Where: All over Sweden
When: Late spring
What: Harvesting spruce shoots
If you’re lucky enough to have a spruce tree in your garden, or you have a kind neighbor who lets you pick some, and you're up for a bit of an adventure, then this blog post is for you :-)
WHAT IS SPRUCE?
Spruce is an evergreen tree with blue-green needles that thrives in the cold Nordic climate. About 65% of Sweden is covered in forests, and roughly 42% of these are spruce, Picea species. The young shoots of this tree are edible, with a slightly sour and herby flavor. Traditionally, spruce has been used in Scandinavian cuisine. You can find it in pickled herring and mushrooms, fresh salads, tea, soda, and syrup. Spruce is packed with vitamins and antioxidants, making it a healthy snack.
NOPE, NO ALLEMANSRÄTTEN
Sweden has a special law that allows foraging, known as allemansrätten, but picking spruce isn’t included. So, don’t go crazy picking in the forest. Instead, maybe you have a kind neighbor with a spruce tree, or you have one yourself. You can also ask the landowner for permission to pick in their forest.
RESPONSIBLE HARVESTING
Foraging spruce shoots can be done in late spring, from mid-May to early June. The bright green tips on the branches are easy to spot. When picking, be mindful not to take too many from the same tree and avoid picking the leader shoot. This way, you cause the least harm to the tree. You don’t need a lot to experiment with; a handful is enough.
Got some shoots? Rinse them well in a sieve and let them drain. I’ve tried a few things with these vitamin-packed goodies. The easiest is to put some shoots in your teapot. This gives you a fresh, herbal tea. Also, try a fresh shoot—it’s healthy and surprisingly tasty. For those with more patience, the following recipes are worth a try.
SPRUCE SODA
I found this bubbly treat on the Instagram page of Huuva Hideaway. Take a clean glass liter bottle with a swing top. Fill it a quarter of the way with young spruce shoots, add 2 tablespoons of sugar (I used a funnel to avoid making a mess), and fill the rest with water. Shake it and let your bottle sit in a sunny spot for 4 to 7 days, opening the cap daily to release the pressure. Strain before serving and serve cold.
SPRUCE SYRUP
Take a clean glass jar (with a screw cap or a clip top, it doesn’t matter). Fill it with alternating layers of brown sugar and spruce shoots until it's full. Place the jar in a sunny spot for 2 weeks, turning it upside down one day and then right-side up the next day. The sap from the shoots will infuse into the sugar, and after 2 weeks, you’ll have a delicious, dark, raw spruce syrup where the vitamins are preserved.
Even though these shoots can be harvested in spring, you can enjoy them all year round. They freeze well. Bet you never thought you’d be eating pine needles, right? ;-)
HELPFUL LINKS:
Nutritional facts spruce:
My blog post about allemansrätten:
Huuva Hideaway Instagram page:
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