The pitch was used as an adhesive and was chewed to cure sore throats. The wood could also be burned as fuel. The pinyon tradition continues today. Every few years, New Mexico's pinyons produce a bumper crop of nuts. This is the signal for New Mexicans to grab their burlap sacks and head into the woods.
Some people travel long distances to harvest pinyon nuts, which are sometimes sold.
A fast picker can gather about twenty pounds a day at most. It takes about 1,500 of the tiny nuts to equal a pound. Most of the harvested pine nuts are roasted and polished, then shipped to New York City. Of course, many more are eaten by wildlife. Pinyons generally grow at high elevations, not in lowland deserts.