Eat Your Christmas Tree Instead of Throwing Them, Chefs Say This Boosts Vitamin C

With the end of the holidays, households are taking down their Christmas trees. However, rather than throwing them away, chefs suggest eating this unsupposed vitamin C source instead.

Christmas Tree for Post-Holiday Menu

According to Daily Star, expert chefs propose including the Christmas tree as part of the post-holiday menu. This will, in turn, boost vitamin C within the body. Not to mention, it also leads to good effects for the earth.

These chefs recon that it is fine to eat the entire thing as long as the tree is organic. The tree can be used for virtually any recipe, whether gins or ice cream.

Express reports how René Redzepi, chef of a three-Michelin-starred Noma resto in Copenhagen, has included pine needles in his recipes for two decades. Redzepi notes that such needles can be thought of as rosemary that can be added to almost anything.

An executive chef from a Michelin-starred Ritz resto, John Williams, also expresses how the tree's needles, which are spicy and fragrant, can help boost celeriac flavor along with other ingredients.

The Christmas tree needles can also be used for pickling eggs and vegetables. They can also be used for infusion or among several drinks.

Other than that, pine ash can be made by cooking tree parts in an oven until they get charred. After that, the remnants can be ground or blended. This will end up with a black powder that can be used to flavor dishes.

Julia Georgallis, a baker and the author behind How to Eat Your Christmas Tree, also expresses how the entire thing can be eaten.

An Unforeseen Source of Vitamin C

According to Inverse, a pine tree- mostly used as a Christmas tree- is a superb vitamin C source. Because how vitamin C is rich in its white pine, survivalists and preppers deem it as a favorite tree for them to eat. In fact, vitamin C from the tree can be taken by chewing on the inner bark or brewing tea made from its needles.

To come up with this tea, all that needs to be done is to gather some needles, slice them finely, and boil them for a couple of minutes. The water will then turn light yellow, signifying that the tea is ready.

On the other hand, the inner bark can be taken, dried, roasted, or fresh. If eaten fresh, it may have a texture and sweetness that is similar to that of coconut meat that is also expressed. Alternatively, it can also be fried or roasted to create delicious dishes. In fact, Inverse notes that the bark can be sliced into strips, boiled, and used as the base for some rustic pasta.

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