Pen & Cob Spruce Syrup

Upscale the everyday by drizzling Spruce Syrup on chèvre, ice cream, pineapple, squash, and other roasted veggies.   Makes a delicious and very special cocktail or mocktail. Each spring in Maine, there is about a 1 week window when the bright green tips of the spruce trees plump up and begin to open, and can be picked before they go woody. Our tips are sustainably harvested by hand and brought back to our farm kitchen where they are macerated in unrefined, fair trade, organic brown sugar. The brown sugar pulls the oils from the tips creating a sweet and surprisingly citrus tasting liquid. No water is ever added to the process. The syrup is boiled to just the right consistency without losing any of the spruce flavor. Use ideas:  Roasted veggies esp. squash and sweet potato (I even drizzled on pumpkin pie.) Drizzle on fresh fruit (pineapple is good) Delicious with all dairy - yogurt, ice cream, cheese. Really good with smoked salmon but baked salmon also yummy. Known to work well as