I went for a walk in the park the other day and picked a pocketful (I did not have anything else to put them into) of spruce tips. “Why on earth?” some might ask. They taste so good and are packed with vitamin C!
I surprised my 4-year-old spruce-tip-lover with a plate full of these beautifully green tips on the table when he got home from kindergarten. Needless to say, he was at the table right away munching the tips and making a wry face when the taste got too sour.
What are spruce tips?
The spruce buds are those tips of the spruce branches that emerge in spring. They have the prettiest green colour I have ever seen.
Why should you eat spruce tips?
- Spruce needles are exceptionally high in Vitamin C – frozen or dried spruce tips are good source of vitamin C during wintertime.
- Spruce tips also contain carotenoids.
- Spruce tips are rich in minerals such as potassium and magnesium.
- Spruce tips have long been used by indigenous tribes for relieving coughs and sour throats.
What to do with spruce tips and needles?
- I like to keep it simple and just eat them as they are or
- Add to smoothies and salads.
- Use dried tips for tea, which soothes throat and upper respiratory ailments.
- Use spruce needles as rosemary.
- Add chopped spruce tips to drinking water and let it sit for an hour or so – water absorbs all the goodies from the tips.
- Season your soups with chopped spruce tips.
- Prepare a pesto with spruce tips, pine nuts, nutritional yeast, and oil.
- Should you require something fancier, try out sautéed mushrooms with spruce tips and chives.
Some people like to prepare spruce tip syrup. However, I would not recommend as syrup calls for tons of sugar, which just kills the benefits of these great vitamin-rich tips.
Where to pick?
Choose a spot at least 100 metres from any roadway.
It is also advised not to pick too many from one tree.
When to pick?
May and June – as long as the tips are soft enough to eat.
I started reading The China Study and other special books on nutrition in spring 2012 and was surprised how simple and logical maintaining good health actually was. I was amazed by my own lack of knowledge and anguished by the thought of how many people suffer from pointless illnesses which would not exist if we weren’t torn away from the roots.
After being in real estate and hospitality business for more than 10 years I decided to totally change my path to spread the word about healthy and sustainable nutrition and lifestyle.
I enjoy cooking plant-based food, create new healthy recipes and share these with people to inspire them to make healthier choices.
