Pine shoot syrup

Do you remember from your childhood the treatment with pine shoot syrup? Its tasty and effective alternative to syrups from the chemists. If you want to prepare it – it the last time to pick up pine shoots!

In Poland it is not allow to pick up pine shoots in the woods or forest nurseries. However, if you know someone who has a pine on its own plot - go ahead and ask for permission. While breaking pine shoots, remember not to do it in a devastating way. First of all - do not pick the main "top" shoots to let the tree grow. Secondly - if at the end of twig are a few shoots - pick a maximum of two. If there are only two - left them alone. Otherwise a pine tree will not get
the opportunity to develop. Shoots should be collected in late April and May. They can not be too small, but they can not be longer than 10 cm.

To make the syrup of pine shoots we need:

Ingredients (version with sugar):
1:1 by weight (young shoots of pine sugar)

Ingredients (version with honey ) :
400g pine shoots
600g of honey.

The blogosphere culinary advises peeling pine shoots before making juice. However, it turns out that we do not need to do that. Whats more this is a very thankless job. Just break the stems finely. Do not wash them!

The shoots prepared that way we put in a scalded jar, each layer should be sprinkled with sugar in a weight ratio of 1:1. We leave it for a month in a sunny spot .We do not turn off a jar and just cover it with gauze and put a rubber band on it . Stir the content of the jar regularly to dissolve the sugar in the juice . After a month pour the juice into scalded jars or bottles. Squeeze the shoots accurately. We pasteurize the jars for 15 minutes or store in a cool cellar unpasteurized .

Version with honey : dissolve honey in the pot ( since who in May has uncrystallised honey of the last years harvest – he has been cheated buying defective honey, heated to a high temperature , which destroys its properties ), but do not heat up it excessively . Pour the mixture on the shoots . Next follow the version with the sugar.

Syrup of pine shoots is an expectorant and it has antibacterial properties . You can use it not only temporarily ,or while suffering from infections and colds, but also prophylactically - throughout the year. Syrup of pine shoots stimulates the appetite ,it strengthens the body and acts as a tranquillizer .It has diuretic and relaxant effects . It is rich in antioxidants .

Prophylactically: just a teaspoon of syrup per day is enough. At the time of colds and upper respiratory tract illnesses - adults 3-4 teaspoons per day , children - 3 teaspoons per day.