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Spruce tip jelly is an unusual herbal jelly made with wild foraged spruce tips. The tips taste like lime with hints of warm resin, and they set into a surprisingly good homemade jelly that’s at home in both sweet and savory uses.
Table of Contents
- Notes from My Kitchen
- Quick Look at the Recipe
- What Does Spruce Tip Jelly Taste Like?
- Identifying and Harvesting Spruce Tips
- Ingredients for Spruce Tip Jelly
- Low Sugar Options
- How to Make Spruce Tip Jelly
- Canning Spruce Tip Jelly
- Altitude Adjustments
- Ways to Use Spruce Tip Jelly
- Spruce Tip Jelly FAQs
- Flower Jelly Recipes
- Spruce Tip Jelly Recipe
- Jelly Canning Recipes
This recipe has been reviewed for safety and accuracy by a Master Food Preserver certified through the University of Cornell Cooperative Extension.
Spruce tips, the tender new growth at the ends of spruce branches, are surprisingly delicious. They have a flavor unlike much else, with notes of citrus and lime pulled together by a warm, resinous undertone, and that flavor holds up beautifully once it’s set into a jelly.
They turn up in all sorts of recipes, from spruce tip tea to ice cream and syrup, and you can take that same spruce tip tea and turn it into a homemade herbal jelly. It’s one of the earliest wild flavors of the year, since you harvest the tips in early spring just as the trees start to bud out.
Notes from My Kitchen
Spruce tips are one of the first wild flavors I look forward to each spring, right as the trees start pushing out their soft new growth. They taste like nothing else, somewhere between citrus and lime with a warm, resinous note underneath, and that flavor comes through beautifully in a jelly. I go with lime juice instead of the usual lemon here, since it plays right into the citrus the tips already have.
A batch makes about 5 half-pint jars, and while it’s lovely on toast, I reach for it most often as a glaze on pork or duck, or a spoonful next to cheese. Take just a few tips from each tree, and you’ll barely make a dent, since the trees keep right on growing.
Quick Look at the Recipe
- Recipe Name: Spruce Tip Jelly
- Recipe Type: Herbal Jelly Recipe
- Canning Method: Water Bath Canning
- Prep/Cook Time: About 30 Minutes (including a 15-minute steep)
- Canning Time: 10 Minutes
- Yield: 5 to 6 half-pint jars
- Jar Sizes: Quarter Pint, Half Pint, or Pint
- Headspace: 1/4 inch
- Ingredients Overview: Spruce tips, water, lime juice, sugar, and pectin
- Difficulty: Easy! You’re basically making a spruce tip tea and setting it with pectin.
- Similar Recipes: The process is very similar to other wild-foraged and herbal jellies, including Redbud Jelly, Dandelion Jelly, Lemon Balm Jelly, and Herbal Jelly. The same method also works for a pine tip jelly if you’d rather use a different conifer.
What Does Spruce Tip Jelly Taste Like?
Spruce tip jelly tastes bright and citrusy, with a lime-like tang up front and a warm, resinous, almost piney note underneath. It’s unusual in the way evergreen flavors are, and it lands somewhere between sweet and savory, which is part of why it works as well on a cheese board as it does on toast.
In the jar, the jelly is a soft pale green to golden color, depending on the tips and how long they steep. The lime juice keeps both the flavor and the color on the fresh, lively side.
Identifying and Harvesting Spruce Tips
If you’re new to spruce tips, it’s worth reading through a good guide to foraging spruce tips (and other conifer tips) before you start. Most conifer tips are edible, including fir tips and pine tips (often called pine candles), but there are a couple of important exceptions: toxic yew and inedible ponderosa pine. Make sure you’ve correctly identified your tree before you harvest anything.
Harvest spruce tips in early spring, right as the trees start to bud out for the season. The fresh tips are soft and bright green, often still wearing their papery brown husks. Take just a few from each tree, ideally from the side shoots rather than the main growing tip, and the tree will keep right on growing.
This same recipe works with other safe conifer tips, so if you prefer the taste of fir, or you’ve got pine needle tea in mind, you can use those in place of spruce.
I used fir tips collected from behind our house, following your recipe to the letter, and it turned out so lovely! My first time trying an herbal jelly and, oh my goodness, such bright flavor. I’m so grateful for all your wonderful help as I learn. Thank you again!
Ingredients for Spruce Tip Jelly
Spruce tip jelly uses the same basic formula as the flower jellies: a foraged tea steeped from the tips, then set with sugar, pectin, and a bit of lime juice for balance and safety.
- Spruce Tips: Use the fresh, soft spring growth from spruce (or another safe conifer like fir or pine). Be certain of your identification and avoid toxic yew and inedible ponderosa pine. Anywhere from 2 to 4 cups works; more tips give a stronger, more resinous flavor.
- Water: Use clean filtered water if your tap water has a strong chlorine taste, which can muddy the bright spruce flavor.
- Lime Juice: Lime stands in for the usual lemon here because it plays into the citrus the spruce tips already have. Beyond flavor, the juice balances the sweetness, helps the pectin set, and lowers the pH enough to make the jelly safe for canning. Use bottled lime juice (or bottled lemon juice) for its consistent acidity, and don’t cut it back. For a more neutral flavor you can use citric acid powder instead, at about 1 teaspoon in place of the 1/4 cup of juice.
- Sugar: Regular powdered pectin needs plenty of sugar to gel, so this recipe follows the current Sure Jell ratio of 5 cups sugar to 4 cups of liquid for an old-fashioned jelly that sets reliably. There’s a lower-sugar option in the note just below if you’d prefer one.
- Pectin: Reach for regular powdered pectin (like Sure Jell) here. It’s dependable and gives a consistent set with this spruce tea.
Low Sugar Options
If you’d like a less sweet jelly, reach for Sure Jell low sugar pectin instead and cut the sugar back to as little as 1 to 2 cups. With Pomona’s Universal Pectin, bump the lime juice up to 1/2 cup, since Pomona’s doesn’t include the added citric acid that other pectin brands do.
Pomona’s is a two-part low sugar pectin with a separate calcium water, so it works a bit differently. Follow the mint jelly directions on the box, and if it’s your first time with it, it’s worth reading through how to use Pomona’s pectin first.
How to Make Spruce Tip Jelly
Making spruce tip jelly is a lot like any other herbal or flower jelly: steep the tips into a tea, then set that tea with lime juice, pectin, and sugar. The lime is a small twist on the usual lemon, and it leans right into the citrus the spruce tips already carry.
Don’t skip the lime juice. It balances the sweetness, helps the pectin set, and lowers the pH enough to make the jelly safe for water bath canning, so it stays in the recipe even if you plan to keep your jars in the fridge. Use bottled juice for its steady acidity.
Prepare the Spruce Tips
You’ll need somewhere between 2 and 4 cups of spruce tips. I find 2 cups makes a full batch with good flavor, while a full 4 cups gives you something more intense, so anywhere from a pint to a quart works depending on how much you’ve gathered.
Give the tips a quick look and shake off any debris or insects. There’s no need to fuss over the papery brown husks still clinging to a few of them, since you’ll be straining the tea anyway.
Make the Spruce Tip Tea
Place the spruce tips in a heatproof bowl. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil and pour it over the tips, then let them steep for about 15 minutes. Spruce is different from flowers here, since a short steep keeps the flavor bright and citrusy. Steep the tips too long and the tea turns heavy and overly resinous.
Strain the tea through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth into your jelly pot, pressing gently, and discard the spent tips. You should have about 4 cups of spruce tip tea.
Add the Lime Juice and Pectin
Add 1/4 cup of bottled lime juice to the spruce tip tea. (The lime balances the sweetness, helps the pectin set, and brings the pH down into the safe range for canning, so don’t leave it out.) Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
Once it’s boiling, whisk in one box of powdered pectin until it dissolves completely, then keep it at a full boil for one minute before you add the sugar.
Add the Sugar
After that minute of boiling with the pectin, add 5 cups of sugar all at once. (Don’t add the sugar before or at the same time as the pectin, or the jelly won’t set.) Stir until the sugar dissolves completely, then bring everything back to a full rolling boil for one more minute.
Pull the pot off the heat and skim off any foam with a spoon. Ladle the hot jelly into prepared jars right away, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace.
Canning Spruce Tip Jelly
Canning is optional, but it’s an easy way to keep spruce tip jelly on the shelf year-round, and it makes a memorable gift. If you’d rather not can, let the jars cool completely on the counter, then store the jelly in the refrigerator for up to a month or the freezer for up to 6 months.
To can spruce tip jelly, have your water bath canner, jars, and lids ready before you start. After filling the jars and leaving 1/4 inch of headspace, wipe the rims with a clean, damp cloth, set on the two-part canning lids, and tighten the bands until fingertip tight. If you’re new to canning, my beginner’s guide to water bath canning walks through the whole process.
Process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the jars rest 5 minutes, then lift them out and let them cool undisturbed on a towel for 24 hours. Check the seals, and refrigerate any jars that didn’t seal so you can use them first. Properly sealed jars hold their quality on the pantry shelf for 12 to 18 months, and you’ll want to refrigerate after opening.
Altitude Adjustments
For water bath canning, processing times increase at higher elevations:
- 0 to 6,000 feet: 10 minutes
- Above 6,000 feet: 15 minutes
Ways to Use Spruce Tip Jelly
Spruce tip jelly works in sweet and savory directions both. It’s good on toast or stirred into a mug of hot tea, but it really comes into its own as a glaze on pork, duck, or wild goose, or brushed onto chicken on the grill. A spoonful alongside cheese on a board is a nice touch, and you can even stir it into a pan of vegetables or potatoes before roasting for a zesty finish.
The tips themselves are worth exploring beyond jelly. They show up in recipes like spruce tip ice cream, spruce tip syrup, and spruce tip vinegar. For a fruitier jar, you can blend a little dark berry juice (blueberry or serviceberry) or extra citrus into the tea, counting it as part of the 4 cups of liquid before you cook it down.
Spruce Tip Jelly FAQs
Spruce tips taste bright and citrusy, with a lime-like tang and a warm, resinous, slightly piney note underneath. The flavor is unusual but pleasant, and it works in both sweet and savory dishes. Younger tips picked early in the season have the mildest, brightest flavor.
Yes. This recipe works with most edible conifer tips, including fir tips and pine tips (pine candles). Avoid toxic yew and inedible ponderosa pine, and be sure you’ve correctly identified the tree before harvesting. When in doubt, check a foraging guide first.
The most common reasons jelly doesn’t set are adding the sugar at the same time as the pectin (add pectin first and boil for 1 minute before adding sugar), boiling the finished jelly for too long (over 5 minutes), or trying to double the batch size. If it doesn’t set after 24-48 hours, enjoy it as a syrup or read through my guide on troubleshooting jelly set.
Yes, but you’ll need to use a low-sugar pectin like Sure-Jell Low Sugar or Pomona’s Universal Pectin and follow the package instructions for mint jelly. If you use Pomona’s, increase the lime juice to 1/2 cup, since it doesn’t contain the added citric acid that other pectins do. The yield will be lower with reduced sugar.
Flower Jelly Recipes
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Spruce Tip Jelly
Equipment
- Canning Jars, Lids and Bands
Ingredients
For the Spruce Tip Tea
- 2 to 4 cups fresh spruce tips
- 4 cups water
For the Jelly
- 4 cups spruce tip tea, strained
- 1/4 cup bottled lime juice, or bottled lemon juice, or 1 teaspoon citric acid
- 1 box powdered pectin, 1.75 oz, regular, such as Sure-Jell original or 6 Tbsp Bulk Pectin
- 5 cups granulated sugar, See Notes for Low Sugar Option
Instructions
- Place the spruce tips in a heatproof bowl. Bring the water to a boil and pour it over the tips. Steep about 15 minutes (a short steep keeps the flavor bright; a long one turns it resinous).
- Strain the tea through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a large pot, pressing gently, and discard the tips. Measure the tea, adding water if needed to reach the full amount called for.
- Add the lime juice to the spruce tip tea and bring to a boil over high heat. Whisk in the powdered pectin until fully dissolved and boil for 1 minute.
- Add all the sugar at once and stir to dissolve. Return to a full rolling boil and boil hard for exactly 1 minute. Remove from heat and skim off any foam.
- Ladle hot jelly into prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rims, center lids, and apply bands fingertip tight.
- Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat and let jars rest 5 minutes, then cool undisturbed 12 to 24 hours before checking seals.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I used fir tips collected from behind our house, following your recipe to the letter, and it turned out so lovely! My first time trying an herbal jelly and, oh my goodness, such bright flavor. I’m so grateful for all your wonderful help as I learn. Thank you again!
So glad it turned out lovely, and congrats on your first herbal jelly! Fir tips are a great stand-in for spruce. Happy canning!
Hello,
I am wondering what your process for ensuring the safety of this recipe was and how you decided on the amount of pectin, lime juice and processing time.
Thank you,
Nick
This one’s based on the mint jelly canning recipe from both Ball Canning and the NCHFP. I have a post that explains the rational for canning flower jellies, which are very similar and have the same canning requirements, basically a herbal or floral tea acidified with a bit of citrus. Here’s the background info: https://creativecanning.com/canning-flower-jelly/
Sooo unexpectedly delicious!! I’ve made two batches already, and debating on a third! THANK YOU for sharing your recipes.
So glad you liked it!
I just made a batch of spruce tip jelly; and my color is more almost a clear then your pretty yellow. I picked 4 cups of tips and let them steep for about 20 minutes. Should I have used more tips? Do you know of any tricks to get the color deeper?
Hmmm…I’ve had reports from people on all manner of colors on this spruce tip jelly. Some people’s come out clear, others get a tan/brown color that they don’t like the looks of at all, and still others get a more golden to light green color like I did.
You used enough tips for sure. I think the finished color really does come down to maybe the type of spruce, but potentially also the type of sugar. Organic cane juice will give you more of a golden color in the finished jelly. (When I test recipes though, I always use plain grocery store white sugar as that’s what most people have, so that’s not what I did to get the color in these pictures.)
This is so delish! Ty!
So glad you enjoyed it!