foraging – spruce tip syrup – granskudd sirup

Living and eating through the seasons means one needs to enjoy the bounty while it is at its peak and preserve it. Our home, a timber summer house built in 1921 is known by the name Granbakken, which means ‘Spruce Hill’ in norwegian. It is simply appropriate that spruce tip syrup is on the agenda for local goodness. The children and their friends are more than happy to gather the ingredients for many of our concoctions 😉

picking fresh shoots from spruce in the garden

tender shoots fo spruce

the bounty

Spruce has many purported benefits, and one can preserve spruce tips in a variety of ways:

dried and combined with salt as my dear friend Louise does with a variety of plants
made into a tincture/dram/schnapps via infusing with alcohol
made into a pesto similar to ramsløk/wild garlic using pine nuts, garlic, olive oil and parmesan/pecorino romano
dried and pulverized and added to a multitude of recipes

but one that we enjoy purely for the taste is syrup, and it is so simple to do!

place your collected spruce tips in a pot

add boiling water to cover.. do not use too much water,

as the tips cook, they turn from vibrant green to a pink/brown

bring the spruce tips and water to a rolling boil
turn down to medium high and let cook covered for 30 minutes.
strain and measure the liquid
for every 3 parts liquid, measure 2 parts sugar (ideally organic) you can add a splash of lemon juice for tartness if desired
combine the spruce infusion and sugar
bring to a rolling boil to thicken
if using a candy thermometer bring to thread stage (230 degrees Fahrenheit – 110 degrees Celsius) if not using a thermometer, boil to reduce until is coats the back of a spoon
remove the white scum that rises to the surface in order to get a clear syrup
bottle and cool (note: if using corks, wet them first or they may stick in the tops of your bottles.. ask me how I know! 😉 )
the colour will change throughout the process from a pale ivory to a pink, and deepen with time, I love that!