Magical Cooking # 101 - 26th March 2025

Magical Cooking

Pine Needle Syrup

This is a great seasonal syrup and comes from Scandinavia So if you have pine trees near where you live, you can forage for the needles very easily and you only want the bright green ones at the ends. Do be careful though as picking the new growth does stunt the tree’s growth, so be careful to take a small amount from several different trees.

Once you have your needles it is as simple as making a syrup and steeping the needles in it for 24 hours. You can add other herbs if you want, things like rosemary, juniper berries, thyme etc are all good companions.

Ingredients

This couldn’t be easier - Take equal measures of water and granulated sugar (add more sugar if you like a deeper syrup. Use a handful of pine needles.

Instructions

  1. In a medium saucepan bring water and sugar to a boil, stirring occasionally.

  2. Add the pine needles, and any other herbs you may want to add.

  3. Turn off heat and let steep in the pan for 24 hours. (Pop a cover over the pan)

  4. Strain the herbs off and put the syrup into clean airtight jars.

  5. Label the jar and store covered in the refrigerator

This syrup will last about 3 months if stored correctly, but you can make into ice cubes and freeze as well and they will last 6 months.