Pine trees are not native to Australia, but they have become a familiar part of the landscape in many parts of the country. Several species have been introduced as ornamentals or as lumber sources, and a few have become naturalised. Two (Aleppo pine from the Mediterranean Basin and Monterey pine from California) have become weedy, threatening to displace native vegetation.Stone pine produces both the ordinary pine products such as wood and resin, but food as well. All pine seeds are edible, but most are too small to be worthwhile. Stone pine, however, produce the larger seeds you would be familiar with that are a tasty addition to the kitchen. Stone pine is a large tree that prefers cooler climates. It does well in Victoria, Tasmania and the cooler parts of NSW. The tree shape is a bit unusual for pines, forming not a conical shape as in most pine species but rather a more umbrella-shaped formation, with the branches curving upwards to form a lens-shaped canopy. Because of this, it needs room to spread out a bit.The pine's needles are a little problematic as they decompose slowly, so very often they accumulate on the ground for several years, preventing other vegetation from getting established. This is good for erosion control, but not so good if you want to have understory plants underneath the pines so they really need to be collected. A stone pine generally takes about 6-10 years to grow large enough to produce harvestable seeds, but you can cut this time in half by grafting or buying a grafted plant. Harvest the seeds by cutting the cones off the tree before they open. Put them in a paper bag and let them sit a week or so, long enough for the cones to open. Seeds will fall to the bottom the bag.Now comes the tough decision of what to do with the seeds. You can eat them raw or roasted. They make wonderful additions to many salads, casseroles, pasta, or other dishes. They can be sprinkled over meat fish or vegetables as a garnish. Of course, you can add it to your basil and make pesto.Of course, all this fine cuisine begins with the planting of your tree.Image: Paco Toscano/Shutterstock