new spring tips of conifers

[Emerald]

On pine needles it has been told and told again that you should only eat round needles as any flat needles are poisonous. Kind of makes sense.

 

[ORChick]

On pine needles it has been told and told again that you should only eat round needles as any flat needles are poisonous. Kind of makes sense.

I have never heard that. Thanks; I'll keep it in mind.

 

[~gd]

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.

Well Root beer, Burch beer and Ginger Ale were all fermentated in the old days. Remember sugar was very expensive then. Root Beer and Ginger Ale were carried over to soda and became popular. Burch was never as popular as the other two and I haven;t seen the beer or Soda in ages. The old fermented drinks were not as fizzy as todays products. You need a strong container to build pressure to get todays fizz. ~gd

 

[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.

Well Root beer, Burch beer and Ginger Ale were all fermentated in the old days. Remember sugar was very expensive then. Root Beer and Ginger Ale were carried over to soda and became popular. Burch was never as popular as the other two and I haven;t seen the beer or Soda in ages. The old fermented drinks were not as fizzy as todays products. You need a strong container to build pressure to get todays fizz. ~gd

I rather think the soda I had that day was not fermented. I seem to remember it was from a small company, but still commercial.
I do make a fermented ginger beer sometimes in the summer. And it is definitely fizzy - not to say explosive! I wouldn't mind trying to make root beer one of these days, but I've never seen a recipe that doesn't use commercial flavoring syrup - and DH has never developed a taste for it, so I'd have to drink it all.

 

[~gd]

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.

Well Root beer, Burch beer and Ginger Ale were all fermentated in the old days. Remember sugar was very expensive then. Root Beer and Ginger Ale were carried over to soda and became popular. Burch was never as popular as the other two and I haven;t seen the beer or Soda in ages. The old fermented drinks were not as fizzy as todays products. You need a strong container to build pressure to get todays fizz. ~gd

I rather think the soda I had that day was not fermented. I seem to remember it was from a small company, but still commercial.
I do make a fermented ginger beer sometimes in the summer. And it is definitely fizzy - not to say explosive! I wouldn't mind trying to make root beer one of these days, but I've never seen a recipe that doesn't use commercial flavoring syrup - and DH has never developed a taste for it, so I'd have to drink it all.

The roots it used to be make out of were found to contain Safrole that could cause cancer so the commercial flavoring is just about the only choice unless you have your own source of Sassafras roots.~gd

 

[ORChick]

unless you have your own source of Sassafras roots.

I could be mistaken, but I don't think it grows in Oregon. Well, as I said, I'm not overly fond of sweet fizzy drinks anyway. I'll stick with homemade fermented ginger beer - I can increase the ginger, and lower the sugar (somewhat) to my own taste. And I only seem to want it on a really hot day (also not that common here), after hard work in the garden If I can figure out how to dry the Douglas Fir tips properly, without them losing color and aroma, I may find that iced fir tip tea will do the trick, without any sugar.

 

[Denim Deb]

Nope, it doesn't grow in Oregon. Here's a map of its range.

 

[ORChick]

Nope, it doesn't grow in Oregon. Here's a map of its range.

Thanks DD. That's kind of what I thought; I have always associated sassafras with the eastern states.

Its not as if ginger is grown as a crop here either , but I can at least find it at the market. and I have grown some in a pot before; might have to think about doing that again, just for fun.

 

[ORChick]

I am coming to the conclusion that these fir tips are meant to be a seasonal, fresh harvest. Drying them in the dehydrator really seems to be pointless; they go brown and lose all of the pine-y, citrus-y flavor. I've still got some drying (slowly!) without heat, and they seem to be retaining color better. But I just made a cup of tea with fresh tips, and am beginning to re-think the whole thing. After quite long steeping, with a cover on the cup to keep all the good stuff confined, I got something that closely resembled hot water with a small bit of lemon juice. The last sip, taken just a minute ago, was more lemony; interestingly so - I got only lemon notes from it, nothing like the herb-y, green notes from chewing the fresh tips. At the link in my first post are some interesting sounding recipes - the spruce/fir tip shortbread sounded particularly good (though I am forgoing flour and sugar at present, so ... not this year). The spruce/fir tip lox is in the fridge, and should be ready for tasting this evening or tomorrow. But I can't imagine either of these things working with the dried product. I think I will still make a batch of fir tip vinegar. But I think, on the whole, I'll be using more of these tips, but only fresh, that is, only for a very short time in spring. Oh well ... it was worth a try.