Outwardly, cone jam resembles liquid honey. But his taste is different – sweet, but with a tarry note and a slight bitterness. Boiled cones can also be eaten. They are very soft, juicy and resemble candy. The cones retain a pleasant coniferous aroma.

No one will remain indifferent to this original delicacy. Especially children:



What to make jam from

• 1 kg of young cones (pine cones are best, but spruce or larch will do as well);
• water;
• 1 kg of sugar.

From the indicated amount of ingredients, you will get about 2 liters of jam.

Where and when to collect cones

For jam, you need green soft bumps that are easy to pierce with a fingernail or cut with a knife. They should be no longer than 3-4 cm.

Do not collect cones in the city, near roads or industrial establishments. Go to the forest and try to look for young trees.

The second half of June is the optimal time for collecting cones, but it may vary depending on the region. In warm regions, cones can be collected already at the end of spring, and in cold regions – until mid-July. It also depends on how late the summer was.

Sometimes cones are sold in the market. If you have no doubts about their origin, buy. But first, carefully inspect the product.

How to make cone jam

Some prefer to boil the buds once, but for a long time. And yet it is better to prepare a dessert in several stages. So the jam will turn out to be more saturated and fragrant, and the cones will be saturated with syrup and become tastier.

Rinse the buds thoroughly to remove dust and any contaminants. If they still have stalks, then cut them off with scissors. Fill the cones with clean water so that it covers them by 1.5–2 cm.

Place the pot with the cones over medium heat and bring to a boil. Then remove it from the heat, cover with a lid and let it brew for 12-15 hours.

Drain the water from the cones. You should get about 1 liter of liquid, but it can be less or more. This amount must be known in order to determine the exact weight of sugar. For 100 ml of infusion take 100 g of sugar. Pour the infusion back into the pot with the cones and cover them with sugar.

Put on moderate heat, bring to a boil and cook for another 5 minutes, skimming off the foam from time to time.

After that, remove the pan from the heat and leave the jam under the lid for 10 hours. Then bring to a boil again, boil for 5 minutes and refrigerate for another 10 hours.

Repeat cooking again, but do not cool the jam.

Thus, after infusion, the cones should be boiled three times. It is convenient to do this, for example, according to the following scheme:

• the first cooking – in the morning;
• the second cooking – in the evening;
• the third brew is the next morning.

If you make 2-3 more approaches, the jam will become even richer.

Put the cones on the bottom of the jars and fill with syrup. After it cools completely, it will thicken. Jars with jam can be closed with nylon lids and stored in the refrigerator. Or roll up and put in a dark cool place.

What is the use of cone jam

Contained in cones Essential oils are anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.

Therefore, many people use cone jam to relieve fever, bronchitis, coughs and runny nose.

On the forums, people share such tips for taking sweet medicine:

• For prevention, adults are recommended to eat no more than 2 tablespoons of jam per day, and children over 3 years old – no more than 2 teaspoons.
• For treatment, adults are advised to use 1 tablespoon of jam three times a day, and children over 3 years old – 1 teaspoon.

Things to remember before eating jam

Jam can cause allergies, especially in children. So try a little at first. If after a day signs of allergy do not appear, you can safely eat dessert further.

Pregnant and lactating women, as well as people suffering from kidney disease, should consult a doctor before use. You should also not lean on the delicacy and those who have diabetes.