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Luke our Newfoundland helped to keep a couple bears away while she was picking the tips, he loves the syrup too. Here is her recipe.
Spruce Tip Syrup/Honey
Ingredients and equipment: Spruce tips, sugar, sterilized canning jars and lids (I'm fanatical about this), Straining cloth and lg.colander, canning vessel. You will not be pressure canning, just using a water bath technique.
For anyone who has not done this, I recommend getting a Ball or Kerr canning book and follow procedure. Yeah, you can also look it up online but use an approved procedure, not someone's grandma's way, who always did it that way and never had a problem.
Gather spruce tips when very young and the "brown paper husk" is on or just falling off. You do not have to remove the paper as you will wash the tips and later strain so they won't be in your syrup. Some people gather tips when they are longer but I find there is less color and flavor to the end product. I think the younger tips produces a better color, more clarity and flavor. There are recipes that call for a small amount of alum. I don't find it necessary and since it is not a healthy thing, I don't use it.
Put your tips in a colander and rinse off well in cold water. Measure and put into a large vessel. For every 4 cups tips add 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, turn down and simmer for two hours, covered. Turn off heat and let sit overnight.
I pull out handfuls of tips and squeeze the juices out, then run the juice through a cloth strainer fitted over a colander.
Measure your juice, pour into a large vessel and here is the formula:
Thick syrup, about the consistency of honey....1 part juice/2parts sugar.
Stir well, bring to a boil, simmer about 1/2 hour (this will produce a nice color and clarity)...boil hard for 10 min.
Pour into sterilized, prepared jars (jelly size) and process in water bath for 15 min. (20 min. for pint size)
it is ok to just let the syrup cool and do the canning the next day but you will have to bring it back to a boil. Be very careful when this boils...when you stir it, it will bubble up about three times the amount in your pot so use a big one!
Sometimes I get a lighter pinkish color, this year my syrup is very dark amber. Every time it is a little different and I keep good notes to see what may be different. As near as I can figure, color and flavor is probably determined by the age of the tips you pick, where they grow and how long you boil/simmer. The year I followed a recipe to the T, it was very pale, a bit cloudy and thin. It was still very good but this method seems to constently produce the best...in my opinion. I have seen syrups that are so pale they are a milky green. They are ok but not nearly as flavorful. Have fun and experiment! You can also make candied, tips, shortbread, candy, all sorts of stuff. Google it!
