8. PINE NEEDLE SYRUP
It’s really a Scandinavian thing! You can see people in Sweden, Denmark but also in Finland, during pine needle picking season pulled off to the side of the road foraging pine needles… It’s really as common as picking juniper berries or rosemary.
Any branches or tree sap will affect the flavour, making it a bit “woody” or “sauna”-ish to the taste. You may use a small fork to strip the branches for needles.
You can do the syrup all year long using the needles. However, you get the richest and fullest flavour by picking the bright green pine buds during spring and use those.
Ingredients
5 dl pine needles
7½ dl water
5 dl sugar
1 tbsp ginger, grated
1. Clean and wash off needles thoroughly.
2. Put them in a pot and add water.
3. Boil for 40 minutes.
4. Strain the liquid. Depending on your sieve, the needles can go through, then it needs to be strained again. Alternately, strain it through a clean piece of cloth.
5. Add sugar and ginger.
6. Have it boil for about 15 – 20 minutes. You want the texture to be a little runnier than normal maple syrup. It will solidify a little when it cools down, and then become a little more viscous
7. Pour in clean jars and seal them. Enjoy!
Note
Great for pancakes and cocktail drinks!