Tip Off The Old Spruce
Around Southcentral and Southeast Alaska, spruce tips appear pretty reliably around Mother’s Day. Poet Seamus Heaney even referenced the bright fresh color, describing the “May-green spruce,” in his G...
Preparation
Pro tip: swap rose petals for spruce tips in our shortbread recipe for a springy treat! Something to drink? Try Spruce Tip Milk Tea with handmade yarrow pearls. Want some savory spruciness? How about Spruce Tip Gravlax?
Spruce Tip Salt
Grind equal parts coarse sea salt (I’m partial to the Atlantic grey salt) and spruce tips in a food processor, and then dry the mix in a food dehydrator or a low oven with the door open for a couple of hours. Store in a cool, dark cupboard or pantry.
Light-Spruce Tip Syrup
Combine equal parts water and sugar and bring to a low simmer. When sugar is dissolved, add 1 part spruce tips, and simmer for 5–10 minutes. Strain, and reserve tips to make sugared spruce tips. Refrigerate or freeze the syrup to store.
Sugared Spruce Tips
Lay reserved spruce tips in a single layer on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, or in a food dehydrator. Heat in dehydrator or in low oven with the door open until completely dry. Store in a cool, dark cupboard or pantry.
Amber Spruce Tip Syrup
Combine equal parts water and sugar and bring to a low simmer. When sugar is dissolved, add 1 part spruce tips, and simmer for 1–2 hours, or to taste. The syrup will reduce significantly and become dark in color. Strain the tips and discard. Refrigerate or freeze the syrup to store.
First published in the Summer 2019 issue of Edible Alaska.
Related Stories & Recipes
Spruce Tip Gravlax by Laurie Constantino
Used with permission from laurieconstantino.com; adapted by Erica Thompson Clark
Erica was raised in Kodiak, Alaska. When she and I were both living in Cordova, Alaska as Coast Guard spouses, she t...
Spruce Tip Milk Tea with Yarrow Pearls
As Mossy Kilcher says, a clean glass of water needs no recipe. Inspired by Mossy’s thoughtful gathering of Alaska’s bounty, this warming milk tea riffs on the familiar boba tea with homemade yarrow-fl...
Rose Shortbread
Shortbread is one of the simplest cookies, and it is based on a 1-2-3 ratio. 1 part sugar, 2 parts fat, 3 parts flour. I’ve given weights as well as volume measurements since I usually make it with a ...
