Not all Spruce Needles are Equal (in nutrition)

When the snow covers the ground, and necessary plant nutrition is sparse, the spruce tree will provide antioxidants, fiber, magnesium and other phytonutrients. One of the top skin cancer medications is derived from the spruce tree; this should come as no surprise as the trees cells must guard from the suns rays beating down on it all year long.

I pulverize the tip, pick out any woody cores, and simply eat the mashed needle and bark raw. There some toxins in the plant - like tannins- but the benefits outweigh any toxic effects and the ends have fewer toxins.

Not all spruce needles are equally as nutritious. The brighter, plumper, fresher, and "juicer" appearing needles have far more nutrients than the dark, dry, thin, ones that are behind the former. Pick the same years fresh tips only for consumption; the darker needles preceeding the tips have little to negative nutritional value.

In spring, the light green, soft, fresh growth buds are chock full of sour vitamine C. At this stage, they have yet to develop the defensive tanins and other bitter chemicals of mature growth. The whole bud is also soft and easly chewed with your teeth. You can also gather a whole buch and pulverize in a mortar and pestle.