Part 4: How to Harvest And Filter Resin Pitch
A Guide to a traditional craft
For generations, people all over the world have gathered tree resin to use for medicine, waterproofing, salves, firecraft, incense, and even natural chewing gum. Long before any commercial gum existed, Indigenous peoples across North America were using spruce and pine pitch for oral health, breath freshening, and everyday chewing. Chewing pitch was perfect for long hunting trips to ward off hunger and thirst.
Early settlers learned these same methods, turning this ancient tradition into one of the first natural gums ever made.
Today, resin gum is becoming a forgotten craft — something many people have never seen made from start to finish. I’m happy to bring back some of that knowledge and share the basics of how raw pitch can be gathered and filtered, the way people have done for hundreds (and thousands) of years.
John Bacon Curtis (1827–1897) is widely credited as the first person to turn traditional spruce pitch chewing into a commercial chewing gum industry in North America. Growing up in Maine, he and his father began collecting and refining spruce resin after seeing local people — including Indigenous communities — chew raw pitch. Curtis experimented with boiling, straining, and molding the resin into uniform sticks, wrapping them by hand, and selling them town to town. His “State of Maine Pure Spruce Gum” became so popular that he eventually built one of the earliest chewing gum factories, employing dozens of workers and producing thousands of boxes a year. Curtis didn’t invent resin gum itself — that knowledge was far older — but he was the first to commercialize it, package it, and bring it to national markets, laying the groundwork for the modern chewing gum industry.
This guide is meant to introduce you to the tradition, the materials, and the basic steps. Not every technique can be learned from reading — much of this craft comes from hands-on experience, time in the forest, and learning how resin behaves in different seasons and conditions. But this will give you the foundation.
How to Find Resin on Spruce and Pine Trees
Spruce and pine trees produce resin as part of their natural defense system. It appears as amber drops, tears, or hardened layers on the bark.
When harvesting resin:
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Look only for natural wounds — places where wind, animals, or old branch sites have caused the tree to seal and protect itself.
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Do not cut into live trees or create new wounds.
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Resin can be collected year-round, but flow and quality change with the season, age of the tree, and the health of the forest.
Older resin will be harder and more brittle; fresher resin may be sticky or soft. Both can be used. Part of the craft is learning to read the tree and understand the resin by sight and feel.
Melting and First Strain
Once you have gathered your resin, the first step is melting it down. Most people use a pot on low to medium heat. Resin melts quickly, so there’s no need for high temperatures.
As the resin liquefies:
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Bits of bark, dust, needles, and natural debris will separate and float.
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These can be removed by pouring the melted resin through a small metal strainer or mesh.
This first strain removes the larger pieces and prepares the resin for deeper filtration.
Second Melt and Fine Filtering
After the first strain, the resin is often melted again to allow for finer filtering. This time, it’s poured through layers of natural cloth — traditionally linen, cotton, or cheesecloth.
This step removes the finer dust and tiny forest particles that the mesh cannot catch.
The goal here isn’t to create a laboratory-grade purified resin — traditional resin was always “clarified,” not perfectly filtered. Small specks of forest material are completely normal and have always been part of natural pitch.
Filtering too aggressively (or at too high of a temperature) can scorch or damage the resin, changing its flavour and quality. Learning the best heat level, the right cloth, and the right timing all come from experience.
From Resin to Gum
Once strained and cooled, the resin becomes firm again. At this stage, people can:
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break it into pieces,
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warm it slightly to make it pliable,
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pull and stretch it,
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or cut it into small chewable chunks.
Every family, region, and culture has its own way of preparing resin gum. This tradition has travelled through Indigenous knowledge, settlers, foragers, herbalists, and craftspeople for generations.
A Note From Our Family
My family has been harvesting spruce and pine resin in Alberta for over a decade — for balms, teas, soaps, waterproofing, and eventually for gum. Working with resin is something you learn through doing. Every batch teaches you something new: heat, texture, timing, and the unique personality of each tree.
This guide shares the foundations of the craft, but the real skill comes from spending time with the material. Resin is alive, reactive, and full of character — nobody masters it overnight.
We also know that not everyone wants to purchase gum, and that this old tradition deserves to be accessible to anyone who wants to learn. If you’d like to try making your own, I hope this helps you get started.
And if you’d like to taste traditionally made spruce and pine resin gum, you can find ours here.
Disclaimer:
This guide is for general educational purposes only. Results vary depending on tree species, resin age, heat, tools, and experience. Always harvest responsibly and follow local guidelines. Much of this craft can only be learned through hands-on practice over time.