Spruce Tips are not only edible but also quite delicious! These tender tips, found at the end of the Spruce tree branches, can be harvested and used in various recipes including pasta. One way to prepare them is to make Spruce Tips Pesto.
About This Recipe
Sometimes, when you are in a secluded location (like I currently am in Montana) you can be in the middle of cooking when you realize that you're missing a key ingredient. It's those times that I find myself using what's on hand instead.
So recently, when I wanted to make pesto for a seafood pasta dish, I realized I didn't have basil. I certainly did not want to make the thirty-minute drive into town to get some. It was then that I remembered a friend who recently mentioned having tried Spruce Tips Pesto.
Since I'm literally surrounded by spruce trees, I decided to alter my pesto recipe by substituting Spruce Tips for the basil. It was a huge hit with my husband, Scott, so I hope you like it too!
How to Make Spruce Tips Pesto
STEP 1: Add one cup of washed spruce tips into a food processor.
STEP 2: Add garlic, walnuts (or pinenuts), salt, pepper, nutmeg, and crushed red pepper, if using.
STEP 3: Process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
STEP 4: While the machine is running, add the oil.
STEP 5: Add parmesan cheese and lemon zest. Give it one last whirl.
STEP 6: Mix in with your favorite pasta dish, or as a substitute for pizza sauce.
Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips
Since I'm no Spruce tips expert, I decided to do a little digging. I wanted to find out what to do, and what not to do. Here's what I learned:
• The best tasting spruce tips come from Blue Spruce trees, so if you have access to them, consider yourself lucky!
• The best time to harvest the tips is in early spring when they are young and tender. However, we're into June and there's still plenty to pick, at least here in Montana.
• Avoid picking too many tips from the same tree, especially from young trees.
• Pick the brighter, newer growth, which will be at the end of the branches.
• When picking, you are essentially pruning the tree. Therefore, be sure to pick from areas that are towards the bottom of the tree, or from interior branches. Picking from the top will stunt the growth of the tree.
Spruce Tips have a combination of two main flavors; The initial taste is citrusy, which is followed by the taste of resin. Because of their strong flavor, a little goes a long way!
Soaking the tips in water helps remove some of their resiny taste. This helps the flavor mellow out a bit as well.
If you don't have access to spruce trees in youre area, you can actually buy them online. Another option is to use Pine Tips or Fir Tips. Most conifer tips are edible, however, yew tree tips are considered poisonous.
Spruce Tips can be used in all kinds of recipes including pickles, spruce needle tea, jelly, and soda. Here are some other ideas:
• Spruce Tip Syrup
• Spruce Tip Salt
• Spruce Tip Sugar
• Spruce Tip Shortbread Cookies
• Spruce Beer
• Spruce Tip Ice Cream & Sorbets
Pro Tips
- Toss fresh, uncooked tips into a salad with other greens.
- Steep dried tips in hot water to make tea. Spruce is loaded with vitamin C, and rich in potassium and magnesium, so the tea can be soothing for a sore throat. Adding a cinnamon stick, honey, and a squeeze of lemon juice has even more health benefits.
- Adding the tips to cold water will impart a mild flavor, similar to adding citrus or cucumber slices to your water.
- Use the tips in the place of rosemary in recipes.
- The tips can also be used in various savory dishes.
You may want to check out this informative article that explains how to identify a Spruce because not all evergreen trees are edilbe.
For more information about how spruce tips were used in the past, you may enjoy reading the following post: Sprucelets: An Original Adirondack Medicine.
Related Posts
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Spruce Tips Pesto
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh spruce tips
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoon walnuts or pine nuts
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil (or use more olive oil)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Add one cup of washed spruce tips into a food processor.
- Add garlic, walnuts (or pinenuts), salt, pepper, nutmeg, and crushed red pepper, if using.
- Process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- While the machine is running, drizzle in the oil.
- Add parmesan cheese and lemon zest. Give it one last whirl.
- Mix in with your favorite pasta dish, or as a substitute for pizza sauce.
Notes
- Toss fresh, uncooked tips into a salad with other greens.
- Steep dried tips in hot water to make tea. Spruce is loaded with vitamin C, and rich in potassium and magnesium, so the tea can be soothing for a sore throat. Adding a cinnamon stick, honey, and a squeeze of lemon juice has even more health benefits.
- Adding the tips to cold water will impart a mild flavor, similar to adding citrus or cucumber slices to your water.
- Use the tips in the place of rosemary in recipes.
- The tips can also be used in various savory dishes.
Dennis Miller says
So good and no spruce taste. Makes a great pasta condiment!
HildaSterner says
Are you thee Dennis Miller? 😉 But seriously, thanks for the review, I really appreciate it!
Kelly Methey says
I find this very interesting. I would never in a million years thought to make pesto with a tree. I am intrigued and my horizons are being broadened by your unusual recipes. I think I will have to try this and report back!
HildaSterner says
Yes, I felt the same way when I heard that Spruce tips were edible. I'm picking some to take back to San Diego with me so I can test out more recipes! Gettem' while they're good!