Do you know how birch sap is extracted ? Surely you only tried this drink, but you never collected it yourself. To correct this situation, we decided to tell you in detail about how to get birch sap correctly.
General information about the drink
Before telling you how to collect birch sap, I want to tell you what this drink is.
Birch sap is a liquid that flows from broken and cut branches and trunks of birch, which occurs as a result of the action of root pressure.
Surely everyone knows that birch (the second name of the drink we are considering) is a very valuable and nutritious product. This is due to the fact that it has a beneficial effect on the entire human body.
The composition of the drink and beneficial properties
In spring, sweet birch sap is extracted due to the fact that it is very rich in vitamins and minerals. Specialists claim that this drink includes the following substances: various sugars, phosphorus, potassium, zirconium, sodium, nickel, calcium, barium, magnesium, strontium, aluminum, copper, manganese, titanium, iron and silicon. Scientists also found traces of nitrogen in it.
They recommend drinking birch sap for vitamin deficiency, diseases of the joints, skin and blood, as well as bronchitis, tonsillitis, pneumonia and other respiratory pathologies.
The use of the drink helps to cleanse the blood, splitting stones in the kidneys and bladder, enhancing metabolism. It also removes toxins and other harmful substances from the body.
Among other things, it’s useful to drink birch sap for diseases of the liver, stomach ulcer, pathologies of the gallbladder, duodenum, low acidity, rheumatism, scurvy, radiculitis, arthritis, headaches, tuberculosis and even sexually transmitted diseases.
When to collect birch sap?
Juice from birch begins in early spring, with the first thaws. This period continues until the buds open. However, it should be noted that the exact time for the release of juice is quite difficult to establish, since it completely depends on weather conditions. Although most collectors claim that the "birch tears" begin to run as early as mid-March.
To independently determine the beginning of the sap flow period, you only need to come into the forest and prick a birch with a thin awl. If after this action droplets of life-giving moisture are shown from the hole, then you can safely proceed to its collection and further preparation.
As a rule, they stop collecting birch sap in the second half of April, when the leaves begin to bloom in the trees.
Features of the collection
How to get birch sap? To collect a large amount of life-giving drink, one should come to the forest before dawn. After all, the most intense sap flow along a tree trunk is observed in the daytime. Therefore, the collection is better to start in the early morning.
Before taking birch sap, measure the diameter of the gauge. It is from this value that how many holes in it can be made will depend. So, if the diameter of the tree is 21-26 cm, then you can pierce it once. If 25-35 cm, then 2 holes are allowed, if 35-40 - 3, and if more than 40 cm, then all 4 can be made.
How to collect birch sap? Devices must be placed near that tree, which is located on the most sun-warmed place. In the future, it is allowed to move deep into the thicket.
As a rule, with one small birch a person can get about 2-3 liters of a life-giving drink per day. If you find a large tree, then it will give you about 7 liters of juice, or even more.
It is best to collect the juice in the place where the ambush deforestation or grove is planned. It is strictly forbidden to take a drink from young trees.
Due to the fact that the roots of birch are deep in the ground, it is not able to absorb poisons from surface soil. In this regard, all the places where birch trees grow are ideal for collecting juice. However, experienced collectors argue that this process is best carried out in ecologically clean forests. This is due to the fact that the tree itself can quite easily absorb exhaust gases and other harmful substances.
Basic rules for collecting a life-giving drink
How to collect birch sap without harm to the tree itself? Unfortunately, few people ask this question. In this regard, we decided to remind you of the basic rules for the collection of a life-giving drink, which will save the plant from further decay and death, and will also contribute to the efficient extraction of juice:
- It is forbidden to "pump up" the first tree that comes across, simply chopping it with an ax, and then leaving an open wound on the trunk.
- Young trees cannot be used to harvest healthy natural juice.
- The hole for collecting the drink is best done on the north side. This is where there is more juice.
- Before taking birch sap, a shallow incision should be made in the trunk. However, experienced collectors argue that it is best to drill a hole in it with a gimlet, and then insert a groove or a tube through which, in fact, the liquid will drain into the container.
- Another effective way of picking birch sap without harming the tree is the “branch” method. Reaching the twig, a small part should be cut from it, and then lowered into the prepared container.
- After the collection of life-giving moisture is completed, it is necessary to densely cover the incision or hole with wax, plasticine or laundry soap. It can also be plugged with cork or stuffed with moss. These actions will protect the tree from the possible penetration of bacteria and fungi, which often cause rotting of the trunk.
How is birch sap extracted?
Before proceeding with the direct collection of birch sap, prepare the correct packaging. Her choice must be approached selectively. Previously, this drink was collected in special barrels made of birch bark. However, today most people use ordinary glass jars for this, and sometimes even plastic bottles.
So how is birch sap extracted? Before this process, the tree trunk is cut, chipped or drilled. The cut is best done 40-50 cm from the ground. In this case, the knife or awl should be directed from the bottom up. The depth of the hole should be about 2-3 cm. If the tree is very thick, then this recess must be increased.
Having made a slot, a gutter or some other semicircular device is inserted into it. It is on it that the juice will drain into the prepared container.
After completing the process, you should definitely take care of the tree itself. The cut site is carefully covered with wax, moss or cork.
By the way, after the recent cutting of birches, juice can also be collected from stumps that have not yet decayed.
What devices for collecting birch sap exist?
Now you know how to collect birch sap. The facilities for such an event may be different. You are unlikely to get them in the store. However, you can easily make them yourself. To do this, it is allowed to use completely different containers (bottles, cans), tubules, gutters, funnels, plaits, ropes, etc. By the way, it is the correctly selected device that will provide you with a lot of delicious birch sap.
How to store?
Now you know how to extract birch sap. But this knowledge is not enough to preserve the collected drink. After all, if you do not want to use it immediately, it should be preserved. Otherwise, it will soon deteriorate and become unusable. In this regard, we decided to present you some recipes.
Workpiece Recipes
The first way. Pure three-liter jars are sterilized over steam and then filled with a freshly picked drink. For every 0.5 liters of juice, add an incomplete dessert spoon of glucose or ordinary sugar, as well as 2 raisins, washed in cold water, and a little lemon zest. Glass containers close the lid. After a few days, you will get a very pleasant and sour carbonated drink, which is best stored in the refrigerator.
The second way . Before preserving birch sap, it is heated in an enamel bowl to 80 degrees, and then poured into glass jars or large bottles. Filled containers are sealed with lids or stoppers with osmolka. The containers are placed in water and sterilized over low heat for ¼ hour. Ready juice is stored in the basement or cellar for no more than 5 months.
The third way. To preserve birch sap for a long time, kvass is often made from it. To do this, a freshly picked drink is heated to 35 degrees, and then several granules of yeast and 3 raisins (per 1 liter of liquid) are added. Also, sugar and lemon zest are added to kvass to taste. Finally, the filled jar or bottle is closed and left at room temperature for 1-2 weeks. After this time, the drink is filtered and stored in the refrigerator.
Now you know how to properly process birch sap at home. However, in any case, it is required to be stored only in a cool room.
Analogs of birch sap
How to make birch sap and store it correctly, we have described above. However, few people know that in spring sap flow occurs in all trees. Although not all plants can be mined. The practical use was a drink that is collected from ash and sugar maple (American).
In our country, maple juice is extracted very rarely. And its volume is quite difficult to compare with birch. This is due to the fact that sugar maple grows only in North America, while other species are not so fast growing that they give a large amount of a life-giving drink.
In the northeastern United States, as well as in southeastern Canada, maple juice is used very widely. As a rule, it is used to obtain sweet syrup, which is often consumed with pancakes and added to various confectionery products.
To summarize
In this article we answered in detail the question of how to make birch sap tasty and store it for a long time, and also discussed how it should be extracted without harm to the trees. Thanks to these tips, you will definitely get a very tasty and healthy drink that will quench your thirst well and saturate the body with minerals and organic acids. Do not forget to “heal” the slender beauty and treat the wound so that the tree does not die.