Pickled Spruce Tips.
The man who built our house took care not to cut down the massive spruce that stands in front of the build site. Each spring I look forward to the tender new growth and to making pickled spruce tips. Spruce tips are high in vitamin C and vitamin A. The new growth tips are soft and feathery on the mouth – unlike old growth. By pickling the spruce tips I can bottle some of the magic of spring.
New growth spruce tips.
Harvesting.
When I harvest spruce tips I pick from as many different trees as possible. The spruce tips are the trees new growth. We want to be respectful of the tree and not harvest too much from any one individual. When harvesting – pick the spruce tips evenly. If you only harvest from branches on one side of the tree the tree will be lopsided. Similarly, if you only harvest from one side of a branch the new growth on the other side will make the branch lopsided. Aim to pick symmetrically.
The new growth has a brown papery cover. You’ll know it is time to harvest for pickled spruce tips when the brown cover slips off easily into your hand. I never want to harvest more than I need so I usually pick enough to fill a single jar and then multiple that by the number of jars I want to make. A 250 ml jar takes a little bit less than a single cup of spruce tips.
Spruce tips have a mild citrusy flavour. Like any wild food there is a moment when they are perfect for picking. I like to harvest when the tips have feathered out just a bit but are still in a compact shape. Aside from the brown cover on the tip the new growth has a lighter more vibrant shade of green than last year’s growth.
Perfect for harvesting.
Brine.
1 cup vinegar (your choice) I love the bright green colour of pickled spruce tips so I usually use white wine vinegar.
2 cups water
2 tablespoons salt
2 tsp sugar
aromatics – I like to enhance the citrusy flavour by putting a lemon slice to each jar. I also add 1 clove of garlic, 4-6 black peppercorns. The aromatics portion is where you can experiment and find your perfect flavour combo.
Pickling.
Wash and sterilize your jars. My dad always taught me to keep them hot holding in the oven once they had been sterilized. You can rinse your spruce tips before putting them in the individual jars. I keep track of rainfall and harvest from pristine wilderness areas. Much like I would if I were picking out apples at the supermarket I pick the tips that look the best. Put the aromatics in the bottom of each jar. I always like the look of a wagon wheel circle of lemon on the bottom of the jar so that’s where I place it.
Pack each jar with spruce tips, leaving about a 1/2 inch of headspace. Bring the brine to a boil and pour over the spruce tips to fill the jar. Use a chopstick or the handle of a wooden spoon to release any air bubbles. Ensure that the pickled spruce tips are completely covered by the brine. Put on the lids and place in the fridge. You’ll want to let them sit for at least 2 days before enjoying. Stored in the fridge these pickles will be good for 2 months. If you want them to last longer you can process them in a water bath.
I am more motivated by savoury flavours but I do appreciate a sweet when someone else makes it. Gather Victoria is doing work that I really admire and have this shortbread cookie recipe available that also uses spruce. I have also made spruce tip vinegar and you can make spruce tip sugar as well.
I missed fiddleheads this year because of – everything. Now that I know that the spruce tips are in their prime I want to make sure I take time to pickle some.
Last years harvest.