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Tree to Table: Edible Fir Tips and Friends
Photography by Marie Viljoen.
Late spring coaxes tenderness from needled trees: This is the time to look up to find the soft tips of edible fir, spruce, and hemlock forming at the end of every branch on each of these aromatic evergreens.
But first: Did anyone recoil when they read “hemlock”? Just in case: The edible hemlock you may nibble for dinner in springtime is the common name of trees known botanically as Tsuga species, whereas the poisonous hemlock that conjures a skull-and-crossbones is a herbaceous plant, Conium maculatum.
Tender conifer tips are easy to spot in mid to late spring. Apart from being conifers, what fir, spruce, and hemlock also have in common is that their new growth in late spring is delicious.
Different-sized tips from one spruce tree. The softest new needles can be chewed up with pleasure, while the more developed tips lend themselves better to infusing and fermenting.
Spruce tips and downward-pointing cones.
If you are new to identifying needled trees, you may confuse hemlock with yew (Taxus). For the rest of the year yew is cone-free, unlike other conifers.
Spruce tips with a backdrop of spring’s pheasant back mushrooms, and a fermented rhubarb-fir spritzer. Garnish soy-soaked eggs with tender spruce tips, whose texture, fragrance and slight citrus-peel vibe play well with the salty, creamy eggs.
Warm feta, fir tips, and acacia honey on toasted English muffins. Toast your favorite bread/bagel/English muffin, top with a slab of feta, and place under a broiler until the cheese is soft (about 5 minutes).
To make a scented salt, chop any edible conifer tips very finely and add the same volume of salt (I like to use flaky Maldon).
Spruce tip gin and tonic. As a simple garnish, spruce tips are a pretty choice for just about any drink.
Fermented fir and rhubarb cordial.
Rhubarb arrives at local markets when edible conifer tips appear on trees. Loosen the lid, and leave out a room temperature for three days, shaking the mixture gently once a day (always loosen the lid, after).
Fir and Rhubarb Cordial