What is spruce tip tea good for?
The tea is a wonderful spring tonic that helps boost your immune system as it is packed with vitamin C and minerals. Traditionally, this tea has been used to combat scurvy, colds, coughs and fatigue.
Are spruce tree tips edible?
If the tips of the branches are light green, soft, and flexible, they’re at the right stage for eating. All spruce trees produce edible tips, as long as they haven’t been sprayed with something humans shouldn’t eat, like an insecticide.
Can you buy spruce tips?
This is a freshly harvested, then immediately frozen, 1lb vacuum-packed bag of spruce tips for brewing, tea making, culinary, herbal and countless other uses. They are sustainably wild-harvested, American sourced and never dried or dehydrated. Please see the notes below before ordering.
Is it safe to drink spruce tea?
Traditionally consumed throughout winter to keep scurvy away, this delicious piney-tasting tea will give you a good dose of vitamin C. Most pine and conifer needles can be used as an expectorant for coughs, to relieve chest congestion, and respiratory ailments.
Are spruce tips toxic?
Spruce tips are what I think of as a “gateway” wild food—easy to pick, beginner friendly, and completely non-toxic. Spruce tips have a range of flavors depending on their stage of maturity: herbal, fruity, citrus, resinous. They play well with both sweet and savory dishes.
How do you cook spruce tips?
USING SPRUCE TIPS IN RECIPES
- Sprinkle on green or grain salads.
- Add chopped spruce tips to homemade vinaigrettes.
- Toss into your favorite smoothies.
- Add to roasted vegetables, fish, or meat.
- Make spruce tip syrup (recipes below) and add to sparkling water or cocktails.
Where can I find spruce tips?
Spruce Tips
- Tend to have short and stiff needles, that feel a lot sharper than the other conifers.
- Each needle comes out of a single small woody projection (instead of in groups like pine needles) and if you pull out a needle the woody projection remains (unlike needles on fir trees which come off clean)
How long will spruce tips last?
about 4 months
If you are not familiar with the differences between pines, spruce and fir trees, here is a great tutorial. Once made, spruce tips syrup should be kept in the fridge, where it should last about 4 months. It does not freeze well.
How do I make spruce tea?
Place a spoonful of the needles at the bottom of a mug. Pour boiling water over the needles and steep for about 5 minutes. Feel free to use a tea strainer if you prefer! For a stronger flavored tea, boil the prepared needles in a pot of water for a few minutes, and strain them out as you pour into your favorite mug.
What can I do with spruce tips?
These spruce tips are sustainably foraged in the Pacific Northwest. Store spruce tips in a zip top bag in our refrigerator. Up to 10 days. Spruce tips can be used in infusions (especially syrups) and sweet or savory purees. These components can then be used to make glazes, sorbets, ice cream, sauces and more.
How do you make a spruce spruce tea?
1-2 tbsp spruce needles, on or off the branch, rinsed 1 cup freshly boiled filtered water (here’s why I only recommend filtered water) Optional: A little sweetener if desired (raw honey would be the most medicinally-useful choice)
What to do when you run out of tea bags?
If you want to make some tea, but you have run out of all your tea bags, all you have to do is step out into the great outdoors (or even your backyard) and you can make some spruce tea. Not only is this tea great tasting, it also helps fight the symptoms of a cold.
What is a tea bag?
Lindsey Goodwin is a food writer and tea consultant with more than 12 years of experience exploring tea production and culture. A tea bag (or “teabag”) is generally agreed to be a small, porous bag used to steep tea.
