Who knew that those tiny, little green pine cones in your yard could make syrup?!
We have tons of piñon pine trees on our property & each year they grow these tiny little pine cones. Before the pinecones turn brown and fill with pine nuts, they are juicy and green for a month or so. That's when we collect all the low hanging pinecones for syrup!! It's a super easy and hands off "recipe".
All you need is the cones, sugar & a jar!
First, you want to make sure that your tree is a piñon pine. You can tell by the needles. There will be 2 needles coming from the same point on the branch like so - -
Once you know your piñons from your non piñons, start picking!
After your cones, head to the kitchen!
Now, all you have to do is fill your jars with the pinecones then top the cones with sugar.
That's it!!! Place your jars in a sunny window & wait!
The time will differ depending on how sunny your window is and how juicy the
pinecones are. Wait until the sugar has dissolved completely.
We shake our jars every morning & open the lid to "burp" the syrup.
The "burping" releases pressure that builds in the jar. I'm not exactly sure what would
happen if you don't burp the jars, but I don't want to find out.
Viola! There you have it folks. Piñon pine syrup!
You can use this flavorful syrup in coffee creamer, salad dressing,
cookies or as a honey substitute!
A few progress shots - -
Comments