Classic Conifer Tip Syrup With Spruce, Fir, Pine or Hemlock (Tsuga)

One of my favorite memories with my grandmother was making tree tip syrup with her. Every spring, we’d go out and forage for fresh tips from fir, spruce, and pine trees. Back in the kitchen, we’d turn them into syrup with just sugar and water, filling the house with this incredible earthy, citrusy aroma.

The process, from gathering the fresh spring growth of fir, spruce, or pine trees to making the syrup, is so simple that even kids can do it all by themselves. Traditionally used to soothe coughs and sore throats, the syrup is also fantastic in both sweet and savory dishes and makes a unique and thoughtful gift.

Conifer tip syrup isn’t just simple to make; it adds an incredible flavor to both sweet and savory dishes. That slight citrusy taste of spruce tips is perfect for so many recipes. Try it with cheese, or use it as a glaze for meat or fish, and you’ll be hooked. It’s also a delightful, vegan alternative to honey and works wonders as a natural cough syrup during the cold months.

If you’re intrigued and want to try it out, let’s explore why and how to make this wonderful syrup together!

The Great Benefits of Conifer Tip Syrup

First of all, let me tell you why you should make it, and then we’ll look at a simple recipe. Conifer tips have many great properties and benefits for you, including:

• They are extremely high in vitamin C.
• They are also rich in vitamins A and E (quite hard to find and have in our diets – no more supplements for you!
• They are natural expectorants, so they fight off colds and flu!
• They soothe your throat.
• They have antifungal, antiseptic and antibacterial properties.
• They are rich in minerals, including magnesium and potassium.
• They have an exquisite and sophisticated flavor.

Unfortunately, when you make the syrup, you will lose the vitamin C; but you will keep all the other benefits.

When, Where and How to Collect Conifer Tips

You want to collect the bright and soft tips of conifer, those needles that have just grown, and the best time is late spring.

Be careful to choose a tree or trees that are far from trafficked streets and factories; you don’t want to harvest pollution as well as the tips.

You can use your hands to snip them off, but I suggest you use a small and sharp knife, which will give you a better cut.

Don’t be greedy! Only collect a few tips from each branch, then move on to another, or even better, another conifer tree when you harvest the young needles. You don’t want to damage the new growth, and give the tree problems

Finally, make sure that you choose edible conifer varieties, because some are toxic, on this point…

Which Conifer Varieties Can You Harvest for Their Tips?

Because I want you to stay safe, I have selected some varieties of conifers that you can harvest for their tips and use them for your flavored syrup.

Pine varieties with edible tips:

Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus)

• Description: long, soft needles in clusters of five. The tree has a tall, straight trunk.
• Flavor: mild and slightly sweet.

Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa)

• Description: long needles in bundles of three, large cones.
• Flavor: mild with a slight citrus note. Note that some people may have sensitivities to the pitch of this tree.

Sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana)

• Description: the tallest of all pines, with very long needles in clusters of five and large cones.
• Flavor: sweet and resinous.

Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta)

• Description: shorter needles in pairs, smaller cones.
• Flavor: mild and slightly resinous.

Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris)

• Description: needles in pairs, with a distinctive orange-brown bark.
• Flavor: mild and slightly sweet.

Fir varieties with edible tips:

Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)

• Description: soft, flat needles with a slightly citrusy aroma. The cones have distinctive three-pointed bracts.
• Flavor: citrusy and slightly sweet.

Noble Fir (Abies procera)

• Description: short, bluish-green needles with an upward curve. The cones are large and cylindrical.
• Flavor: mild and slightly sweet.

Balsam fir (Abies balsamea)

• Description: short, flat needles that are dark green on top and silver underneath. The cones stand upright.
• Flavor: mild with a hint of resin.

Grand fir (Abies grandis)

• Description: glossy, dark green needles that are flat and fragrant. The cones are cylindrical and upright.
• Flavor: citrusy and slightly sweet.

Silver fir (Abies alba)

• Description: short, flat needles that are green on top and silver underneath. The cones are large and upright.
• Flavor: mild and slightly resinous.

Spruce varieties with edible tips

Norway spruce (Picea abies)

• Description: long, drooping branches with dark green needles. The cones are large and cylindrical.
• Flavor: mild and slightly resinous.

White spruce (Picea glauca)

• Description: short, blue-green needles that are slightly curved. The cones are small and slender.
• Flavor: mild and slightly sweet, with a hint of resin.

Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis)

• Description: sharp, stiff needles that are dark green on top and bluish underneath. The cones are elongated and cylindrical.
• Flavor: citrusy and slightly resinous.

Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii)

• Description: soft, blue-green needles with a slightly curved shape. The cones are medium-sized and cylindrical.
• Flavor: mild and slightly sweet.

Blue spruce (Picea pungens)

• Description: sharp, bluish-gray needles. The cones are cylindrical and light brown.
• Flavor: strong, with a more pronounced resinous flavor.

Hemlock (Tsuga) varieties with edible tips:

Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla)

• Description: native to the Pacific Northwest of North America, it has flat, short needles and small cones.
• Flavor: citrusy, resinous, herbal and slightly bitter, overall mild.

Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)

• Description: found in eastern North America, it has short, flat needles and small cones.
• Flavor: similar to western hemlock, citrusy, resinous, herbal and earthy, slightly bitter and delicate.

Be very careful! Do not confuse hemlock, meaning the conifer of the genus Tsuga, with hemlock meaning Conium maculatum, a grass that’s lethal if ingested. They don’t look similar at all though…

You can pick the tips from a single species, especially if you want to have a consistent flavor; but can make a prepare a “conifer tips mixed syrup”, if you wish to be creative and if you like pleasant surprises.

You can even develop your own mix over time!

Now, on to our recipe…

Homemade Conifer Tips Recipe

The time has come to learn how to make conifer tips syrup, with any of the varieties we have seen, and, if you have the choice, you can prepare different ones with different flavors.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of fresh conifer tips (such as pine, spruce, fir)
• 2 cups of water (500 ml)
• 2 cups brown or organic sugar (500 grams, but you can adjust it to your taste).
• Optional: 1 tablespoon lemon juice (for preservation and flavor).
• You also need
• A saucepan
• A bowl or measuring cup
• A strainer or cheesecloth
• A knife
• A wooden spoon
• Some sterile glass jars with lids

Preparation:

Prepare the conifer tips: harvest fresh, young conifer tips from clean and unpolluted areas. Ensure you identify the tree species correctly.

Clean and chop: rinse the conifer tips thoroughly under cold water to remove any dirt or debris. Trim away any woody parts and chop the tips roughly.

2 Ways to make spruce tip syrup

There are two ways to turn spruce tips into a spruce tip syrup

1: Hot Method

Make the infusion: in a saucepan, combine pour 500 ml of water (2 cups) and the chopped conifer tips. Bring to a boil over medium heat.

Simmer: once boiling, reduce the heat to low and let the mixture simmer gently for about 20-30 minutes. This allows the flavors of the conifer tips to infuse into the water.

Strain: remove the saucepan from heat and let the mixture cool slightly. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a clean bowl or measuring cup. Press down on the conifer tips to extract all the liquid.

Add a few drops of lemon: at this stage, if you wish, you can squeeze in a few drops of lemon, to add acidity, but also to preserve it better.

Add the sugar: return the strained liquid to the saucepan. Add the sugar (and optional lemon juice, if using) to the liquid and stir well to dissolve the sugar completely.

Heat and thicken: bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Reduce the heat and simmer it for another 10-15 minutes, or until the syrup has thickened slightly.

Cool and store: remove from the heat and let the syrup cool to room temperature. Pour it into sterilized glass bottles or jars.

Storage: keep the conifer tip syrup in the refrigerator. Properly stored, it should keep well for several weeks to a few months.

2: Cold Method

If you’re in a rush, skip the second method because it takes 4-6 weeks. Go straight to the first method instead.

Just mix the spruce tips and sugar, then pack it all into a quart jar. If you want to prevent mold and speed things up, pulse the spruce tips and sugar in a food processor. Leave the jar somewhere sunny; I’ve left mine outside with no issues. The sun helps keep mold away.

You’ll see the ingredients shrink as the spruce tips release their liquid. If you have more spruce tips and sugar, add them in the same ratios to reduce the air in the jar and keep mold at bay.

Keep the jar like this for a month, or for a fun old-school twist, bury it and dig it up next spring. Stir occasionally and press the tips down with a clean spoon to keep them submerged in the syrup.

To make the syrup, after the initial aging, pour and scrape the spruce-sugar mix into a pot.

Add two tablespoons of water per quart jar to prevent crystallization. Simmer just enough to dissolve the sugar, then strain and bottle it. Discard the used tips, and thank them for their service.

If your syrup ends up too thick after cooling, just warm it up and add a bit of water to get the right consistency.

Store the finished syrup in the fridge. For long-term storage, pour it boiling hot into a nearly full jar, turn it upside down to seal, or process it in a water bath in mason jars. If mold forms on top after opening, re-boil and refrigerate it. This syrup is super stable and will last almost indefinitely in the fridge, like maple syrup.

Finally, How Can You Use Conifer Tips Syrup?

Now that you can make your own conifer tip syrup, I’ll leave you with a few tips on how to use it…

• Conifer tips syrup is great in drinks, like teas, cocktails, lemonades.
• It is also really delicious on pancakes, or in yogurt.
• You can use it to drizzle over ice-creams, or the cakes you bake.
• You can use conifer tip syrup to marinade meat, or tofu…
• Or you can use it to glaze meat or its substitutes…
• If you have a sore throat, take a spoonful of it, and it will pass.
• If you have a cold or flu, or a cough, melt it in warm water and drink it up!

I’ll leave the rest to your imagination and creativity. Just enjoy it!