A Forager's Life by Helen Lehndorf

Author:Helen Lehndorf
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2023-02-14T00:00:00+00:00

Pine syrup

Makes approximately 570 mls

This traditional food of Russia and Scandinavia is a magical recipe. The resin from the green pine cones slowly macerates and ferments the sugar into a rich brown syrup. In countries where early spring was still snowy, this syrup was a prized source of vitamin C when it was otherwise scarce.

Cones from different trees have different flavour profiles. Pine is the strongest, whereas spruce and fir cones make for a milder and more complex flavour.

Pick very young pine cones in spring or early summer. Take care that you’re picking cones from an edible tree. Yew trees are poisonous, for example, as are ponderosa pines and Norfolk pines. Consult your guidebooks. If you can cut the pine cone in half with a sharp knife, it’s green enough to make syrup with. (You won’t be able to do this with a mature, dry pine cone.)

Ingredients

approximately 20 baby pine cones

up to 3 cups white or brown sugar

Method

Wash your pine cones and pat dry with a tea towel.

Cover the bottom of a clean pint jar with white or brown sugar, then add a few green pine cones. Continue this process, adding layers of sugar then pine cones, until the mixture is a couple of inches from the top. Make sure sugar is the last layer. The syrup will ferment while it macerates, so leave a little bit of bubbling space.

Put the jar in a dark place, somewhere you won’t forget it (near your tea or coffee pot is a good spot), and leave to macerate.

By day 6, the water and resin of the pine cones should have mostly rendered the granulated sugar into liquid.

Leave for 4 weeks, remembering to turn the jar every time you think of it. Give it an occasional shake and open the lid to ‘burp’ the jar when you see a bit of bubbling happening.

After 4 weeks, pour the mixture into a medium-sized saucepan over a low heat and slowly bring to the boil. Simmer until the mixture thickens to a syrupy consistency. The darkness of the syrup will depend on how long you simmer it for.

Strain out the pine cones by pouring the syrup through a fine sieve or muslin cloth. This will take a while.

Bottle in a sterilised jar, label and date.

Use as you would maple syrup, on pancakes and desserts or in hot or cold drinks. I like to add it to black tea.

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