Spruce needles elevate sweet and savory dishes. It only takes a few precious needles to kick up braised game, salmon dishes (like gravlax), or even fragrance desserts. They go well with lemon, wild mushrooms, berries, or red meat.
To extract the maximum amount of flavor, we recommend crushing them in a mortar before adding them to your burgers, slow cooked dishes, or sauces made with red wine or port. You can also infuse them in a simple syrup to give your cocktails a taste of the wild, or even as a topping for ice cream.
Our Black Spruce Needles are harvested with care in the boreal forest, in the northern part of the Lac Saint-Jean region. They are meticulously trimmed with scissors, ensuring no part of the branch remains to overpower the delicate spruce with a woody flavor. The needles are then aged for 5 years.
This process allows the bitter tannins to break down slowly and- over the course of many years- gently develop the subtle flavors contained within the essential oils. Since Aged Spruce Needles are rich in esters, and have a particularly fruity aroma, fully matured needles present an exquisite flavor.
This spice is part of our foraged boreal spice collection (épices boréales).