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
Thank you, Nele, For this awesome article! I have used spruce tips in homebrewing and nibbled on them when hiking, but not in a purposeful, healing way yet! Quick tip: the best time to harvest spruce tips is in the early spring, as soon as the tree’s sap starts flowing again… that way, you are ensured to get all the nutrients and the most flavorful harvest! I also know that Hawthorne trees (especially the berries) are medicinally useful and have used them in tinctures I have made. I recently ran across an awesome book that is now a propitious addition to my herbal bookshelf; The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies”, by Claude Davis & Dr. Nicole Apelian. I watched the video Dr. Apelian did about the book and was hooked! I even bought three copies to give away as Christmas/Solstice gifts!
Live with Joy & Health!
-Justin Baker
Hi great article! Can spruce pollen be consumed in the same manner as pine pollen? Thanks in advance.
Hi! I’m afraid I don’t have an answer for that!
Hi – Love this article. Thank you!
Please educate your readers about sustainable harvesting. Improperly harvesting conifer tips can damage trees.
The YouTube link below is a good primer for harvesting spruce tips and includes a full written transcript.
“Every tip that’s picked is pruning the tree. That tip will not grow back. So don’t pick too many spruce tips from one branch.”
Thank you Penny! I updated the “How to pick” section and referred to the video you recommended. It was very useful!
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