spruce salt

[randyt]

I made up some spruce salt awhile back. Wondered about the taste, it gives a unique and awesome flavor.


To make , gather a cup of new growth spruce bough tips. I used white spruce. I took a cup of tips, two cups of regular table salt. Mixed it up well with a blender. Then dried it in the oven at about 110 degrees. It dried into a clumpy bunch. I took the salt and ground it in a small coffee grinder.

I have though about drying the the spruce tips and grinding those and then mixing with the salt.

the flavor can be modified by increasing or decreasing the spruce tips.

[wsdstan]

How does this taste?  Tart, spicy, bitter, or what?  I have made pine needle tea a time or two but find it lacks a taste that I can enjoy. 

 

[randyt]

the best I can say is "citrusy" it's actually pretty good, I was surprised. I'm not much for gin..

I think spruce has a stronger flavor than pine. Spruce tea from new growth would probably have a richer flavor.

[wsdstan]

Thanks, think I will try to find a Spruce tree around here. 

[duxdawg]

Spruce tips are long out of season by now. You'll have to wait until Spring to make some.

[duxdawg]

Two keys to making good pine tea: 
1) Species
2) Temperature

Never boil conifers for eating.
You want to keep the temp below 185F, often referred to as a "small boil". Whilst in the woods we can judge the temp by the bubbles. A small boil is when tiny bubbles form on the sides of the pot. Large bubbles, bubbles releasing from the sides, etc are signs that it's too hot. When conifer bark, needles, etc get too hot they release turpines. These volatile organic compounds give it the nasty Pine-Sol, turpentine, etc taste. 

An interesting side note is that long steep durations do not ruin the flavor, as long as the temp stays below 185F. I've often allowed conifer teas to steep overnight without any diminishment of the flavor.

I have made teas from the needles and barks of Balsam fir; Hemlock; Jack, Red, Scots and White pine; Black, Colorado Blue and White spruce.
Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) and Eastern White pine (Pinus strobus) have the best flavor.

[randyt]

the balsam tips are out now here at the tipp of the mitt. I have heard of balsam jelly but haven't ever tried it. I have eaten a few balsam tips raw. They're not too strong.