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Pine Cone-Cider Jam / Varenye

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Pine cones preserves in apple molasses

Pine cone varenye made with cider. I love how the finished cones shimmer.

“Ever eat a pine tree?”. That infamous quote from Euell Gibbons during a Grape Nuts commercial (there’s a lot of them on You Tube now and some are hilarious) has some truth to it.

Sure, you can make tea (mostly I see it done with the soft needles of Easter White Pine) from needles, bark bread from the inner cambium (a novelty) or even a powder from dried needles (mostly for adventurous chefs) but pine cones, specifically young, meristematic/tender ones can be eaten, and are traditionally used in the Caucuses and Russia in a preserve known as Varenye, sometimes called pine cone jam, or pine cone honey.

Small young red pine cones in a mason jar

Young pine cones. They need to be very small, about the size of a pinky nail for this to work properly (be palatable). 

translating basically to something cooked in syrup, varenye is similar to Japanese kinpira in that it refers to a cooking technique rather than a dish made with a specific ingredient.  

If you google varenye, what you’ll probably see are different ingredients (mostly fruit and berries) simmered in sugar syrup to preserve them. Cooking fruit in sugar is nothing too new or interesting to me, and I think most Americans who read this blog and make their own preserves will agree.

Pine cone jam is a completely different thing though, and it’s fascinating. For the most basic preserve, all you do is cook pine cones with sugar and water in equal proportions, reducing them down to a thick syrup.

One thing I find really interesting about the cone is that when cooked with sugar they almost seem to add a sort of thickening quality to the syrup similar to weak pectin, which helps set to a thick, jammy substance with a brilliant sheen. 

Pine cone-cider preserves

 

I made the traditional sugar-only varenye every which way, and it’s ok, but it will taste very resinous and strong. The powerful resinous flavor is probably part of the reason you don’t see pine cone jam spread on buttered toast in the cultures where it’s traditionally made, rather, the preserve is taken medicinally, or so I’ve read.

I’m sure anything with such a strong taste probably has some sort of medicinal qualities, but I don’t cover medicinal anything here for a number of reasons, so your on your own for divining those kinds of things. 

Young red pine cones, at the stage you want them for this. Expect about 15-30 minutes of leisurely picking.

Over time I worked on a few ideas for curbing the strong taste of the pine cones, and came up with a hybrid method for making the preserve I think you’ll really find worth trying. Instead of just cooking in sugar syrup, I blanch the pine cones, then simmer them in pure, unfiltered apple cider.

Blanching red pine cones for varenye

One change to the traditional recipe I recommend is blanching the cones before preserving. Helps calm them a tiny bit, as well as removing some impurities that I would skim otherwise. 

As the cider reduces, the cones imbue it with flavor, and the natural sugars concentrate into a fantastic preserve in their own right, the traditional, addictively delicious, 100% forest product known as apple molasses.

If you find the pine cone preserves a bit too strong for you, try making apple cider molasses all by itself-just a half gallon will make enough to garnish a few meals, and it’s really wonderful stuff.

It’d be remiss of me to not mention that I owe a debt to my friend, former chef and mentor Chef Lenny Russo for introducing me to the syrupy apple essence, he’s kind of a genius. 

Harvesting a pine cone

The good clusters always seem to fruit the best on trees that get good sun, sometimes high. 

When to harvest the cones 

This is super important. You’re looking for a very specific stage of growth here: about the size of a grown adults pinky nail.

Any larger and the cones will be a bit too strong for my taste and they should be cut in half, which also means they’ll be slightly desiccated by the preservation and not as picturesque as you see here.

Young red pine cones for jam

To compound matters, at the stage of small growth you want, pine cones (at least the Pinus resinosum cones I prefer for this) seem to not be as bountiful as they will be a few weeks into the growing season.

It’s also important to make sure that you have living cones here, as old and aborted cones from the previous season can fool newbs, and a year-old, dry, crusty pine cone will taste exactly like what it sounds like. You want small young pine cones so young enough that they give between your fingers when pressed. 

Pine cone cider preserves

Reduce the cider and pine cones until the consistency is of warm honey. This is what that will look like. 

I live up north, and this post is going to find a lot of you with your pine trees at a stage too far to make the jam here, but don’t worry. If you only have green, or slightly larger pine cones, those are actually even more versatile than the young, tiny cones I cook with here.

One of the products you can make with green pine cones is one of the finest things that will ever pass your lips (tradtional Italian mugolio or pine cone syrup). If you don’t have pine cones, check for some spruce trees and use the young tips to make spruce tip syrup. 

Pine cone preserves recipe with apple cider molasses

This is a potent, strong-tasting preserve. Eaten by itself it can be too much for most. My advice, after working with it for a few years is to pair it with creamy, fatty things that help cut the richness. Goat cheese in a spreadable form is great, but some brie or creme fraiche can work too. 

Pine cone cider preserves or pine cone varenye with cheese

Serve with creamy, fatty things.

Pine cone preserves recipe with apple cider molasses
Print Recipe
4.86 from 14 votes

Pine Cone-Cider Jam

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.
Prep Time30 mins
Cook Time1 hr 30 mins
Course: Appetizer, Condiment
Cuisine: Georgian, Russian
Keyword: Pine Cones, Preservation
Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • ½ gallon unfiltered apple juice or apple cider The darkest, most unprocessed you can find, preferably will give the darkest syrup. If you want a higher proportion of syrup to pine cones, use 3/4 gal instead of half.
  • ¼ inch piece of cinnamon
  • 2 cloves
  • ¼ cup young pine cones

Instructions

  • 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.

Video

Pine cone-cider jam

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Judy

    May 8, 2021 at 8:25 am

    5 stars
    Amazing!

    Reply
    • Brenda Lohman

      May 18, 2022 at 3:46 pm

      5 stars
      I just make a batch and it was delicious! How long will the picked baby pine cones last before I cook them? Can I store them for a few days or weeks ?

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        May 18, 2022 at 5:15 pm

        Raw, baby pincones can be kept in the fridge where they’ll last for a couple weeks. Vacuum sealed and frozen, they’ll stay for years.

        Reply
  2. Alex

    May 8, 2021 at 4:08 pm

    Help! It’s watery. Do I need to add sugar?

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      May 8, 2021 at 5:15 pm

      No sugar. Watching the video will be helpful here, and the mixture will set better if you leave it overnight.

      Reply
      • Alex

        May 9, 2021 at 2:40 pm

        Thanks Alan. It did finally set. It is very sweet so I’m glad I held off on a panicked addition of sugar. I’m not a huge fan of the cloves and cinnamon since they seem to mask the pine somewhat. They’re also reminiscent of Christmas — of dreaded winter….which I desperately hoping to put behind me! Have you encountered different flavor profiles for this recipe? I’m thinking star anise and black pepper ? Any thoughts?

        Reply
  3. renee

    May 8, 2021 at 8:20 pm

    Can I substitute pinyon cones for pine cones?
    Nor a lot of pines around here but lots of pinyons…

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      May 9, 2021 at 6:20 am

      Probably if they’re at a very young stage of growth similar to what I illustrate here. Other conifer cones (cedar cones) are also used.

      Reply
  4. Nickolay

    May 12, 2021 at 10:44 am

    5 stars
    Really great recipe! I’ve always disliked pine cone varenye because it tastes like extremely bitter pine resin but this recipe is just right. All the pines where I live are huge white pines and we only see the cones when they’re a couple years old, lying on the ground. Is there a way that doesn’t involve climbing ten stories to pick them?

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      May 12, 2021 at 11:33 am

      Thanks Nickolay, yes, there is a reason I don’t have a recipe for the very traditional varenye-I find it a bit too piney too. The cider gives it a nice balance. As far as reaching the cones, I avoid red pines in my area that have had their lower branches trimmed, I look for trees on the edges of woods that get a lot of sun, and have low hanging branches-work like that and you’ll find more than you could ever use.

      Reply
      • Nickolay

        May 12, 2021 at 3:40 pm

        Thank you!

        Reply
  5. Lois J Handel

    May 12, 2021 at 9:08 pm

    5 stars
    Fascinating! Now I gotta go pine cone hunting too! This sounds too good to not try! Thanks so much for posting, you are amazing!

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      May 13, 2021 at 7:16 am

      Thanks Lois

      Reply
  6. Coletta

    May 15, 2021 at 7:28 am

    5 stars
    Hej Alan,
    Your fantastic receipe came after I foraged a jar full of the 😁
    I read in a russian receipe that the secret is to Cook IT up three Times.
    Have YOU ever tried this? And can say now that is Not neccessary?
    Regards,
    Coletta

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      May 15, 2021 at 7:59 am

      I’ve seen it done, but that is with the pure-sugar method. It works, but I prefer the cider.

      Reply
  7. Carla Beaudet

    May 16, 2021 at 11:44 am

    5 stars
    Fascinating! I never considered that pine cones too, have a meristematic stage, but after nibbling the soft flexible tip of greenbrier, complete with thorns that are soft and squishy, I don’t doubt it for an instant. Will look for them, but it is probably too late in the season here.

    P.S. Just ate a full serving of Sam Thayer’s poke bacon, onions and eggs recipe for lunch, and keeping my fingers crossed.

    Reply
  8. Enkela

    May 28, 2021 at 4:42 pm

    I see you didn’t add any sugar. Isn’t it sour??

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      May 28, 2021 at 4:52 pm

      No, it’s not sour. Apple cider is high in sugar. It’s quite sweet.

      Reply
  9. Dan F

    May 29, 2021 at 7:37 pm

    I remember the time you were over here and I gave you your first taste of Mugo pine syrup. It had been sitting out in the sun in a Mason jar for about 3 months.

    I found it very interesting that you mentioned using a dark sugar, because this year, for the first time, it occurred to me to use a dark sugar, too. In my case, I used 1/2 brown sugar and 1/2 white sugar. SOOO much better than white. This year I used some blue spruce tips and some Mugo tips, just because.

    Reply
  10. renee x gustafson

    June 7, 2021 at 5:10 pm

    5 stars
    I used the pinyon cones and it came out excellent, hardly piney with a nice
    tang, definitely will make it again next year, it’s getting kind of late this year
    Renee Gustafson

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      June 7, 2021 at 8:06 pm

      Renee, that’s great. Our red pines in MN and WI I pick still give quite a strong flavor.

      Reply
    • Megan

      April 16, 2022 at 7:54 pm

      Do people actually eat the pinecones in the jam? Is that a weird question ?

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        April 17, 2022 at 5:15 pm

        Yes the pine cones are eaten. It’s one of the coolest parts of this. The flavor is strong though. You have to try them with goat cheese.

        Reply
  11. Debbye

    June 17, 2021 at 6:22 am

    How would it do to add cranberries for a festive look and taste? I have never tried pine cone jam. Its a must now.

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      June 17, 2021 at 12:10 pm

      Hi Debbye, Cranberries would be out of place here.

      Reply
  12. Carolina

    November 26, 2021 at 12:24 pm

    5 stars
    I can’t wait to try this! What time of year do you typically pick the pine cones for this? Would it be in late spring? I’m in northern Oregon and noticed a tree with tiny pine cones in my front yard.

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      November 27, 2021 at 7:44 am

      Early to late spring. Sorry I can’t speak to your local area. In the Midwest I harvest them in May.

      Reply
  13. Helen Persson

    December 9, 2021 at 2:58 am

    Now I’ve tried several different apple ciders that are available in my country. And the reduction always end up very sour-not sweet at all 🙁
    That said-I’ve just reduced 0,5L of cider down, to find the cider type I think would give me a good match. The reason for this experimentation, are because I’ve encountered the sour “problem” in other recipes that call for use of cider reduction.
    Any suggestions for what apple type I should go for. I have the possibility of making my own cider from store bought apples (though this will take a lot of time and a quite some lbs of apples 😉 )
    But I really want to try out this recipe to give as x-mas presents (I picked cones in May,cleaned them and tossed them in the freezer)

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      December 9, 2021 at 11:54 am

      My cider reductions are quite sweet. If you find yours too sour, add a sweetener to taste.

      Reply
      • Helen Persson

        December 12, 2021 at 7:09 am

        Thanks, I’ve been thinking of using a bit glucose or fructose to mellow the malic sourness. I read in an earlier reply not to do this,so great to know I don’t ruin any thing with adding sweetener 😊

        Reply
  14. Marie

    March 8, 2022 at 9:27 pm

    Hey Alan – the vinegar is a nice variation! Did you get the blanching tip from me? I haven’t seen anyone use it, before. There was so little to go in terms of references, when I started making it.

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      March 9, 2022 at 10:59 am

      Hey Marie,
      Yeah I like adding vinegar to preserves that otherwise call for water. After my restaurant closed I supplied another restaurant for a while and the chef was obsessed with pine cones (Thx Rene). so we worked with every species I could gather. The candied cones were so strong by themselves, I think one of his line cooks tried blanching first. We found we liked P resinosum better blanched, but some others were fine straight-up, like balsam fir, which we would actually separate into petals (way too time consuming for me). P. Siberica was so mild we could *almost* takes bites from it raw, although the cones are too large to eat in a bite.

      Reply
  15. Becca Mahoney

    May 1, 2022 at 4:29 pm

    I love in central Alabama. I’ve never seen a brown pine cone that small. The green cones I just picked for Mugolio are 2 inches long, 1 inch at the base and almost solid green. Any suggestions for me? I appreciate your time.

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      May 2, 2022 at 10:03 am

      Hi Becca. I’m picking P. resinosum here, and they’re very small in the spring. Only tiny cones should be used to make varenye. For mugolio you’re on the right track, and you can use any size/species as long as they’re meristematic/young and tender. Cut the cones in half or into quarters and it will make the maceration/fermentation more efficient. Let me know if that’s helpful.

      Reply
  16. Brenda Lohman

    May 22, 2022 at 8:24 am

    Thank you!!

    Reply

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