When I was young, I went for weekly walks in the forest with my grandmother. We watched the seasons change, kept the paths clear, and visited our regular foraging spots. As a child, I was mostly interested in blackberries and blueberries, but my grandmother also gathered nettles, young birch leaves, and pine needles. That’s how I learned early on that the forest isn’t just beautiful — it’s also full of remarkable flavors.

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Why Work with Young Pine Needles?

“It’s the young tips you want,” she used to say. And we always picked them in the same spot. Every few years the trees were cut, keeping the vegetation low. The result? Hundreds of brand-new seedlings — pine, birch, and elder — sprouting enthusiastically. You could find endless amounts of fresh young needles there.

Whenever I make syrup, I always choose the young needles. I usually pick them in spring, when they release their flavours more easily. But one-year-old needles collected later in the year still work well — just bruise them lightly with a mortar before using. Try to avoid older needles: before dropping them, the tree reabsorbs many of their nutrients. They turn dull and eventually brown.

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What do pine needles taste like?

Pine needles have a distinctive yet surprisingly refined flavor. Think fresh and resinous, with citrus‑like notes reminiscent of lemon zest. When turned into a syrup, that aroma softens and rounds out, resulting in a clear “forest” character that pairs beautifully with winter dishes and drinks.

For culinary use, young needles are ideal: they provide plenty of aroma without becoming sharp or bitter.

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Why I Chose the Cheong Method (Korean Cold Extraction)

I decided to make a syrup, but this time, I approached it differently. Lately I’ve been experimenting with cheong, a Korean method of preserving and infusing. It’s traditionally used for fruit, but I recently tried it with ginger (ginger cheong). That basic idea inspired me to create a pine needle extract.

The cheong method works beautifully for pine needles because:

• the sugar slowly draws out moisture and aroma
• cold extraction preserves heat-sensitive elements, which add to its amazing aroma
• the mixture can steep for 3–6 months, creating a very tasty syrup

Why not a hot extraction?

With hot extraction, flavors are released more quickly, but they can also flatten or change. Starting cold keeps the aroma brighter and more nuanced. The brief, gentle heating at the end simply ensures the sugar dissolves completely and the syrup becomes stable.

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Harvesting Pine Needles: Safety & Tips

Before you start:

• Make absolutely sure you are picking pine. Do not pick from Christmas trees — those are usually fir trees, and they often contain pesticides.
• Avoid busy roadsides or industrial areas: needles can absorb fine dust.
• Harvest moderately: take only a few needles per branch to avoid stressing the tree.
• Skip brown, damaged, or visibly dirty needles.

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Recipe: Pine Needle Syrup (Cold Extraction – Cheong)

Prep time: 5 minutes
Infusion time: 3–6 months
Finishing time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 200 g pine needles (about 7 oz)
• 400 g sugar (about 2 cups granulated sugar)
• 400 ml water (about 1 ⅔ cups)
• A 700 ml airtight jar (about 24 oz) or larger
• A strainer and cheesecloth
• Sterilized bottles

Instructions

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1. Wash the pine needles

Rinse the needles to remove dust and small insects. Shake them dry and let them air-dry for about an hour.

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2. Create the cold extraction

Layer the pine needles and sugar in the jar:

• a layer of needles
• a layer of sugar
• repeat
  End with a layer of sugar.

Place the jar in a dark place at room temperature.

After a few days, you’ll notice the sugar turning more liquid — it’s drawing moisture and very tasty aromas from the needles. The needles slowly lose their color; that’s exactly what you want.

Let the mixture sit for at least 3 months, longer if you wish.
I usually wait until mid-autumn to finish the syrup.

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3. Make the syrup

Pour the entire contents of the jar into a saucepan and add 400 ml (1 ⅔ cups) water to make a 1:1 syrup.

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4. Bottle the syrup

Strain the syrup through cheesecloth into sterilized bottles.
You can store the syrup for at least 6 months.

And by then… the new spring buds will be ready again.

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Extra Ideas: How to Use Pine Needle Syrup in the Kitchen

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Final Thoughts

Making pine needle syrup is about much more than following a recipe. It’s a way of capturing seasonal flavors and bringing a piece of the forest into your kitchen. Foraging with care, waiting patiently, and watching sugar slowly transform — it’s all part of the process.

Whether you use this syrup in tea, desserts, or winter drinks, it’s a small bottle of forest flavor, ready whenever you’re craving something a little different.

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