Pine Shoots Honey

In the spring, if you live in the mountains, you can notice the young white shoots on the tops of pines. There are many types of pines, so it may be the dwarf Mountain pine – pinus mugo or pine tree.

They are harvested during the spring in May and beginning in June. I managed to prepare this recipe just as the season ended.

Their white color comes from the resin they contain. From that resin, when it is prepared, pine honey is obtained.

You may have heard of pine needles syrup before, but this is different. This pine honey has been made for generations in my region. In addition to having a wonderful taste (and the scent when preparing it), it has a healing effect too.

Used for coughs. Whether it is chronic, caused by the flu, colds, or smoking cigarettes, this honey soothes it until it is completely withdrawn.

It is not very difficult to make, it is cheap, but the boiling time is a little longer than usual due to the above-mentioned resin contained in the pine shoots themselves.

I don’t know if you can buy these pine shoots somewhere, because they need to be fresh, but if you have them around when it’s harvest time, collect as much as you can and start with the recipe.

Pine Shoots Honey

Print Recipe

DIY honey from pine shoots at home.

• CourseHoney
• CuisineBalkan, Healthy
• Keywordhoney, pine, recipe, shoots

Servings	Prep Time
4 people	10 minutes

Cook Time

8 hours

Servings Prep Time 4 people 10 minutes

Cook Time 8 hours

Pine Shoots Honey Print Recipe DIY honey from pine shoots at home. CourseHoney CuisineBalkan, Healthy Keywordhoney, pine, recipe, shoots Servings Prep Time 4 people 10 minutes Cook Time 8 hours Servings Prep Time 4 people 10 minutes Cook Time 8 hours

Ingredients

• young fresh harvested pine shoots
• sugar
• water
• 1-2 pieces lemons

Servings: people

Instructions

1. Wash the fresh harvested young pine shoots.
2. Put them in a bigger pot, or smaller one, depending on the number of picked shoots (make sure that pot has a lid because it needs to be covered).
3. Pour them with cold water level two fingers above the shoots. Cover and boil it. It should be done when pine shoots are softened (like in a video below). This step will take a few hours.
4. Drain with a cloth.
5. Add sugar as much as the liquid you will get and bring it back to boil again. (If you don’t have enough time the same day, you can do the boiling the next day because this will take time too).
6. The honey is ready when it gets the density of honey. To check the density, take a spoonful of the mixture and leave it to cool because when it is cold it is thicker than in a boiling pot.
7. Remove it from the heat and let to cool.
8. Put it in jars and add the lemon cut in slices. Close the jars and keep it in a cold dark place.
9. Take one tablespoon a day when you have a cough.

Recipe Notes

You can boil the jars in a bigger bowl for 15 min. By doing this, the honey will last for years. And without it, this honey still lasts for a long time, so it is not necessary to do that.

The preparation time depends on what you are preparing and how much heat you apply. Do not take for granted the preparation time specified in the recipe, but follow the instructions to have an idea.