A few weeks ago there was a big old pine tree that came down on the edge of my property in a storm. While it was sad to lose such a majestic old tree, it was the perfect opportunity to pick some young, unopened pine cones to make homemade pine syrup.  Pine syrup can be used in place of golden syrup in cooking and in place of maple syrup on pancakes.  While it can be used as a substitute, it has a distinctive flavour all of its own that complements the simple foods I like to make.

You will need:

• A 10 litre, food grade bucket full of young, unopened pine cones,
• 1.5 to 2 kg brown sugar,
• A strainer and funnel, and  
• Some jars and lids to store the pine syrup in once made.

Directions

• Cover the bottom of the bucket with a layer of pine cones, then sprinkle with brown sugar. Then add more pine cones and more sugar. You should use 1.5 to 2 kg of brown sugar.
• Put the lid on and leave for a week, burping every day to let out the gas produced by the fermentation occurring.
• After a week the pine cones and sugar will stop producing gas and you can leave them for another two weeks without daily burping.
• After a total of three weeks, you are ready to remove the pine cones and find the syrup in the bottom of the bucket.
• Strain this syrup into jars and store it for future use.

Here is a quick video that shows you what the end product looks like. It’s also a lot of fun and you can get other family members involved, even the kids, no matter how big they are.

I hope that you enjoy this delicious and fun activity in your home.

As always,

Live well