After my less-than-stellar morel hunt last weekend I needed to forage something more gratifying. It’s the perfect time for spruce tips. Pretty much all the spruce trees in town are boasting bright green tips with brown papery casings. I ventured as far as my yard to collect a pound of them. They required very little processing; just remove the papery casings and you’re good to go.

I’ve never been quite sure what to make with these edibles. I’m not much for tea or jelly. I wanted something savory.

I first referenced the Goddess of Alaska Forests, Laurie Constantino, and made a delectable dip with mayo, Greek yogurt, lemon juice and minced spruce tips. It was perfect for the garlic bread crusts I had leftover on my dinner plate last night.

Recently a friend of mine told me about a Juneau-based blog that’s all about foraging Alaska edibles. There was an intriguing recipe for spruce tip gnocchi. I had to try it.

I don’t have a potato ricer so I used the smallest grate on my cheese grater. I gently combined the ingredients with my fingertips until a dough formed, then I shaped the dough into a 1.5-inch-thick rectangle and cut the rectangle into 1.5-inch strips.

I rolled each strip lightly in flour, and ever so gently rolled them into 1-inch logs. Then I cut the logs on a bias into 1.5-inch pieces.

This was one of the best foraging meals I’ve ever made. My husband gave it a rave review saying it was the best gnocchi he’s eaten.

The potato pasta was pillowy and had a subtle sprucy fragrance. I omitted the peas and served it alongside grilled asparagus.

SO GOOD. I’ll definitely be making it again.

Thanks to Foodabe.com for inspiring me to use this plentiful Alaska resource. Click here for the recipe.

Check out my other Alaska foraging posts:

• Morels
• Devil’s club pesto
• Birch simple syrup
• Fireweed shoots
• Fiddlehead ferns
• Boletus mushrooms