Spruce Tip Syrup Recipe - How to Make Fir or Spruce Syrup | Hank Shaw (2024)

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Spruce Tip Syrup Recipe - How to Make Fir or Spruce Syrup | Hank Shaw? ›

There are two ways to make spruce tip syrup: The first is to make a simple syrup, then pour that over a bunch of fir or spruce tips, let it steep a while, then strain and store. This is the easy, quick way.

Think of them as an herb you would use raw. When I cook with spruce tips, I usually add them raw to salads or sprinkle over vegetable dishes. If I use spruce tips in desserts, they will typically be pureed or in an infusion, and always strained if possible since leftover particles can get bitter.

Spruce tips have a distinct taste — citrus with a hint of resin. You can snack on them fresh or or add them to salads. Dried spruce tips can be ground in a coffee grinder and make a great nutmeg like spice – check out the recipe for Moose Steak with Yukon Rub and for Northern Pumpkin Pie! They can also be used in teas.

The 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. Spruce tip syrup is even better mixed with ice cold water, carbonated or no, and a hint of lime or lemon juice.

Pour the olive oil over the tips, stir and place in the oven to bake for a minimum of 4 hrs. 7. Once oil has finished baking and has cooled to room temperature, strain the mixture through a fine mesh cheesecloth to remove the tips. Store in a dark air tight container in a cool, dry and place.

Spruce and fir trees have their needles attached individually to the branches. To tell spruce and fir trees apart, it helps to know that spruce needles are sharply pointed, square and easy to roll between your fingers. Fir needles, on the other hand, are softer, flat and cannot be rolled between your fingers.

In our study, split wood harvested in the spring took anywhere from six weeks to three months to dry during the summer, depending on the storage method. Split birch and split spruce, for example, dried in one and a half months when stored in a simulated wood shed or left uncovered.

All parts of the tree are non-toxic. Medicinal and nutritional qualities of the spruce include help with the respiratory system; active vitamin C, which fights against colds and infections; Spruce needles contain large amounts of shikimic acid, which is a flu-fighting compound and helps fight respiratory ailments.

Spruce is a popular softwood that is known for its use in producing paper pulp and also in the construction industry for making doors, furniture, panelling, and interior trim. Spruce is also commonly used for making the soundboards of some musical instruments.

While all spruce tips are edible, I find blue spruce to be the most intense flavor. Spruce tips can be enjoyed raw, cooked into any dish and used as you might rosemary because their flavor profile is similar. I think that this flavor would pair well with white gamey meat and chicken.

What flavors go well with spruce tips? ›

Two of the best ways to freeze spruce tips is to bag them up in plastic freezer baggies or to vacuum seal them and then freeze. Spruce tips can last up to one year. Today, I'm making spruce tip/carrot/zucchini/ bread with spruce tip cream cheese frosting. All you need is your favroite zucchini carrot bread recipe.

They are full of vitamin C for immune system strengthening, vitamin A for healthy organ function, magnesium and potassium, and have always been used by indigenous tribes for coughs, colds and sore throats.

This is an easy tip to remember: on pine trees, needles are attached and attached to the branches in clusters; on spruce trees, needles are attached individually. A longleaf pine – which you can tell is a pine because its needles are attached in bundles.

Add dried stems purchased or from your garden for a fall look: Dried Hydrangea blooms,Dogwood, gourds, mini pumpkins, ornamental corn. Add colorful berry stems or accents of your choosing for a holiday look. Spruce tops are not actively growing, so they do not need to be watered.

A. Hungry squirrels are causing the damage to your spruce. In winter and early spring squirrels occasionally gnaw through the ends of spruce branches, causing the tips to fall to the ground. Sometimes the tips fall immediately and other times it takes a strong wind to knock them off the tree.

Spruce trees also provide foraging opportunity all year round. The needles are edible and most commonly used to make a hot tea, which is steeped (not boiled) to retain its nutritional quality. All parts of the tree are non-toxic.

After harvesting the spruce gum, you will then add it to a pot and bring it to a boil. It can take up to an hour to boil the spruce gum enough to become more liquidy. You may add water to make it less syrup-like. Once the gum is boiled, you can strain it to remove any excess bark, and let it cool.

While all spruce tips are edible, I find blue spruce to be the most intense flavor. Spruce tips can be enjoyed raw, cooked into any dish and used as you might rosemary because their flavor profile is similar. I think that this flavor would pair well with white gamey meat and chicken.