple & Potent Forest Bandage Salve

• Ingredients:
• 1 cup of your resin-infused oil (from Recipe 1)
• 30 grams (about 1 oz) of beeswax pastilles (or grated local beeswax)
• Tools: Double boiler setup (as above), tins or small jars for salve.
• Method:

1. In your double boiler, combine the infused oil and beeswax.
2. Heat gently until the beeswax is fully melted. Stir.
3. TEST FOR CONSISTENCY: Spoon a tiny bit onto a cold plate. Let it set for a minute. Is it too soft? Add a pinch more beeswax. Too hard? Add a dash more oil.
4. Once happy, carefully pour the liquid salve into your clean tins or jars.
5. Let set uncovered until completely firm (a few hours). Cap, label, and use.

This salve is your direct, hands-in-the-dirt medicine. Use it on clean, dry skin for: winter-chapped hands, minor cuts and scrapes, insect bites, or as an intense moisturizer for elbows and heels.

This practice—the noticing, the careful harvest, the slow transformation over warmth—is the core of my craft. It’s why my small batches of Balsam Pain Salve smell and act the way they do. I’m not just making a product; I’m bottling a specific, quiet moment in the Kootenay winter, following the rhythm of the trees themselves.