Make Your Own Chewing Gum From Spruce Pitch

lonnie shows step by step instructions on how he makes his spruce pitch gum. Spruce gum was the original gum before later modern day versions of gum came along.
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Hello my name is Lonnie and My wife is Connie.
Here at Far North Bushcraft And Survival you will learn about many long forgotten tricks and tips of the old time woodsmen. Not only will you learn about bushcraft / woodcraft but you will learn many things that will help you to survive in less than ideal "survival" situations as well. Come along and sit with me by the campfire as I delve into these subjects in a way that you can easily learn to then do yourself.
I will show you how to make shelters, gather food, use wild medicines as well as start fires without matches, lighters, ferro rods, etc

[@LionheartSJZ]

For a very long minute I read the title as "make your own GUN from spruce pitch" and I was utterly impressed. Then I realized my error :D Still enjoyed the video!

[@Zuckerwattewolf]

me 2 :))

[@Far-North-Bushcraft-Survival]

Not much of a g.u.n. but I guess you could use it for slingshot ammo.

[@obironpierogi4302]

chewing gun?

[@deltawhiskylima5095]

Ha-ha, that's funny, sounds like something I would do.

[@eventsotherthingswithchris9019]

@@Far-North-Bushcraft-Survival Hi Lonnie & a belated Christmas wish to you & yours. I was curious, with various styles of pitch & sap, is there anything that comes in handy as a gap sealer in bushcrafted structures that you might want to seal up more? On other places, I see folks using clay a lot to do this, but if clay ends up being a hard thing to find, what about some kind of wood's pitch or sap? Anyway, thank you for these videos.

[@taimidiscala27]

Lovely to see actually how it's made , as I used to pick it strait of the tree while skiing , when I was a young girl !

[@bobbywalsh7767]

Taimi Discala this video shows you how to make it👍🏼

[@AlexanderMasalow]

Similar gum is traditional In Siberia too. Great idea, I do not live in Siberia, but I have a pine woods not far from my house)

[@FullSpectrumSurvival]

love it. always enjoy your work brother.

[@CircumcisionIsChildAbuse]

he reminds me of that guy from The Office.

[@thespiritofsauntering]

If you two ever want to adopt.... How amazing it would be to learn all of this first hand. I LOVE your videos. Thank you so much for sharing with all of us.

[@jimlahey8919]

I went from watching your videos on my phone to watching them on my 65 inch t.v.. Videos are still crystal clear and sound is great. My grandmother use to chew that type of gum, she never warned me about not chewing it up right away , let's just say when your 7-8 and expecting free gum this is not what you imagine lol. Thx for the video, brought me back to my childhood👍👍👍

[@VoidTroopiez]

I made these last week and thanks for the tutorial. Though my grandparents now think I'm producing drugs in my kitchen.

[@CentralOregonDesertExplorers]

Great video! Now I'm gonna have to go find some spruce trees and try it out.

[@pacificbushcraftandfirecra6358]

Might taste a little different than the spruce trees up there in AK. But I have tried Oregon spruce pitch, and it is good. Great video Lonnie, thanks for your hard work. Be well!

[@fredthorne9692]

You are correct about moving it around in your mouth. I had a crown come loose. Fortunately, the gum held on pretty tight so I was able to save it. It's still good (spruce pitch gum) and good for you.

[@Far-North-Bushcraft-Survival]

I have often thought that if a person had some dental problems that was causing extreme pain, they could apply the pitch like this and I'll bet that the pain could be much improved until they could get out of the woods and to a dentist. The pitch would stay in place due to it's stickiness and with it's natural pain killing properties, it just might be a great thing to keep in mind for just such an emergency. One may find that the pitch raw off the tree may be more medicinally effective though rather than this purified pitch

[@fredthorne9692]

Far North Bushcraft And Survival Yes indeed, I'm no dental expert, but, I would have to agree with you. Anything that would block the exposed nerve would be beneficial, and would most definitely help in the case of anti-microbial action. Thank you for that insight.

[@greggbarber]

I will have to check , but I have some old professional guide books ( far Northern ~French ) I believe , I read in those books about this same indian cure.

[@fredthorne9692]

Tor Yes, I'm sure Spruce gum is listed for many useful applications. Pine oil being a natural anti-microbial it must be good for dental maladies.

[@Far-North-Bushcraft-Survival]

#Tor If you find your references relating to spruce pitch being used for dental first aid, I would really enjoy hearing what the source says. Thanks.

[@bushcraftnorthof6012]

I usually just pick a hunk off the tree and chew it, but I may have to try prepping it like this. Always used balsam fir back in NS, but here in Yellowknife it's mostly black spruce. Thanks for another great video!

[@Far-North-Bushcraft-Survival]

Black Spruce is prime for flavorable spruce pitch gum.

[@being_me_emrrys1766]

You seem like such a cool person to talk with! So much information, love that you’re just collecting it with an old can!

[@ShlisaShell]

What a beautiful slab of pitch. When you were finished I had hope to see you enjoy a piece. Maybe next time,

[@StyNorth]

Great demo, Lonnie! I love the taste of Spruce gum :) ATB Sty

[@dib0018]

This man is a wealth of knowledge. Never ceases to impress.

[@haroldcallahan4887]

I think this is the coolest channel in all of youtube - literally and in substance

[@grumpyoldstudios]

I grew up on spruce gum. Have not had it in years. Thank you for inspiring me to go out and get some.

[@agentp6621]

No joke here. I looked this up when I saw an episode of MacGyver where he said he chewed pine pitch like gum. I love it!

[@m.k.1543]

Who knew!!?!! All of the years I have complained because the sap on different pine and spruce trees makes my fingers sticky and I could most likely have been licking the sticky off of my hands!! Love your videos. I keep learning new and interesting things!

[@potatoman2449]

Holy cow, that is amazing! I would want to go to ur place and get some!

[@primitivepatriot9207]

Love the vid Lonnie, I have three spruce tree out in my backyard. I might try making some gum soon

[@williamkeech9359]

does anyone else find his voice is soothing

[@DeclanRyanRising]

Best, down to earth, practical bushcraft lessons on the internet.

[@cullencasa7217]

New winter project for the kids! Thank you sir! Happy to have found your channel today!

[@Far-North-Bushcraft-Survival]

I too am happy you have found the channel. Welcome.

[@cullencasa7217]

@@Far-North-Bushcraft-Survival new subscriber, excited to explore so much great content and learn from yall!

[@Doc_Watson]

Just found this video. I'm about 5 min into it and will watch to the end. However, I've been chewing spruce gum for years. My uncle (a long time woodsman and trapper) turned me onto it. The older sap that you skipped over is what I look for. The dark amber crystalized pitch is what you want. Scrape the bark and any white or yellow new pitch off and then chew. (I'll usually suck on it a while like hard candy before I start chewing.) It'll turn to dust in your mouth and then come together as a gum. I love the stuff.

[@changeisgonnacome6642]

My grandparents used to make it for us, and it was most delicious chewing gum I've ever had, still miss it often and decided to try making it myself, thats what bring me to your very enjoyable video. Thank you very much, took me way back to childhood... one thing is though, that we would used the older pink parts too and the gum would come out pink. We as kids loved it more then just new yellow runny parts. Thanks again! Subscribed! X

[@Far-North-Bushcraft-Survival]

Thanks for subscribing and welcome to the channel.

[@jeffanders5538]

thank you Lonnie Glad to see someone teaching the Craft one day I would like to come and work and live with you and connie to teach me how to live thank you.

[@rosamnaranjo1]

awesome vid lol to learn. 🌹old ways to make wonderful naturals 🎅

[@andlir2]

Thanks for sharing and learning out! Im in Sweden and will try this! When I was a kid, I remeber that me and my "fellow cubs" chewed pieces directly from the trees because we have heard that it was used as chewing gum in older days. But it didnt work so good as chewing gum (but we kept on doing it anyway:)) Now I know the process!

[@sosteve9113]

I read that Native American People did this great to see how it is actually done thanks Lonnie greetings from Belgium atb Steve

[@squatchwhisperer4401]

bravo nice video. this is a real genuine wood craft channel. I enjoy you reminding me of things I have forgotten about and teaching new things along the way with a real cool hand without arrogance and minimalistic mindset. keep it up old man. I always enjoy seeing you in my video feed. cheers from Mt Shasta.

[@elizabethjackson3968]

Is it just me or is the whole video madass satisfying

[@Far-North-Bushcraft-Survival]

Many people have said that my videos are a form of asmr for them. Many many people have said I have a unique voice that is very suited for audio book narration or radio. They find my videos very relaxing.

[@jilleubanks4504]

Thank you so much! I love being able to share this with my children. They didn’t believe me when I told them gum came from trees.

[@abbushcraft]

Very helpful. Thank you.

[@skippyjl1]

Wouldn’t parchment paper work better? Absolutely awesome what you’re doing thank you for sharing.👊🏻👍🏻

[@Far-North-Bushcraft-Survival]

Parchment paper *may* work better but to be honest, I don't have much experience with it so am not very familiar with it. Thanks for the kind words.

[@ironhorse19]

great video lonnie very informative many thanks for sharing

[@DannyWalker1949]

Thanks Lonnie for (maybe) answering a question I had for year's. My Grandma use to pick something off the trees and chew it when I was just little kid (that was 70+ years ago) Anyway, I'm betting that this is what she getting and chewing on it.

[@Far-North-Bushcraft-Survival]

If she chewed on it for a considerable length of time then this was almost certainly what she was chewing on.

[@DannyWalker1949]

She did chew on it seem's like all day long (at least to a small boy at the time) Thank you for your answer, Lonnie.

[@RM-io7qo]

Wow! Spruce gum is a new one on me and now it's got me wondering just what it's like. I've got to thinking about other things you may have been up to in Alaska, well, you won't get bored if that's what nature has in store for you. Great video. Take care...

[@jeremydelerocha6275]

I made so much of this back in 2018. Still have some.

[@Cathaholic]

Wow, your processing method is the best I have seen. Way easier than squeezing it through cheesecloth like the last time I did it.

[@sodasic]

I'm addicted to these videos. Awesome

[@Taromovies]

Something new for me, thanks for explaining and your tips Lonnie!!! Absolutely great and interesting content!!!! thanks my friend, take care, Taro

[@Far-North-Bushcraft-Survival]

I too have learned from you as well. You have a great channel and i hope many people see this comment and decide to check out your channel. They won't be disappointed if they do.

[@Taromovies]

Far North Bushcraft And Survival thanks so much Lonnie, for you support and your KZbin friendship!!!!!

[@callumthorsen5474]

Great video thanks for sharing the knowledge. Gonna do a workshop with the local scout group based on this 👍🏻

[@cb2308]

Very interesting video. I always learn something new from your vids.

[@Pyroteknitian]

Hey there Lonnie, I followed your instructions and made some spruce pitch too. I ended up with some older resin scrapings, not as fresh as yours, and it resulted in me leaving it in the oven for 6hrs at 200F to 250F. In trying to speed things up and get better flow, I increased temperature to 295F and notices a light haze/smoke starting to form (this was near the end of processing anyway) and I lowered the temp to 250F for 30min before ending the process. I thank you sir for your wonderful instructional guide and the success in being able to recreate the experiment. I didn't have any cans that had plastic lining removed, so I made an aluminum foil bowl with some holes at the bottom, resting atop a stainless screen such as yours and underneath was my catching tray which was similar to the one you used to create the thin plate.

[@yohonamon]

Hey Friend.....Always LOVE your video education.....just awesome stuff to learn.....find myself looking forward to watching your vids often.....My youngest son and i cant wait to implement all we learn each time.....hands down my most favorite outdoors education teacher.....these things have almost vanished in todays society.....so its nice to be able to learn from you and pass it down to my boy so maybe he can find enjoyment from it as well and keep the outdoors education and preservation alive and well.....MAJOR HATS OFF TO YOU FRIEND......Thanks a ton for all you do.....keep it comin....so very enjoyable to watch.....Keep warm....stay safe....have a good one!

[@balubar7154]

Hallo, vor langer Zeit hat mein Vater mir gezeigt wie "Baumkaugummi"gemacht wird, hatte es fast vergessen. Danke fürs zeigen, es erinnert mich an eine gute, sehr gute Zeit. Gruß Peter

[@richiebeard994]

The always thought that the powder on horehound candy was powdered sugar, but it makes sense that it is starch for the same reason that you're using starch. Once again, I come away from one of your videos having "learnt" something new. I thought I'd use an old-timey word, to go with an old-timey subject! - Godspeed

[@hollyskelhorn8592]

Hello from Hay River NT. Really enjoyed thank you.

[@woody816]

Hey Lonnie. Nice vid as always 👍

[@nedeljkomostar]

youre holding top place in my book. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and all the best. zoran

[@lifeinbobbysworld5415]

Fantastic!!! I'm going to give this a try :). Thanks!

[@mr.fisher3973]

Very interesting

[@Wissahickonwild]

Thank you, this is so useful and interesting. I suspect this would also help apthous ulcers (canker sores) and is a source of vitamin c as well.

[@BushcraftSweden]

Nice! this one I am gonna share with a friend that made me try long time ago this natural gum direct from the trees without preparation, I remember it very bitter and sticky a real food nightmare, ready for another try with this process, might add a bit of honey though ;) Thanks for constant quality videos and inspiration Lonnie ATB // Mathieu

[@MySelfReliance]

Bushcraft Sweden I like the idea of adding honey

[@Far-North-Bushcraft-Survival]

Fresh off the tree it is *VERY* flavorable and tends to be more sticky. After purifying like this and letting "cure" for several days afterwords, it is a milder flavor.

[@Thicbladi]

Far North Bushcraft And Survival well in colder areas yes but in warmer areas it just seems to get very bitter

[@TheCourtJester1956]

Hi Lonnie, I just wanted to send my thanks for all of the effort that you, and anyone else who might be helping you such as your wife Connie, have put in to these videos. If I could choose only one channel to watch concerning bushcraft, yours would be it.

[@Mr.56Goldtop]

HAPPY THANKSGIVING Lonnie!

[@Far-North-Bushcraft-Survival]

Thank you and happy Thanksgiving to you as well.

[@stepitup5409]

nice one Lonnie

[@vickiebrown2236]

Thanks so much! Now I need to take my grandchildren out to make some!! Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us they will love it!

[@miguelcornejo8679]

Thanks for showing us how to make a natural gum. (:

[@yotagerlie]

great idea with sink strainer lonnie!!!

[@pocobuen]

brilliant beyond words

[@garrysmovie]

I want to try this! Keep the vids comin'. I want to live like you one day.

[@dieselstruck]

I've had the chance of trying some pine pitch, and its I gotta say it's not bad. Really sticky though.

[@slsoutdoors9008]

That's really cool I didnt know that we'll as they say you learn something knew everyday

[@dr.rongoldstein1633]

I so enjoy all of your videos. Thank you so much for keeping our wilderness heritage alive!!

[@UTEavdelingen-OutdoorsNorway]

Thank you for the video. When we were young, we used that chewing gum directely from the tree 🙂 Atb Tove and Kaja

[@Far-North-Bushcraft-Survival]

I still do that though often times the fresh pitch is too soft for pleasant chewing.

[@harveymorgan1749]

Thanks for the video, this type of gum is the best because it lasts a very long time compared to commercial gum.

[@PawPawMountain]

Great Job Lonnie!

[@tbonemillz]

Very cool video!

[@tomritter493]

great video Lonnie would imagine it's good chewed on regular pitch off tree before lmao it sticks !!!! to everything lol say hi to Connie stay safe and warm brother......tom

[@joshl90]

Parchment or wax paper would stick less than aluminum foil does

[@matthewlemon9282]

better for environment also.

[@TheDrakenZ]

aluminum is found in nature, and not only that but it will oxidize and break down relatively quick.

[@caitlinschneider7484]

JoshL wax paper would be worse

[@Ixquick979]

@@TheDrakenZ Refining aluminium ore spends a lot of electricity.

[@truckerenoch8824]

I'd also use powdered sugar, or some other powdered sweetener, instead of corn starch.

[@elund408]

I made some of this 40 years or so ago, thanks for the great video

[@TuckerSP2011]

So interesting Lonnie. I wanted to see you chew it and describe the taste. Happy Thanksgiving to you, Connie, Buck and your family!

[@Far-North-Bushcraft-Survival]

Thank you. The taste is like.....well, spruce. If you have ever had spruce needle tea then you have an idea. Or just smell the tree and that will also give you an idea of the taste. I find it pleasant.

[@angelaallen4854]

Cool video and very interesting. Taught me something I didn't know.

[@VE3FAL1Fred]

Lonnie great video as always. Winter is upon is in NorthWesterern Ontario as well. Hope Connie is doing well and the two of you get to do lots of winter stuff together. See the preserves on the table and they look good. Balsam works good as well and is also very plentiful here, but does not like to solidify like spruce of course so needs to be used a bit different.

[@williamconfer9784]

Thanks Lonnie.. You know everything... Have a Happy Thanksgiving.. Bill

[@Durakov25]

Nice video and I hope you get the 100.000 subs!!!

[@brandona.6337]

Another great informative video by a master woodsman thanks again Loni 👍🏻

[@mikelanning5148]

I just found your site and few days ago and I have watched most of your videos already. Keep them coming as you do a great job. I love the information and I would love to come to Alaska sometime soon.

[@Far-North-Bushcraft-Survival]

I am glad that you have found the channel here. Welcome.

[@TheTrtrapper]

I live up in Maine, when I was a young man,we would grab some off the tree while deer hunting and chew away.LLbean used to sell it in the store

[@MountainGardenGirl]

Very interesting video. From playing with making our own peanut brittle we fond that the siliconized lids from glass containers work great...but now they make baking mats and dishes so you could use that instead of foil. Nice to reduce excess waste and have an easy peel-off. Thank you again, can't wait to try.

[@LaurentGouzouAKALynx]

Thanks Lonnie for the great tutorial on how to make spruce gum I have to collect and try it asap 👍👌🌲 Ciao from Québec ⚜

[@wolfdaddy74]

can't wait to try this myself

[@johannesstampf7853]

Great Video!

[@t.w.milburn8264]

'mornin, Lonnie; This is gonna get done here real soon. Paw always had a hunk in his coat pocket J.I.K. I followed this as well & Now I can't wait to get some Trail-Time in & make me a mess a this as well. Thanks 4 all the sharing Friend. Say hello to Connie & Give 'ole-Buck a scratch 0r 2 from us here in the Maritimes. ATB Terry God Bless

[@marilynbonilla-torres8599]

Very cool. Thanks for teaching

[@brianve7jyd943]

good job - it made me smile cause as a kid - id be huntin with Pa - he;d jus reach over - break a piece off the tree and hand it to me to chew - specially if it was a fresh bleed - werent quite as fancy as urs

[@islandgyal507]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge. This is an interesting subject.

[@ferrerojv]

I just came across your videos today and I could watch all day. You're like the Fred Rogers of bushcraft! Great information presented in a soft, calm, kind voice. I look forward to watching more videos.

[@Far-North-Bushcraft-Survival]

I'm glad you found the channel here and want to welcome you.

[@letsgobrandon5916]

This man is a god still liking the comments, you seem like a really chill dude tho we should hangout sometime😎😂

[@m4shyk4]

Thank you for such nice and useful video! :)

[@grindlay4667]

wow amazing production quality! lots of work to set up those shots! really great and informative video 😊

[@SeahawkCustomsPc-qk2zn]

+Lonnie Awesome video my friend. How is the weather up you're way. Stay warm be safe in the bush you & you're wife.

[@Far-North-Bushcraft-Survival]

We are getting temps around 5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit in the mornings and at night and up around 10 - 15 degrees Fahrenheit during the day. We do have snow on the ground now but not much as you can see in the video.

[@SeahawkCustomsPc-qk2zn]

Far North Bushcraft And Survival Thank you my friend. stay warm and safe in the bush.

[@KLD2929]

Awesome video. Thank you for the information.

[@fidelcruz4528]

good video I never new about this thanks for your video very informative

[@jarlove]

AWSOME 😀 i had been wondering if sugar was used back in the day, but I guess not 😊

[@Far-North-Bushcraft-Survival]

I don't really know the traditional recipes but I'll bet they did flavor it. Dried powdered Stevia leaf might be a good sweetener to mix right into the melted pitch right along perhaps with dried powdered or flaked mint leaves.

[@lumberjackinit6450]

Well I’ll be darned, that was awesome Lonnie. Thanks for the knowledge

[@Breeder333]

great video, can't wait to give this a try.

[@casey197930]

Awsome and easy! thank you Sir.

[@blackhatbushcraft]

Very good knowledge to have! Thank you for sharing this Lonnie! I would love to try this if I get access to some Spruce pitch! Take care.