new spring tips of conifers

[ORChick]

Anybody use these?

Last spring I saw all the new light green tips on the Douglas Fir (of which Oregon has an abundance), and nibbled a few, and thought that there has to be a use for these. But by the time I had a chance to check on it all those new, light green, slightly citrusy needle tips had hardened into proper needles. But I did do my homework, and found all sorts of uses and recipes, and now they are here again! It appears that there aren't that many (blogging) herbalists in Douglas Fir country, but several in Spruce country, but it seems that they aren't that different when it comes to usage. It seems they are high in Vit. C, and good for lung complaints and sore throats, and make an interesting tea. But some of the recipes I found intrigued me more; for instance, the gravlax with conifer tips instead of dill - I started some of that today; we'll know on Sunday if its any good or not. Making a caper substitute with needle tips also sounds intriguing. There are so many trees about, sending out new growth, I am eager to experiment. I have some tips in the dehydrator now, for tea later. I hope it works better than when I tried a few days ago. They got very brown, and lost most of their fragrance. This time I have it on very, very low heat, and it seems to be progressing better.

One source of recipes - http://medcookingalaska.blogspot.ca/2008/06/how-to-harvest-spruce-tips-with-recipes.html

 

[Marianne]

 

[Corn Woman]

Interesting I just listened to a public radio broadcast on the same thing, eating trees. Seems that some of the same species of trees taste different and the DJ was tasting many trees to find out which ones had a better flavor. Have you noticed any difference from tree to tree?

 

[Denim Deb]

I've noticed that w/berries. Some bushes the berries taste better on than others. I haven't spent a whole lot of time eating the pine tips. Normally I'll only grab them if I'm in the woods and need something to munch on in the spring.

 

[ORChick]

Interesting I just listened to a public radio broadcast on the same thing, eating trees. Seems that some of the same species of trees taste different and the DJ was tasting many trees to find out which ones had a better flavor. Have you noticed any difference from tree to tree?

So far I've only tried the Douglas Fir (Psudotsuga menziesii). This is the main lumber tree here in western Oregon, but it is also quite decorative. The people who owned this property before had planted quite a few of them, so I have plenty to harvest from. There are other conifers on the property, though they haven't started sending out their new green growth yet. The Douglas Fir tips are a little resiny, and almost citrus-y. Those that I am drying are retaining their color better (than the first lot I dried), probably because I had the heat down very low, and after a few hours turned the dehydrator off entirely. I left the needles on the screens, and put them outside in the shade this morning. It will take longer, but the first lot I did I had to throw out; they turned brown and lost all aroma.
A Warning to all who might want to give this a try - many, possibly most, conifers are OK to sample, but some are not - Yew, for example, is poisonous. So be aware of what you are harvesting. This is true of course for foraging anything.

 

[Denim Deb]

I never count the yews when I think of conifers because they don't have the cone that others do. They have a red "berry". Interesting enough, the berry is edible while the rest of the tree-including the seeds is poisonous-but I'm not taking any chances on eating them!

ETA: As long as you stick w/the true pines, spruce and firs, I think you're fine. I don't recall ever hearing of any of them being poisonous. Yews are in a completely different family.

 

[ORChick]

You're right DD, "conifer" does seem to imply "cones", doesn't it? I tend to think of them more as "Nadelholz", which is the German word, and means "needle wood" --- and yew does certainly have needles
Apparently spruce needle tips are popular among some foragers. When I was looking for information I found it mostly for spruce tips (see link in my OP), with notes that fir, Douglas Fir (which is not a "real" fir), and pine tips are also good.

 

[~gd]

Both Burch and Spruce buds were used to flavor beer.

 

[Denim Deb]

Just a note for those who may have heard that hemlock is poisonous, it's not the hemlock tree, but a member of the carrot family that's a problem. If you forage, make sure you can tell the difference between it and Queen Anne's lace-which is edible.

 

[ORChick]

Both Burch and Spruce buds were used to flavor beer.

I once had birch soda (soft drink) at an historical site in California. That weekend they had people doing "old timey" things, and the old saloon was also open - though only for non alcoholic drinks. I remember thinking it was pretty good, though I have never been particularly fond of sweet fizzy drinks.