Basswood Tree (American Linden) – great tree for survival
One of my favorite trees is the Basswood, or American Linden. It is a large stately tree that is loved by bees at it puts out huge quantities of blooms that bees love & does so later in the year when the bees are hunting nectar & pollen. For that reason it is also called the bee tree. Basswood honey is considered some of the best in the world. My son has a few large basswoods at his house & they can be just loaded with bees. I have planted two on my property.
What many folks don’t realize though is that the leaves and young buds are edible… and quite tasty. They can be eaten raw in a salad or cooked down. The native Americans also used the bark. The Indians soaked the bark for two to four weeks to loosen long fibers. They used the fibers for many of their needs: Bags, baskets, belts, fishnets, house mats, snowshoe netting, ropes, sewing thread and even suturing wounds.
IMO, this is a tree preppers should need to recognize, as there is a lot of leaves on a mature tree. It is also a great tree for our bees, which we need to protect & nuture.
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