7 Delicious Fir Tips Recipes for Jelly Liqueur & Co.

Yes, you read that right. This article is about conjuring up delicacies from pine tips. Our recipe ideas give an insight into how diverse they can be processed.

In spring, many garden owners can hardly wait for it to finally be green and blooming again. Because the young shoots of many plants can be harvested and used in numerous varied recipes for a colorful and he althy spring kitchen. The shoot tips of the fir were even used for medicinal purposes in the Middle Ages. Finally, spruce and fir tips contain vitamin C, vitamin A, essential oils and valuable phytochemicals. In addition, fir tips are particularly aromatic and digestible. What exactly you can conjure up with it, we would like to tell you below.

Hints for Harvest

Prudence should be used when harvesting pine tips. Because in order not to impair the growth of the trees, you should remove the shoots from different places. In addition, pine tips are only harvested while they appear small, soft and light green.

Tip:
For those who simply want to distinguish between fir and spruce needles: spruce needles sting, pine needles do not sting.

You should not harvest from younger trees, because the garden tree needs the shoot tips for its development. Instead, go for a walk in the woods. You will definitely find suitable specimens of spruce, fir, larch or pine there.

Note:
Do not harvest the shoot tips of sprayed trees.

The best recipes with fir tips

Recipe 1 - Fir Tip Syrup

Ingredients for 500 milliliters of syrup:

• 400 grams of pine tips
• 400 grams of cane sugar
• Juice of 2 lemons

Preparation:

1. Wash pine tips.
2. Drying pine tips.
3. In a mason jar, layer pine tips alternately with sugar.
4. Pour lemon juice over it.
5. Close the jar tightly and shake gently.
6. Now put in a sunny place for three weeks. Shake jars gently daily.
7. DenPour the finished syrup through a fine sieve and bottle.

The fir tip syrup will keep for about three months in the refrigerator. If you add 50 milliliters of fruit brandy, it will keep longer.

Recipe 2 - Pickled Fir Tips

Ingredients for six glasses of 250 milliliters each:

• 500 grams of pine tips
• 500 milliliters apple cider vinegar
• 300 milliliters of water
• 100 grams of cane or beet sugar
• 2 teaspoons s alt
• 20 black peppercorns

Preparation:

1. Wash glasses with hot water.
2. Wash pine tips.
3. Dab the pine tips dry.
4. Boil water with vinegar.
5. Grind the pepper.
6. Divide the pepper, s alt and sugar among the six glasses.
7. Split the pine tips between the six glasses.
8. Pour boiling vinegar water over pine tops and spices.
9. Close the jars tightly.
10. Shake glasses until sugar and s alt are completely dissolved.
11. Turn jars upside down for a few minutes after screwing.
12. Let the pickled fir tips sit in a cool, dark place for four to six weeks.

Recipe 3 - Fir Top Jelly

Ingredients:

• 500 grams of pine tips
• 2.5 liters of water
• 3 kilograms of preserving sugar (1:1)

Preparation:

1. Wash pine tips.
2. Boil the water.
3. Add pine tips.
4. Boil pine tips until the water turns cloudy.
5. Pour the brew through a kitchen towel.
6. Let the brew cool down.
7. Stir the preserving sugar into the brew.
8. Simmer the mixture until the liquid gels.
9. Pour the jelly into sterile jars.
10. Screw glasses tightly.
11. Place screw-top jars upside down on a kitchen towel and allow to cool completely.

You can try the pine tip jelly immediately after it has cooled down.

Recipe 4 - Pine Tip Honey

Ingredients:

• 400 grams of pine tips
• 400 grams of cane sugar
• 2 liters of water
• 2 Lemons

Preparation:

1. Wash pine tips.
2. Place pine tips in a bowl.
3. Cover pine tips with water.
4. Weigh down the pine tips with a plate and leave them in the water overnight.
5. Let the pine tips and water simmer for half an hour.
6. Let the brew cool down.
7. Leave the brew covered for half a day.
8. Strain the brew.
9. Add cane sugar and lemon juice.
10. Boil the mixture while stirring.
11. Pour the thick, bubble-forming mass into glasses.

It can take a while for the mixture to boil down. The mass should only be filled when bubbles form and the honey has a viscous consistency. If the honey becomes too solid, it can be liquefied again by placing the jars in hot water. Then the mass can be boiled again diluted with water. The pine top honey will then keep for several years.

Recipe 5 - Fir Tip Liqueur

Ingredients for two bottles:

• 14 Pine Tips
• 300 grams rock candy
• 2 slices of lemon
• 1 vanilla bean
• 2 Bottles of Korn or Vodka

Preparation:

1. Wash pine tips.
2. Split the rock candy and pine tips between the two bottles.
3. Close bottles.
4. Shake bottles daily.
5. Store bottles in a cool, dark place for three days.
6. Now add half a vanilla bean and a slice of lemon to each bottle.
7. The liqueur should then steep for four to eight weeks.

Tip: If candy and lemon don't fit through the narrow neck of the bottle, the liqueur can also be prepared in glasses with screw caps and later poured into bottles.

Recipe 6 - Tea from pine tips

Tea made from fir tips is brewed quickly, just like e.g. dandelion tea. Enjoyed neat, it has a soft green color and also has a beneficial effect on the respiratory tract.

Ingredients:

• Handful of pine tips
• boiling water

Preparation:

1. Clean and separate a handful of pine tips.
2. Then pour boiling water over it.
3. Let the tea steep for ten minutes so that the essential oils are absorbed into the tea.
4. Pour the finished tea through a sieve.

Fir tip tea tastes very spicy. If you like, you can sweeten it. A bitter forest honey, for example, is particularly suitable here.

Recipe 7 - Fir Tip Butter

Fir tip butter is an aromatic spread and can also be used in conjunction with pasta dishes or grilled meat.

Ingredients:

• a stick of butter
• a handful of pine tips
• grated lemon zest
• a little lemon juice
• S alt
• pepper

Preparation:

1. Take the butter out of the fridge and let it soften at room temperature.
2. Cut the pine tips very finely.
3. Add pine tips and spices to butter.
4. Mix the mixture well.
5. Put the butter in the fridge.