Hello!
It is in that late phase of Spring where everything is suddenly green! It was a long dry weird yellow weather winter here; we’ve had some good rain in the past few weeks (not enough, but way better than none!) that gave everything a new chlorophyllic glow.
Our spruce trees are putting off tons of spruce tips and I’d never eaten/cooked with them, so I got curious.
Turns out spruce tips are a superfood of sorts: loaded with vitamin C, a good source of fiber, and loaded with other vitamins. Just look on spruce trees for distinctly bright green small bundles of fresh soft spruce needles. Yes, I’ve entered the era in my life where I am tasting trees.
Turns out they taste WILD. I wasn’t expecting them to be so SOUR. Acidic, but with a really deep woody green flavor behind that bite. They also have a really nice herbal resiny piney aftertaste.
I’ve also been really into anise hyssop lately. It makes a great breath freshener straight off the plant — a refreshing little nibble between chores — or a great addition to dishes that benefit from anise/licorice/horehound notes. It is naturally sweet, so it leans that way in my culinary uses, but it works great in savory pho-style broths too. Raw it can be a little fuzzy, which is a major turn off for some folks, but younger leaves are a bit less fuzzy.
I made simple syrup with both, plus a few things. Recipe below.
Below that recipe find some info about a few events and engagements.
Collect fresh spruce tips! They aren’t around for long, so if you see some hit it hard! As wisdom suggests, leave plenty behind as a thank you. At this ratio, about a half a cup will do you, but the more the merrier. Avoid any woody bits (they are far more bitter). Make sure you peel off any of that waxy skin that covers them when they first emerge. Wash and let dry.
Collect fresh anise hyssop from the garden. About a cup of leaves, roughly. Again, make the syrup stronger with more leaves if you want! Wash and let dry. I find the bigger leaves to have more of the licorice flavor, and the smaller leaves to be sweeter and more vanilla-y.
Combine hyssop and spruce tips with 1 cup of raw sugar and 1 cup of water in a pan and bring to a boil. Add a little lemon zest and lemon juice and a little dash of smoked salt. Stir well as it comes to heat. Let it boil for about 30 seconds and then remove from heat. Let sit for 5 minutes.
Strain (multiple times) and bottle! (I love old booch bottles for simple syrups)
Makes about 1.5 cups.
Refrigerate and it’ll keep for a long time!
Uses: added to an iced latte for a little sweet root beer float vibe. I find it tastes a little medicinal in hot coffee, but that vibe goes full soda fountain root beer in cold drinks. Great in iced tea too. Awesome on crusty bread and salted butter. Adds a nice little zip in an unflavored seltzer water (garnish with fresh anise hyssop leaves!). Great over vanilla ice cream with some toasted dried coconut (garnish with some small spruce tips for an extra pow!).
I am really excited to be playing LEAF this year! Lafayette Electronic Arts Festival is an institution in adventurous programming here on the Front Range and it is a real honor to be invited to play on the tenth anniversary! I am playing this Thursday, May 28th. Doors are at 7pm at The Center for Musical Arts in Lafayette.
Tickets HERE.
I am currently taking over the Clyfford Still Museum’s instagram account and interacting/reacting/responding to the latest exhibition there called Still in Sound.
This is one of my favorite museums period! Still was an incredible painter who I find much affinity for as a thinker and maker. The museum itself is an enchanting and immersive architectural experience. The archives and programming at the Still Museum are also totally top notch. So, I am so tickled to be invited to do some projects there, starting with this instagram take over.
Today I shared a reel about the exhibition (see above). Tomorrow I share some new M. Sage music responding to the museum and paintings exclusively via our instagram pages. A few more things cooking too.
Next month, June 20th, I am doing a performance lecture in one of the galleries. I will be performing / teaching / mimicking / joking / experimenting in front of and with a painting and some replicas! You can register HERE!
There is some stuff in the works for something with the Still Museum in July too! Stay tuned!
That is all for today! I hope you enjoy your simple syrup and see you at LEAF!!!
For now, from the tall grass.
-Matt
No posts
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.