pine cones

A preserve of young pine cones in apple cider molasses inspired by the traditional Pine Cone Varenye of the Caucuses. Use as a strong condiment for cheese and creamy, fatty things. If you want extra syrup, make this with 3/4 gal cider instead of 1/2.

Pine Cone-Cider Jam

½ gallon unfiltered apple juice or apple cider

¼ inch piece of cinnamon

cloves

Rinse the pine cones to remove any debris. Bring a few cups of water to a boil and blanch the pine cones for 1-2 minutes, remove and reserve.

In a 1 gallon pot with high sides about 8-10 inches in diameter, combine the cider, bouquet of warm spices, pinch of salt, and pine cones, bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and set a timer for 1 hour while you do something else.

After an hour, check on the reduction and gauge how much time it will take to reduce down to about 1.5 cups or so, at which point you should baby it, watching it carefully to make sure the consistency is to your liking.

Continue reducing at a brisk simmer until the bubbles start to increase in size and threaten to creep up the sides of the pan. Referring to the video will be helpful here.

When the bubbles are large and the mixture is reduced to the consistency of warm honey, transfer the cones and their syrup to a jar, allow to cool uncovered for 30 minutes, then put a jar with a tight-fitting lid like a mason jar and refrigerate.

Once chilled, inspect the thickness of your jam. If it seems too thick/100 percent pine cones, transfer to a bowl, warm it over a pot of simmering water and thin it with a splash 1T of cider, mix well, then put back in the jar and refrigerate again, which will refresh the consistency.

Kept in the fridge with the lid screwed on tight it will last for a couple months.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxE_QAMS5Nw

Varenye is a preservation technique from the Caucuses of Eastern Europe that basically means preserving something in syrup. Young pine cones, are just one of many interesting things that are typical to the region. 

Instead of the traditional sugar, here I preserve the pine cones in apple cider molasses, which is a really delicious preserve of apple cider in it's own right. 

The pine cones and their syrup are often taken medicinally. The cooked cones have a strong flavor, but they can make a really interesting nibble, and the pine-flavored syrup that comes with them is a fun by-product you could also make with older pine cones too large to eat compared to the smaller cones I demonstrate the method with here. 

If your season for young cones is past, don't worry, look for young green pine cones and make my mugolio syrup, which is one of the best things you can make with conifers. Links to that, my spruce tip syrup which is nearly identical, and the recipe demonstrated here in comments.

Dark, rich syrup infused with the essence of pine. Makes a little under 2 cups. This is a small amount, you can scale the recipe using the same proportions as needed. For large batches, just combine pine cones with approximately twice their weight in non-white sugar.

Mugolio, or Pine Cone Syrup

Combine the sugar and pine cones and pack into a quart jar, then allow to macerate (age) in a cool dark place for at least 2 months.

During the first few weeks of maceration, open the jar occasionally to release carbon dioxide as the mixture will ferment vigorously. Shake it occasionally to help it on it&#39;s journey.

After the maceration is complete, scrape the sugar slush and pine cones into a pot, bring to a boil, then strain and bottle.

The syrup is stable at room temperature since the fermentation lowers the pH, but will keep the best flavor in the fridge. It can also be water bath processed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqfvu5ONi5w

Fermented Green Pine Cone Syrup / Mugolio has been a chef secret for years, and bottles of the real stuff can cost over 10-15$/oz. Maple syrup is often 25$/qt.  This is basically a small batch of the traditional pine cone syrup made in the Italian Dolemite alps. A guy from Romania told me of a spruce tip equivalent where the jars are buried in the ground for a year (which is cool) but this method is faster and will be usable after no less than 30 days. 

Traditionally the young cones of Pinus mugo are used to make the syrup, but you can make a similar, great tasting product with all kinds of unripe conifer cones and I cover a few different ones in the video. I pick my young cones in early June in Minnesota and Wisconsin, but harvesting times will vary depending on when your spring is. I use the finished syrup in drinks, as a maple substitute, and for all-purpose cooking. The coolest part is that each different species of conifer cone will have a unique flavor. So far the only ones people have reported not liking to me has been from sub-alpine fir, although balsam fir cones make my fantastic syrup. 

If you're interested, check the in-depth guide on my site as I only cover the basics here and it's pretty fast (I don't like to watch long videos). Link in comments for the in-depth walkthrough.

How to Make Pine Cone Syrup / Mugolio

Pick the cones. I recommend wearing rubber gloves, otherwise it will be difficult to wash your hands. In a saucepan with a thick bottom, fill cones with water, so that it completely covers them. Bring to a boil and simmer on low heat for 40 minutes. Leave the cones in this <a href="https://www.master-recipes.com/en/...

Pine cones jam

Sugar - 1 Art.

Cinnamon - 1 pinch

Vanilla sugar

1. Stage

Pick the cones. I recommend wearing rubber gloves, otherwise it will be difficult to wash your hands. In a saucepan with a thick bottom, fill cones with water, so that it completely covers them. Bring to a boil and simmer on low heat for 40 minutes.

2. Stage

Leave the cones in this <a href="https://www.master-recipes.com/en/ingredient/decoction" title="decoction">decoction</a> for 12-14 hours.

3. Stage

Cones set aside separately, drain the broth.

4. Stage

Pour the sugar, vanilla <a href="https://www.master-recipes.com/en/ingredient/sugar" title="sugar">sugar</a> and cinnamon into the syrup. Cook over low heat for 1.5 hours.

5. Stage

At the end of boiling, the <a href="https://www.master-recipes.com/en/ingredient/syrup" title="syrup">syrup</a> will take on a beautiful reddish color.

6. Stage

Fifteen minutes before the end of cooking, return the cones to the pot and finish the jam.

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Pine Cone-Cider Jam

Mugolio, or Pine Cone Syrup

Pine cones jam

Top 3 pine cones recipes from across the web

The most viewed pine cones recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Pine Cone-Cider Jam

Mugolio, or Pine Cone Syrup

Pine cones jam

The most viewed pine cones recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine