Ever eat a tree? I know, I sound like Euell Gibbons. But really, you can eat the fresh growing tips of spruce or fir trees in any number of ways. My favorite is steeped in a simple syrup.
Spruce tips syrup smells like a pine forest, tastes a little citrusy — moreso if you add lemon juice — and adds a wonderful woodsy note to glazed pheasant, grouse or chicken.
It is even better mixed with ice cold water, carbonated or not, and a hint of lime or lemon juice. And it makes a fascinating cocktail mixed with gin or even a silver mezcal.
To gather spruce or fir tree tips, look in springtime for the light-colored ends of the trees: These are the new growth shoots from the tree. Older shoots get too resinous to be very tasty. Work your way around the tree and pick from scattered places so you don’t damage the tree — and never pick the top of a young tree, or you can possibly stunt its future growth.
If you are not familiar with the differences between pines, spruce and fir trees, here is a great tutorial.
Once made, spruce tips syrup should be kept in the fridge, where it should last about 4 months. It does not freeze well.
Spruce Tip Syrup
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups fir or spruce tips, chopped
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice (optional)
Instructions
- Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a lidded pot, stirring to make sure all the sugar is absorbed.
- When it hits a boil, turn off the heat. Stir in the spruce tips, cover the pot and leave to cool. The longer you steep the syrup, the stronger spruce flavor you'll get. I let it steep overnight.
- Strain the syrup through cheesecloth, add lemon juice (if using) to taste and bottle.
You are not making tea, you are making syrup :)))
the Transylvanian recipe is:
boil /simmer 5 kg of spruce tips (place it in a 18L pot covered by about 10 cm of water) for about 8h – then filter the extract (white milky, strong flavor).
for each cup (have 2 identical mugs) of extract, use a cup of sugar (substitutes are chemicals, this is a natural recipe. sugar is good for you! stop being sassy and “conscious about health”, this is healthy! )
Place the measured extract along with the sugar in a clean pot and bring to boil.
When you are happy with the colour of the syrup, add the lemon zest or … if you want to keep it traditional, lemon slices ( 1/4). Use 2 lemons, one zest and one chopped. the lemon will stabilize the colour and give it a nice taste.
keep boiling it until it passes the syrup test: take a wooden spoon, dip it in, then let it make a few droplets on a porcelain plate. When you tilt the plate, the drops should stay solid, not run down the plate.
All good. let it cool down a bit and pour it in some glass bottles. use paper corks (grab some A4 papers and form like a nice cork, don’ t get too sassy with it.
Store in a cool dry dark place. This should be good even after ages.
Good as a tonic or mixed with sparkling water like squash.
Enjoy and stop thinking sugar is your enemy! people who put sugar in bread or stuff it in everything are the real bad guys!
Has anyone made this with a sugar substitute?
My syrup turned out a bit bitter, perhaps I boiled it too long?
Alexandra: Could be: I barely boil it. I make it like a tea.
To temper the bitter flavour, try adding a bit of salt. You may have to add some, and test the flavour, until you get it the way you want. Be careful to not go overboard, so add a small measure at a time, stir and taste. Keep track of how much you add, for future notes.
In general cooking, bitter and salt balance each other.
I just discovered your site today, and have spent literally hours looking through recipes that all look mouth-watering. Great site!
Hi! I am curious if one can make the syrup from larch needles (harvest in spring). Thanks.
Roxana: I’ve never tried it. We don’t have larch here.
You are my wild culinary ace in the hole. I Googled ‘spruce tip syrup’ and found this perfect article, only afterward noticing it was at Hunter Angler Gardener Cook. Of course it is! 🙂
Thanks! I realize the taste of many won’t be good, but it’s nice to know that if there’s a small misidentification in the field, no bad will come (other than a funny tasting syrup).
I have a question regarding edibility. I realize that some species in a genus are inedible or toxic. Are all Picea and Abies species good for eating? In addition, I would like to know whether Pseudotsuga is good for syrup as well. Thanks!
Dave: It is tree to tree, not even species to species. None are toxic so far as I know, but many are turpentine-y. I use fir tips all the time, for what it’s worth.
I have made both Mugo pine tip syrup and spruce tip syrup (from Blue Spruce). My technique is to put both the tips and sugar (no water) into a mason jar, seal it up, and set it outdoors in the sun for the summer. Probably doesn’t add anything to it, but I somehow like the idea of it.
Makes a wonderful ice cream!
Dan: LOL. I am doing the same thing with unripe pinon pine cones!
hey guys, I have a quick question, Iv been making spruce soda for a while…its the same as syrup almost, simmer spruce in water for 1 hour, add sugar and ferment for a couple days…. but every time i do that the first time around the taste is so bitter I have to use the the spruce again thats been simmered in a new batch of water and the second batch comes out smooth, so when I make the syrup it won’t come out bitter the first time around?
Francois: Easy. Don’t boil it. Boiling brings out all the turpentine flavors. Just pour boiling simple syrup over the young fir or spruce tips.
Just for readers we make Pine and Fir Syrups at http://www.ionsyrup.com. It’s lovely on cheeses, desserts, salmon, glazing and marinading. Very versatile product.
Hello Again!
In my last comment planned to correct the cloudy apearance ofb my Fir Tip Syrup… I refiltered all of it through a double layer of super fine organic mull cotton, brought it up to 220 degrees F and re bottled it! Then into a hot bath for 10 minutes… There is no evidence that a surface layer of pollen appears. My experience with heavy fir pollen this year has convinced me to quadruple wash even the cleanest appearing wild harvests!
Hello Hank,
I made 2 batches of Fir Tip Syrup 2 weeks ago . I poured the strained liquid (boiled to 220 degrees F) into sterilized bottles and sealed BUT did not hot water bath process after. They have been stored sealed in a cool place.There is a cloudy layer at the surface of each bottle of syrup. I have made rose petal syrup, lavender syrup and fir tip jelly and have been 100% successful. I opened one and tasted. There was no bubbling or mould. It tastes fine.
Wondering if this has happened to anyone else.
My plan is to re filter with a finermull cotton double layer jelly bag, re process to 220 degrees F and bottle, seal and hot bath. Insights anyone?
PS… picked the young fir tips during a very heavy fir pollen season this spring.
Thanks, tke green shoots are just beginning to show up on the spruces here. Ill try your method.