On hot summer days, a soft drink instead of soda is the best solution. Birch kvass with raisins is especially tasty. This drink quenches thirst well and has many beneficial properties. It is prepared very simply even with your own hands. The basis for such a drink can be not only flour and malt, but also berries, fruits and other natural ingredients.
Useful properties of kvass
Kvass on birch sap with raisins refreshes well in the heat and has a beneficial effect on the body. The drink is good for the digestive tract, removes toxins and has a diuretic effect. Kvass is able to prevent the development of many diseases. Birch sap contains:
- magnesium;
- iron;
- organic acids;
- calcium salts;
- trace elements and a whole complex of vitamins.
Birch sap helps restore immunity after winter and improves blood circulation. During fermentation, the beneficial properties of the drink are not lost. Birch sap well knocks down temperature and helps with headaches. Nectar has proven itself in the treatment of bronchitis, tonsillitis and tuberculosis and has a healing effect. Birch sap is very useful for impaired renal function and urinary tract diseases.
Nectar accelerates the metabolism. Birch sap helps to heal joints and removes puffiness, has a beneficial effect on the skin. When preparing kvass from nectar, many of the listed properties are preserved. But only if the ingredient is collected away from the city, and the prepared drink is stored only in the refrigerator.
What birches can be used to collect juice from?
In order for kvass from birch sap with raisins to be made without preservatives, the ingredients need to be collected by yourself. Birch sap is best taken in forests located far from the city. Older trees are already selected to collect nectar. But at night there is no movement of juice, so it is collected in the morning. A birch with a circumference of approximately 25 cm is selected.
To collect juice, a small incision is made in the cortex, slightly affecting the trunk. The excavation should be done at a height of half a meter from the ground. Then a small groove or tube is inserted into the incision. After collecting the juice, the notch is necessarily covered with mud, clay, moss or other (but preferably only natural) substances.
The classic recipe for kvass from birch juice with raisins
To prepare a classic birch kvass with raisins you will need:
- 10 liters of natural nectar collected in the forest;
- 500 g of granulated sugar;
- 50 pcs. dried raisins.
Cooking method
Harvested birch nectar is cleaned of microscopic pieces of wood. To do this, the juice is filtered through gauze, folded in several rows. Then the raisins are washed and dried. Birch nectar mixes with granulated sugar. Stirred until it is completely dissolved. Then raisins are added. The container in which the kvass is prepared, is torn with a rag lid and cleaned into a room with a temperature of approximately 22 degrees.
The drink should ferment for three days. After that, it is filtered again. It is poured into bottles and cleaned in the refrigerator.
Kvass recipe with honey
The recipe for birch kvass with raisins and honey is very simple. The resulting drink helps prevent colds and has antibacterial agents. To prepare you will need:
- 10 liters of birch sap;
- 3 lemons;
- 4 raisins;
- 50 g of live fresh yeast;
- 40 g of liquid honey.
Cooking
Birch sap is peeled and filtered through cheesecloth. Lemons are squeezed and added to nectar. Then yeast, honey and raisins are poured out. The resulting mixture is thoroughly mixed and bottled in jars or bottles. The container is tightly corked and stored in a cold place. Souring lasts four days.
Coffee Bean Kvass Recipe
Birch kvass with raisins can be prepared with coffee beans. This will require:
- 2.5 l of birch sap;
- 3 slices of stale Borodino bread ;
- 100 g of granulated sugar;
- a small handful of raisins;
- the same portion of coffee beans.
Process
A frying pan is put on the fire. Oil is not poured. Coffee beans are roasted. The bread is cut into pieces and dried in the oven a little. Raisins are washed and dried. For starter culture a three-liter jar is used. All ingredients are placed in it and poured with birch sap. To determine the fermentation of the drink, a medical glove is pulled over the neck and pierced with a needle. Capacity is kept warm. Kvass begins fermentation in 2-3 days. In this case, the glove is inflated. When it subsides, the drink is filtered and put in the refrigerator. It is better not to touch kvass for several days, as it should be infused.
How else can you cook birch kvass?
Birch kvass with raisins can be prepared with slices of orange. For this, classic ingredients are used with the addition of sprigs of mint, lemon balm and 10 g of yeast. They are ground with sugar. Then the remaining ingredients are added, mixed and fermented for two days.
Very tasty, nutritious and saturated with vitamins is obtained birch kvass, which is prepared with the addition of dried fruits. And for a more interesting taste, you can add a little barberry. All ingredients are mixed and the drink roams for four days.
Useful Tips
In order to prepare high-quality kvass, birch nectar must be thoroughly cleaned of wood debris. To do this, juice is filtered through cheesecloth. Kvass on birch nectar should be prepared only from nectar collected in the forest outside the city. Since exhaust fumes and smog are reflected on raw materials taken from trees.
For starter culture, it is better not to use plastic containers. Glass containers (can be made in 3- or 5-liter jars) or enameled dishes are best suited. You can store cooked birch kvass with raisins for no longer than 120 days. Large dark raisins are best suited for the drink. And to make a drink better in the early spring, so that it insists on the summer. Birch kvass is great for okroshka.
A drink with the addition of honey is best done in the fall. Such kvass helps maintain immunity in the winter. To do this, in a drink prepared at any time of the year, you can add medicinal herbs. Kvass should be stored only in the refrigerator.