Now it's time for spruce bud syrup
We enjoyed vanilla ice cream with freshly made spruce bud syrup after our forest trip yesterday. Here is the recipe from NRKmat:
Put the fir shoots in a saucepan and cover with water. Do not use more water than necessary.
Bring to the boil, and let the fir shoots cook under the lid at medium heat for just under half an hour.
Strain away the spruce shoots, and measure the liquid. As a starting point, you can use 3 parts liquid and 2 parts sugar. For example: If you have 15 dl of liquid, you use 10 dl of sugar.
Put everything back in the saucepan and let it boil over medium heat. Continue to cook until the liquid has thickened to a syrupy consistency. This takes some time, but don't forget that the syrup will thicken further as it cools. Use a small ladle and remove white foam that forms along the edge of the pot during the cooking.
The syrup changes color to pink, and eventually becomes a darker red, all by itself!
Pour the finished syrup into clean bottles or glasses.
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