Spring Flavors and Tonics

After a long winter of deep, hearty flavors preserved from growing seasons past, my palate is ready for something fresh. Birch water, spruce tips, and buds are the tastes of spring that act like tonics to get us all moving and flowing again as the snow melts, the migratory birds return, and the trees green up. I think they are best kept simple and most enjoyed this way.

Birch sap tastes and looks almost like water, but with a faint sweetness. It contains about 1 percent naturally occurring sugars, minerals, and nutrients that the birch tree needs to grow each spring. Sap can be boiled and concentrated into syrup, but I also love it straight from the tree. Many people around the world who live in the boreal forest enjoy it. Some companies even bottle and sell it. To me, it feels like a spring electrolyte drink from the forest.

Tap a birch Find a tree that looks healthy, that is at least 8 inches in diameter, and that has not been treated with pesticides. Make sure the drill bit and the spile (spigot for tapping the tree) are sterilized and are about the same size (such as 7/16 inch). Drill into the tree about 1½ inches at a slightly upward angle. Hammer the spile into the hole and attach a bag, jar, or other food-grade container underneath to collect sap. Check the container daily or several times a day when the sap is running, depending on the size of your container. Keep the collected sap cool because it will begin to ferment at room temperature. When the sap stops running, remove and sterilize the spile, and clean the hole with sterilized water. Drill a new hole the following year. The UAF Cooperative Extension Service provides more information in their publication, Backyard Birch Tapping and Syrup Basics.

Spruce tips are another favorite flavor of spring and taste citrusy with earthy, resinous undertones. Harvest the new needles (or tips) of spruce branches when they are soft in the spring. There are many recipes for incorporating spruce tips, and you can find several in the Edible Alaska archives. For another spring tonic, add them to water and let the bright flavor slowly infuse. To extract more flavor, infuse spruce tips in vodka, and use the infusion in a cocktail.

Green buds and new leaves are another way to enjoy the fresh flavors of spring. Young blueberry and salmonberry leaves can be brewed into tea. Buds and new leaves can also be harvested and added to stir frys or pestos. To combine all my favorite spring flavors, add blueberry buds and new leaves with spruce tips to birch water and let the mixture infuse overnight.