Homemade Tree Tip Syrup


 

* This article contains affiliate links. For more information, please read my Affiliate Disclosure.

 

Homemade tree tip syrupHarvest spruce, fir or pine tree tips to make delicious tree tip syrup at home with just two simple ingredients! Make your own homemade syrup out of tree tips and brown sugar and enjoy over breakfasts, desserts or in cocktails.

* * *

Back when I was still living in the city with limited space and a north-facing balcony, I wasn’t able to grow food like I do today. But I still wanted to play a role in my own food production. 

I began learning how to make things from scratch, preserve at a very basic level, and forage for simple-to-identify wild foods

Then one day, I picked up a copy of the Urban Homesteading Cookbook at my local library and decided to bring it along on a camping trip my husband and I were taking. I flipped through the pages as we sat around the fire.

The book was full of recipes and bits of insight from the author: a conservation biologist who was homesteading out of her high-rise condo in the heart of downtown Vancouver: proof that even people in the tiniest of urban spaces can be homesteaders too.

She kept meat rabbits in her tiny, 400-square-foot apartment, quail on her balcony, an aquaculture tank to grow plants and even grew mushrooms in her closet! I was fascinated and inspired to dive into homesteading despite the fact that I still lived in the city too. 

Amongst the pages of this book was a recipe for tree tip syrup. It seemed like such a novel idea to

a) make your own syrup, and

b) make it from tree tips, that I knew this is something I had to try. 

The syrup is made with two simple ingredients: brown sugar and new green tips from spruce, fir or pine trees. These tips are the new growth on the tips of the branches in the spring. They’re bright green in colour, soft in texture and citrusy in flavour. They’re also edible and high in Vitamin C, and can be used to flavour all sorts of dishes either as an herb or a preserve.

And lo and behold… we were camping in May, right at the exact time all the new tree trips were growing. I looked up and literally almost every tree was bursting with bright green new growth. 

I packed a freezer bag full of them and stuck them in our cooler until we got home. This part was important because I couldn’t let them dry out since the recipe requires that the tree tips be moist.

Homemade Tree tip Syrup

 

How to make tree tip syrup

Back in my kitchen, I pulled out my bag of tree tips and began stuffing them in a Mason jar. As per the recipe in the book, I packed a layer of tree tips onto the bottom of the jar, then followed that with a thick, packed layer of brown sugar. Then I layered more tree tips and more brown sugar, and repeated this until my jar was full. And then, I waited.

Homemade Tree Tip Syrup

Over the course of a couple weeks, the sugar drew out the moisture from the fresh tree tips and began to liquefy. When the sugar had completely liquefied, I strained out the tree tips, and bottled my freshly-made syrup.

I was pleasantly surprised at how citrusy it tasted, and I convinced myself that even though it was really just pure sugar (like all syrups), at least it had the added benefit of containing lots of vitamin C, right?

In either case, it was damn delicious too, especially over pancakes or vanilla ice cream.

Homemade Tree Tip Syrup Recipe

But also in cocktails, like this tree tip mojito, made with mint, lime, fresh tree tips and tree tip syrup.

Yum.

 

How to forage for tree tips

Tree tips tend to be ripe for the picking throughout the month of May here in the Pacific Northwest. You’ll know as soon as you see the bright green tips shoot out from the ends of the branches. Just remember to harvest responsibly and only take what you need.

You can store your tree tip syrup in the pantry or the refrigerator. While I’m not sure of the shelf life, I had a bottle in my pantry for two years that was just fine. I’ve only ever had one batch go moldy, in which case I tossed that bottle. Otherwise this has always proven to be pretty shelf stable, as well as being a crowd pleaser at family breakfasts and holiday brunches.

You can also make tea, jelly, infused oils, vinegar and alcohol from tree tips. If you’ve never tried them, I highly recommend making this the year that you do!

I would also highly recommend a copy of The Urban Homesteading Cookbook to anyone interested in learning more about foraging (especially in the Pacific Northwest) and/or homesteading in tiny, urban areas. Looking back, that book made a huge impact on me at that time in my life and pushed me to move deeper into the homesteading, made-from-scratch lifestyle even while I was still living in my own condo in the city.

And now that I live on 1/4-acre homestead on the edge of the forest, far from the big city where I used to live, I’m still making tree tip syrup every spring. The only difference is, now the trees are literally in my backyard:)

 

Harvest spruce, fir or pine tree tips to make delicious tree tip syrup at home with just two simple ingredients! Make your own homemade syrup out of tree tips and brown sugar and enjoy over breakfasts, desserts or in cocktails. #treetips #trretipsyrup #homemadesyrup

Homemade Tree Tip Syrup

Ingredients

  • 1 to 2 cups of fresh spruce, fir or pine tree tips (the bright green new-growth tips in season in late spring)
  • Brown sugar

Instructions

  1. Harvest the tree tips by pulling them gently off the end of the branches by their base. Discard any papery covering still left on them. Harvest responsibly!
  2. Rinse the tree tips off and let any excess water dry off.
  3. Pack a layer of tree tips tightly at the bottom of a Mason Jar. Then pack a tight layer of brown sugar over top of the layer of tree tips.
  4. Continue alternating layers of tree tips with brown sugar until the jar is tightly packed all the way to the top.
  5. Once the jar is packed, screw the lid and band on (you can reuse old lids), and leave in a cool place to sit for a couple weeks.
  6. Turn and lightly shake the mixture every few days in order to mix it up and allow any sugar sitting at the bottom of the jar to blend in and liquefy. Continue to add sugar (and tree tips if you have more) to the mixture as the sugar liquefies and condenses, leaving room in the jar.
  7. After the sugar has completely liquefied, strain out the tree tips and bottle your syrup in a bottle or another Mason Jar and store in a cool, dark place.

 

Wishing you homemade, homegrown, homestead happiness 🙂

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave


CATEGORIES
HOMESTEADING
REAL FOOD
NATURAL LIVING

4 Comments

  1. Mary

    Hi Anna,
    ‘Sounds like a simple recipe, even I could do it! ;D
    What about cedar or hemlock?
    Thanks for your cool recipes and tips!

    Reply
    • Anna Sakawsky

      Hi Mary, I believe hemlock tree needles are edible and certain types of cedar are considered to be medicinal, however I know that Eastern Red Cedar (aka. Juniper) is toxic. I would do more research before consuming any of these plants, and ensure you know what variety of each tree/shrub you’re enquiring about as some types can be safe while others can be poisonous.

      Reply
  2. Amy

    Are tips from all types of evergreens edible?? I don’t know how to identify the kinds of trees, and I don’t want to get sick!

    Reply
    • Anna Sakawsky

      Hi Amy,

      As far as I’m aware fro the research I’ve done, all North American evergreen conifer trees are edible except yew trees, which are poisonous. You might want to double check what trees you have in your area to rule out yew. We don’t have any yew trees in our immediate area, so all of the light green tree tips that are growing right now are ffrom either spruce or Douglas fir trees around here. Spruce is most renowned for its citrusy flavour.

      Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

ABOUT ANNA
Hi! I’m Anna, and I’m a city girl turned modern homesteader who’s passionate about growing, cooking and preserving real food at home, creating my own herbal medicine and all-natural home and body care products, and working toward a simpler, more sustainable and self-sufficient life each and every day. 
You Might Also Like
Go Beyond Organic Gardening to Grow More Food With Less Work

Go Beyond Organic Gardening to Grow More Food With Less Work

You’ve most likely heard of organic gardening before, but have you ever heard of beyond organic gardening? In this post, we’ll go over exactly what this means, and how you can implement “beyond organic” practices in your own garden to grow more...

read more

What is Hugelkultur Gardening (And What Are the Benefits?)

What is Hugelkultur Gardening (And What Are the Benefits?)

Learn about the many benefits of hugelkultur gardening and start your own highly productive and 100% sustainable hugelkultur raised bed! This is a guest post by Sunflower Craig of Permies.com Hugelkultur (pronounced: hoogle-culture) is German for...

read more

This honey and chive blossom vinaigrette is a frugal, easy and healthy homemade salad dressing that pairs beautifully with fresh garden salads all season long.
Get the recipe through the link in my bio.
https://thehouseandhomestead.com/chive-blossom-vinaigrette/
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#houseandhomestead
#herbalgarden
#gardenherbs
#herbsfromthegarden
#freshherbsfromthegarden
#gardenfreshherbs
#chiveblossoms
#homesteadmom
#homesteadmoments
#homesteadingskills
#homesteady
#thehomestead
#thehomesteadlife
#summeronthehomestead
#suburbanhomesteading
#lovemyfarm
#modernhomesteader
#countrygal
#country_living
#urbanhomesteading
#selfsustainableliving
#homesteaderslife
#seasonalrecipes
#eatinseason
#liveseasonally
#eattheseasons
#seasonaleats
#summersbounty
#eatseasonal
...

22 0

Whether you live in the city and grow a few herbs on your balcony, have a few backyard chickens in the suburbs or live in the country and have a larder full of enough home-canned food to survive the apocalypse, if living a more homemade, homegrown, self-sufficient lifestyle is important to you, Modern Homesteading Magazine was made for you!
Read it today through the link in my bio!
https://modernhomesteadingmagazine.com/
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#houseandhomestead
#homesteadmom
#homesteadmoments
#homesteadingskills
#homesteady
#thehomestead
#thehomesteadlife
#summeronthehomestead
#suburbanhomesteading
#lovemyfarm
#modernhomesteader
#countrygal
#country_living
#urbanhomesteading
#selfsustainableliving
#homesteaderslife
#granolamom
#urbanhomesteader
#homesteadlifestyle
#farmerslifeforme
#backyardhomesteading
#homesteadingfamily
#sustainablelifestyles
#happyhomesteading
#homesteadersofamerica
#homesteaders
#backyardhomestead
#hobbyfarmer
#selfsufficientliving
...

11 0

This radish top pesto recipe makes good use of the edible radish greens that often get discarded once they’re separated from the root. The end result is a peppery, slightly spicy twist on a classic pesto recipe.
A perfect condiment for all your summer snacking!
https://thehouseandhomestead.com/radish-top-pesto-recipe/
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#houseandhomestead
#radishes
#vegetablerecipes
#sustainablecooking
#foodforeveryone
#eatlocallygrown
#seasonalrecipes
#freshandlocal
#eatingseasonally
#eatlocallygrown
#seasonalproduce
#eatseasonalfood
#seasonalshift
#seasonalfoods
#homesteadmom
#homesteadmoments
#homesteadingskills
#homesteady
#thehomestead
#thehomesteadlife
#summeronthehomestead
#suburbanhomesteading
#lovemyfarm
#modernhomesteader
#countrygal
#country_living
#urbanhomesteading
#selfsustainableliving
#homesteaderslife
...

14 0

Why are radishes still being relegated to boring garden salads when they could be roasted and caramelized in honey butter instead??? Try this delicious recipe today!
https://thehouseandhomestead.com/roasted-radishes-with-honey-butter/
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#houseandhomestead
#kitchengardener
#gardennerd
#radishrecipe
#gardengoodies
#eatyouryard
#homegardener
#gardenfreshveggies
#ediblegardens
#foodfromthegarden
#homesteadmom
#homesteadmoments
#homesteadingskills
#homesteady
#thehomestead
#thehomesteadlife
#summeronthehomestead
#suburbanhomesteading
#lovemyfarm
#modernhomesteader
#countrygal
#country_living
#urbanhomesteading
#selfsustainableliving
#homesteaderslife
#urbanhomesteader
#homesteadlifestyle
#farmerslifeforme
#backyardhomesteading
...

29 1

This homemade herb butter is versatile and easy to make. Plus, it’s a fantastic way to preserve your fresh summer herbs to enjoy all year long!

Here are my favorite recipes and tips!

https://thehouseandhomestead.com/homemade-herb-butter/
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#houseandhomestead
#herbbutter
#compoundbutter
#seasonalrecipes
#freshandlocal
#eatingseasonally
#eatlocallygrown
#seasonalproduce
#eatseasonalfood
#seasonalshift
#seasonalfoods
#herbalgarden
#gardenherbs
#herbsfromthegarden
#urbanhomesteading
#selfsustainableliving
#homesteaderslife
#granolamom
#urbanhomesteader
#homesteadlifestyle
#farmerslifeforme
#backyardhomesteading
#homesteadingfamily
#sustainablelifestyles
#happyhomesteading
#homesteadersofamerica
#homesteaders
#backyardhomestead
#hobbyfarmer
...

35 3

Who else saves their canning lids? 🙋🏻‍♀️

Even though canning lids should never be reused for CANNING, they are super useful for storing other things like:
• Dry goods (beans, rice, oatmeal, pasta, spices, etc.)
• Dehydrated fruit and vegetables
• DIY home and body products (body butter, bath salts, sugar scrubs, home cleaners, lids for candles, etc.
• Store dried herbs for your home apothecary
• Punch holes in them and let your kiddos collect bugs and nature treasures in a Mason jar!
• Paint them or cover with fabric to make your own ornaments and crafts
• And of course, save them to store open jars of home-canned food in the fridge!

I’m sure I’m missing some things.

Can you think of any other ways to reuse canning lids? Let me know in the comments!

Oh, and P.S., there are just two days left to save 15% off your order at @denalicanning !!!

Use code ANNA15 to save 15% off your order of $75 or more at denalicanning.com.

Stock up on canning lids, rings, home canners and preserving supplies and be prepared for the onslaught of garden goodies come summer and fall!

And remember to save those canning lids when you’re done!
.
.
.
.
.
.
#canning #homecanning #denalicanning #denali #preserve #preservetheharvest #homesteading #foodpreservation #lifehacks #homesteadhacks #frugal #frugalliving #frugallivingtips #reuse #zerowaste
...

24 1

As far as weeds go, yarrow is definitely one you want growing in your garden. It’s a powerhouse of a plant, packed with medicinal properties to help cure everything from fevers and colds to bleeding, bruises and everything in between.
Learn how to use it to treat almost any ailment through the link in my profile.
https://thehouseandhomestead.com/yarrow-home-remedies/
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#houseandhomestead
#growingherbs
#homeopathics
#naturesmedicinecabinet
#naturesmedicines
#herbsaver
#healthyfamilies
#tincturetuesday
#herblove
#herbsheal
#tipsforwellness
#wellnesstipsforliving
#naturalherbalremedies
#growyourownherbalremedies
#happyhomesteading
#homesteadersofamerica
#homesteaders
#backyardhomestead
#hobbyfarmer
#selfsufficientliving
#homesteadingmama
#offgridhomestead
#modernfarmhousekitchen
#crunchymama
#rusticfarmhouse
#farmhouseinspo
#farmhouselife
#modernhomesteading
...

27 1

Calendula has to be my favourite flower to grow. For starters, it’s incredibly easy to grow from seed and requires very little care. Second, it looks gorgeous in the garden. But third and most importantly, calendula is packed with medicinal properties and is an incredibly powerful, natural home remedy.
Learn how to use it through the link in my bio.
https://thehouseandhomestead.com/calendula-healing-powers/
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#houseandhomestead
#herbalmedicinemaking
#herbalmedicines
#planthealing
#herbalgarden
#gardenherbs
#herbsfromthegarden
#freshherbsfromthegarden
#gardenfreshherbs
#healinginnature
#herbalinfusions
#herbalgarden
#herbschool
#herbalmedicinecabinet
#allherbal
#calendula
#homegardener
#homesteadmom
#homesteadmoments
#homesteadingskills
#homesteady
#thehomestead
#thehomesteadlife
#summeronthehomestead
#suburbanhomesteading
#lovemyfarm
#modernhomesteader
#countrygal
#country_living
#urbanhomesteading
...

33 0

I’m not gonna lie: when I first decided to learn how to make kombucha at home, I was feeling pretty intimidated.
But as it turns out, making kombucha at home is actually one of the quickest and easiest things that I now DIY on a regular basis.
Follow the link in bio to find out how easy it will be for you too!
https://thehouseandhomestead.com/how-to-make-kombucha-at-home/
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#houseandhomestead
#fermentingisfun
#kombucha
#kombuchalove
#homemadekombucha
#homesteadmom
#homesteadmoments
#homesteadingskills
#homesteady
#thehomestead
#thehomesteadlife
#summeronthehomestead
#suburbanhomesteading
#lovemyfarm
#modernhomesteader
#countrygal
#country_living
#urbanhomesteading
#selfsustainableliving
#homesteaderslife
#granolamom
#urbanhomesteader
#homesteadlifestyle
#farmerslifeforme
#backyardhomesteading
#homesteadingfamily
#sustainablelifestyles
#modernfarmhousekitchen
#crunchymama
...

67 9

In a world where so much is out of our control, it's time to reclaim your independence. I've put together a whole collection of online courses for your path to your homestead- whether you're off the grid already or in a city apartment!
Head over the link in my bio.
.
https://thehouseandhomestead.mykajabi.com/
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#houseandhomestead
#liveanauthenticlife
#livinginspired
#homesteadmom
#homesteadmoments
#homesteadingskills
#homesteady
#thehomestead
#thehomesteadlife
#summeronthehomestead
#suburbanhomesteading
#lovemyfarm
#modernhomesteader
#countrygal
#country_living
#urbanhomesteading
#selfsustainableliving
#homesteaderslife
#granolamom
#urbanhomesteader
#homesteadlifestyle
#farmerslifeforme
#backyardhomesteading
#homesteadingfamily
#sustainablelifestyles
#happyhomesteading
#homesteadersofamerica
#homesteaders
#backyardhomestead
#hobbyfarmer
...

27 0

My honey brioche bread makes delicious French toast- perfect to spoil Mom on Mother's Day this Sunday!
Get the recipe through the link in my bio.
.
https://thehouseandhomestead.com/honey-brioche-bread-recipe/
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#houseandhomestead
#mothersdaybreakfast
#homemadebread
#modernhomesteading
#happyhomesteading
#homesteadersofamerica
#homesteaders
#backyardhomestead
#hobbyfarmer
#selfsufficientliving
#homesteadingmama
#offgridhomestead
#modernfarmhousekitchen
#crunchymama
#microfarmer
#granolamom
#urbanhomesteader
#homesteadlifestyle
#farmerslifeforme
#backyardhomesteading
#homesteadingfamily
#suburbanhomesteading
#lovemyfarm
#modernhomesteader
#countrygal
#country_living
#urbanhomesteading
#selfsustainableliving
#homesteaderslife
...

31 0

Every year in the spring, I plant the seeds that will eventually turn into the crops to be harvested from our annual vegetable garden.

I’ve grown an annual garden for 8 years now, and every year is just as exciting as the last. But it is work, and it requires diligence in the spring to get all of your seeds planted on time and set up with the proper growing conditions.

With a new baby, I’ve found myself struggling to get everything started and planted out in time, which is why I’m so thankful this year for our perennial food plants; The ones we planted long ago and continue to enjoy every year, no seed starting and little to no work required in the spring!

Perennials need only be planted once and will continue to provide a harvest year after year.

Aside from just being a great return on your initial investment, in an uncertain economy and with our global food supply under more pressure than ever before in our lifetime, knowing you can rely on your land to produce even some food every year without worrying about being able to get seeds, or hitting your seed starting window on time, or whether those seeds will germinate or not can provide a lot of peace of mind.

Plus there a whole bunch of other great benefits for your garden and your soil too!

If you do nothing else this year, I recommend adding at least one perennial edible plant to your homestead, no matter where you live or what size space you’re working with.

Check the link in my profile for 12(plus!) Edible Perennials to Plant Once and Harvest Every Year!

(Or visit https://thehouseandhomestead.com/edible-perennials for the full list).
.
.
.
#ediblegarden #permaculture #perennials #homesteadhacks #homesteading #modernhomesteading #gardentips #gardentipsandtricks
...

88 0

© The House & Homestead | All Rights Reserved | Legal

Skip to Recipe