As you might have noticed I am still playing around with spruce. I just love the aroma so much and I am constantly looking for new ways to preserve it.
I am also a fermentation fanatic as I like to ferment and pickle pretty much anything. But for some reason I never until now thought of fermenting spruce!
So when an Instagram friend, Llewyn (Ye) Màire, told me about fermented spruce tips, I knew I had to try them!
The recipe couldn’t be easier-
You mix equal parts spruce and moist brown sugar, you stuff in a jar and you cover with water. You leave the jar indoors and you wait. And wait. And wait. Burping the jar daily (which mean you open the jar to let the air out). Depending on the room’s temperature, you should see bubbles forming inside the jar within the week. As time goes by, the fermentation bacteria will consume the sugar and create a fizz in the jar, while extracting the flavors form the spruce. The longer you leave it, the more alcoholic, and then vinegary, it will taste.
And, oh my is it tasty. It really feels like a forest in every sip.
As on how to use it, you can mix the liquid with more sugar and reduce it into a syrup, add it as is in teas or infuse jelly ear mushrooms before you dip them in chocolate like I did here with wood avens. The possibilities are endless!
Enjoy ❤
(Fer)mental Greens 