I'm not a fancy person. This is about tops for me. And you know it's got a wild food in it, too. What is it? Spruce tree needles.
This photo is from a nice evening last summer. A glass of local Willamette Valley wine. A fresh garden harvest of zucchini, sweet banana peppers, and cherry tomatoes. A crusty bread with fresh mozzarella cheese. And a side of olive oil and balsamic vinegar -- made from my Englemann Spruce Tree (Picea engelmannii). What are the little bits of minced green on top of the mozzarella cheese? The spruce needles that I used to make the balsamic vinegar. Yep, spruce needles.
How good are those spruce needles and the balsamic vinegar? That spruce tree balsamic vinegar won a blue ribbon at our local county fair last year. Yep, it's worth getting to know a Spruce tree! And you can watch my YouTube video to get a live taste review. Here it is:
What Do You Think?
Have you ever eaten a spruce tree? I would like to know!
And if you have any thoughts about foraging, or experiences to share, write a post a be sure to use the Foraging tag. See what other folks are foraging by following the @foraging-trail, where all posts are SteemTrail-curated.
** Haphazard Homestead **
*** foraging, gardening, nature, simple living close to the land ***
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*** foraging, gardening, nature, simple living close to the land ***
this looks pretty amazing - would never have though you could utilize spruce trees - what made you use them ? its interesting.
Love the 'snack' might sort of food too...mmmmm
I like trying wild foods, and I have a couple spruce trees in my yard. So I did some research and I've been using them ever since -- for cookies and shortbread, flavored water, sorbet, in salads, making this 'balsamic' vinegar, and more. They are worth getting to know, those spruce trees! If you ever try them, I like to get your taste review! : )
thank you - no spruces where I am, but lots and lots of palm trees ! - dates galore come Septmember. Not much to forage for in the dessert unfortunately, but your post interested me for future reference for when I return to green fields and woods....bookmarked and following now for more :)
Dates vs. spruce needles, lol. Let's just say, I make do with what I have. I would be picking up dates all September if they were here! : ) Thanks for following, too. Enjoy your time in Egypt.
This is new to me but sounds lovely. I would love to go foraging. :)
Thanks! If you have spruce trees in your area, this is worth doing. Trees are an easy way to get started in foraging, because they are easier to identify than many smaller plants, and they stay in one place. Once you get to know a tree, it will be there awhile! I hope you get to have some spruce tree food sometime!
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@haphazard-hstead are you Dutch??
sorry I missed this - freaking busy the past days, I hope you join again if there would be third.
Thanks for the video tip.
I have a spruce tree in the garden - didn't know you could actually make vinegar with it.
Bookmarked!
No, I'm American. It's worth getting to know the spruce trees. Every variety tastes a little different, but their early spring growth is pretty tasty, in a lot of ways. I'll have to post more about them, so you can be ready by spring!
@haphazard-hstead I see, looking forward to more of those thanks!