Spruce tips on a tree at my parent's.
Over the past couple weeks I’ve seen multiple pictures of wildcrafter’s baskets full of spruce & pine tips. You can eat those? That’s a new one for me! So a couple of weeks ago when I was in the mountains I looked for the new growth on the spruce trees but it was too early. Then yesterday when I was at my brother’s picking up the strawberries he picked up for me in CA I looked out the window at the huge tree in the front yard.
Me: Is that a spruce?
My Dad/Brother: Yes.
Me: Can I go pick some of the tips off?
Everyone in room: <puzzled look>
My Brother: Sure.
My sister-in-law: What do you do with spruce tips?
Me: You can make a “poor man’s” balsamic vinegar.
Everyone in room: <puzzled look… followed by a why bother look>
This type of conversation is happening a lot this year! 
But for me it’s been a fun adventure finding more local foods to forage and put up. When I got home with my pint jar of tips I looked online for the “balsamic vinegar” recipe. It looks like that was mostly made with pine needles so I looked up spruce tip recipes and came across this great post from Laurie of Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska. What fun recipes!
Spruce tips.
For my first time playing with spruce tips I decided to make small batches of a few different items to see what I like. Then next year I can plan ahead and figure out more ways to use this fun, new ingredient!!!
{How To} Spruce Tip Flavored Salt or Sugar
Mix equal parts sea salt or organic sugar with finely chopped spruce tips. Place in a dish and set in a dry area to completely dry out. Stir every day to check progress and break of clumps, takes approximately 3 days. Store in a sealed jar.
Stir together and mix each day until dry!
{How To} Spruce Tip Vinegar
Mix two parts red wine vinegar to one part chopped spruce tips in a jar. For each cup of spruce tips add 1 tsp black peppercorns. Leave at room temperature for 10 days. Shake up the jar each day. Strain into a sterile bottle.
Ready to soak for 10 days.
Check back to see how everything turns out and what I use them for!
*** Update ***
Here’s some ways I’ve used the Spruce Tip Salt -
- A delicious carrot salad {Shredded carrots, lime juice, olive oil, spruce tips, sea salt, raisins, greens & chive blossoms}
how crazy is that! pretty wild, I’ve never heard of quite a few things you’ve been doing lately, especially not anything that uses spruce tips! you’d think i would have found out about that fun while taking all those forestry classes and working in the woods! how long did you leave the spruce tips/sugar/salt mixture set out to dry for? i hope i get to try some of these crazy things next time i’m there visiting
This year’s all about the crazy foods you can eat
I mixed up the salt & sugar last night and this morning they are starting to dry out… I think it will take a few days. I’ll update the post when I know how long it takes.
We’ll have a local feast when you come down!
I cannot wait to try this!!! Have book marked the recipe, thank you:)