This is a super rare treat!! Green pine cones are a windfall - literally!  They often grow at the tops af very tall trees, and I have been able to find them only after a strong storm knocks some down.  Their green period is brief - from spring to early summer.  Currently I am working on a batch of baby white pine cones.  We had some really windy storms that brought down several of the topmost branches, and the timing was right!

The mugolio is an intensely flavored syrup made from fermented green pine cones. It's called mugolio because it traditionally uses the muga pine - but it can be made with a variety of pine cones!  I have used red and white pine cones, and also some from a spiny pine tree in North Carolina. The liquid is drawn entirely from the pine cones themselves.

There is also the pine cone syrup made after the mugolio is poured off. To make a gentler flavored pine cone syrup, water and sugar are added to the pine cones and boiled down several times over. The flavors remain intact but are softer.

Not wanting to waste a drop of the good flavors, I also keep the pine cones afterwards and let them steep in plain water or seltzer - it makes a wonderful and refreshing drink!

To make all this, I started by collecting fresh, green pine cones - They're so hard to find when they're green!! Then I covered them in turbinado sugar and stored them in a dark, cool pantry for several months, checking in on them periodically to release the build up of pressure. They smelled so wonderful!! Finally it was time to drain the pine cones and bring the natural, amazing syrup to a boil, before pouring it into a sterilized jar.

The flavors of the mugolio are complicated and intense!! I'm still trying to come up with all the right words to describe it. "Wow" definitely comes to mind first! It's strong and woodsy-piney, with its sweetness balanced really well by nicely tangy and slightly bitter notes. It has a somewhat medicinal tone to it, and from what I read, plenty of health benefits.

The flavors of the pine cone syrup are delightful, it's like you can't get enough! There's still that piney taste, but it's gentle. It is slightly tangy but also has a definite hint of honey flavor. I can see why some call this pine honey! So good!!

Enjoy! I'd love to hear about your favorite ways of using these!

• Refrigerate after opening

• Gently heat as needed

• Wipe jar rim clean after use

NB : This is poured through a fine filter after boiling, but small flecks of nature do show up in some jars. (Especially in the mugolio)