I went for a walk in the park yesterday 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!
When I finished picking the tips I felt I had to thank the tree, and I did. This was the best walk I’ve had in months!
I surprised my 4-year-old with a plate full of these beautifully green tips 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.
- They also contain carotenoids.
- Spruce buds are rich in minerals such as potassium and magnesium.
- Spruce needles have long been used by indigenous tribes for relieving coughs and sore throats.
- They also contain plenty of chlorophyll, which helps growing and healing tissues, controlling cravings, as well as transporting oxygen to cells. It also neutralizes free radicals, keeps blood sugar balanced, accelerates wound healing and bonds poisonous metals present in your body.
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. For example add them to Kiwi-Avocado Smoothie
- 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, pastas, stews, curries etc. with chopped spruce tips. It is also a great way to enhance mineral absorption from grains and legumes. Recipe ideas: artichoke-bean stew, tortilla bowls.
- Prepare a vegan oil-free pesto with spruce tips, pine nuts, basil, and nutritional yeast.
- 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 it as syrup calls for tons of sugar, which just kills the benefits of those great vitamin-rich tips.
How to Pick Spruce Tips?
Here’s how it is advised to pick spruce tips:
- The 100 metre rule.
Choose a spot at least 100 metres from any roadway.
- How much from one tree.
It is advised not to pick too many from one tree or even from one branch. Every tip that’s picked is pruning the tree, so that it won’t grow back.
- From which branches to pick.
Focus on the tips that would be shaded anyway, i.e. the tips interior to the tree and close to the ground. If you have a spruce tree in your garden that needs pruning, you’re free to pick all the tips from those branches [source video]
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Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links. As a Global Healing affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. For every purchase made from the links in this post, you’ll be able to support my work. So you can look after your health, and contribute to my mission at the same time. Thank you!
Sources: A. Kizhedath, Suneetha V, Journal of Pharmacy Research; W. Bowles, Total Health; Nutrimed
Hi Nele,
I also have never heard of this before and I’m very much interested in this. Especially the ice cream recipe I found where can i buy these I looked on Amazon could not find them anywhere can you share a link of where I can purchase these? Thank you so much. Mark
Hi Mark,
You can’t buy spruce tips on amazon! I’m afraid you’re going to need to wait until spring and pick them yourself 🙂
All the best!
Thanks for these great tips Nele.
I’m going out to pick some today. Love your recepie ideas.
I’m going to try them on grilled salmon and halibut.
Greg in Alaska
Great Greg! No spruce tips here yet! 🙂
They were a little late this year in Ontario, but I picked a bunch today from my tree in the front yard and sprinkled them on my smashed potatoes. What is the safest way to preserve them? Spread them on a sheet to freeze and then bag, or dry them in a low oven to use like rosemary? I tried freezing last year’s batch, but they looked a little brown.
Hi! Just picked some myself this morning 🙂 I freeze them as they are and they don’t turn brown. For a few days it’s also ok to keep them refrigerated.
Hoe do I dry them?
Hi! Why do you need to dry them?
I store them in freezer as they are. Should you still wish to dehydrate them, lay them out on a tray and simply let them dry.
All the best!
I have often made either spruce or pine needle tea while on extended hiking/wilderness trips. For the tea you do not need the spring “tips”…any handful of the green needles will suffice.
Thank you for your tips Edwin!