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Spruce Tip Honey

Capture the essence of a spring forest with this delicate spruce tip honey that transforms young evergreen shoots into liquid gold with bright, citrusy notes.
Print Recipe
Cook Time 3 hours
Resting time 1 day
Course: Preserve
Cuisine: German
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 300 g spruce tips
  • 1 litre water
  • about 750 g sugar depends on how much liquid you get
  • 1 organic lemon optional

Method
 

  1. Sterilise the jars and lids you want to use for your homemade spruce tip honey.
  2. Wash the spruce tips and put them into a pot. Pour the water over them and cover them with a plate so that they stay beneath the surface level. Let them rest there for about 12 hours (best overnight).
  3. Cut the lemon into slices and add them to the water and spruce tips.
  4. Bring the mixture to the boil and keep it at a low simmer for about 45 minutes. The water will turn cloudy.
  5. Let the brew cool down and let it rest for another few hours or overnight.
  6. Now, strain the mixture through a fine sieve or cheesecloth off the spruce tips and collect the liquid. Press the tips out thoroughly.
  7. Measure the amount of liquid you gathered and add the same amount of sugar.
  8. Bring the mixture to the boil while constantly stirring. Make sure that the sugar has dissolved completely. Let it simmer over a low flame for about 1-2 hours (mine took 1.5 hours) and stir it regularly.
  9. When the mixture starts to form a fine bubbling foam and gets slightly thicker, check if it's ready (see "How to know when the honey is ready") and fill it into the jars.
  10. Securely close the twist-off lids and let the honey cool down.

Notes

Stored in a cool and dark location, spruce tip honey can be stored for at least one year. 
Once open, store the jar in the pantry and consume it within several months.