{Playing with Spruce Tips} Sugar, salt & vinegar… oh my! (2024)

FAQs

Do you wash spruce tips? ›

Spruce tips are generally clean, but you can remove their party hats and give them a quick rinse to remove any dust and debris. They will last a few months in a paper bag in the fridge, if you can't use what you just harvested. They also freeze well, if you want to keep them even longer.

Medicinally, spruce tips can be used as a therapy to help ease lung congestion. It's antiseptic properties can help with pneumonia, whooping cough, and croup. As a liniment, salve or oil spruce tips also work well to help ease joint and muscle pain.

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. It's easily as good as any cough tincture from the pharmacy!!

Chop up 2 cups of spruce tips and put them into a jar. Then cover the spruce tips with 2 cups of apple cider vinegar. Add 10-12 peppercorns and 2 Tablespoons of honey. Put a non-metallic lid on the jar.

The smell of this sugar brings the forest into the kitchen and into our food. We use spruce sugar on cookies, cakes, and on savory dishes. We use it sometimes in fancy co*cktails at the bar.

If this is what you're seeing, your blue spruce tree is likely suffering from needle cast disease. Once these needles turn brown, yellow, or red, they will likely begin to shed. Many homeowners that are experiencing needle cast will often describe their blue spruce as looking burned.

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. They can be chopped and added to salads, soups, and smoothies.

Common uses of spruce include paper pulp, furniture, construction, lumber, crates and boxes, millwork, and soundboards for musical instruments.

Spruce tips are packed with vitamin C. You can eat them right off the tree, but a lot of people find them too strong. I like using them to make iced tea.

How much vitamin C is in spruce tips? ›

Because tinctures contain concentrated plant extracts, they are used as convenient vehicles for getting the right nutrients to where they are needed in the body. Tinctures are prescribed for a wide range of issues, including indigestion, stress, PMS, pain and insomnia.

However, since white vinegar is stronger than its counterpart, it is more suitable for cleaning and sanitizing. SUGAR CANE VINEGAR : Sugar cane vinegar is a mild vinegar often used in Philippine cooking and on many islands where sugar cane is grown and harvested. One of the classic dishes is adobo.

Spruce tips are the new growth of the trees each year and are most notably antiseptic, antimicrobial and an incredible source of vitamin C. After a long winter, they offer an immune boost and a fresh, lemony flavor that wakes you up from your hibernation slumber.

I store spruce tips in a plastic bag with a damp paper towel to help hold in moisture. If you'll be keeping the tips for a month or longer, make sure to keep an eye on them as they can mold. They can also be frozen, and used for my ice cream and syrup recipe below at the bottom of this post.

Spruce tops are not actively growing, so they do not need to be watered. However, helpful to water them slightly to freeze in place. Use 'Wilt Stop' to prevent the moisture from coming out of the needles because the spruce tops will last longer.

There are different types of spruce trees, and all spruce tips are edible. When identifying spruce trees for foraging, simply look for the bright green tips emerging from branches in high-spring. Then of course, look at the needle formation and color to confirm your identification.

The easiest way to enjoy spruce tips is to soak them in jar of water for a few hours, in the sun. That spruce water tastes incredible -- it's like drinking the forest! That water also makes a great Spruce Tree Sorbet. And the soaked spruce tips to make some amazing Pine Pollen - Spruce Tree Cookies.