How birch sap is extracted: rules and adaptations

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Do you know how birch sap is extracted? Surely you have only tried this drink, but you have never collected it yourself. To remedy this situation, we decided to tell you in detail about how to properly extract birch sap.

General information about the drink

Before telling you about how birch sap is collected, I would like to tell you what this drink is.

Birch sap is a liquid that flows from broken and cut birch branches and trunks, which occurs as a result 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.

Composition of the drink and useful properties

Sweet birch sap is harvested in spring due to the fact that it is very rich in vitamins and minerals. Experts say that this drink includes the following substances: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.

Birch sap is recommended to drink for beriberi, diseases of the joints, skin and blood, as well as for bronchitis, tonsillitis, pneumonia and other pathologies of the respiratory system.

Drinking the drink helps cleanse the blood, break down stones in the kidneys and bladder, and increase metabolism. It also removes toxins and other harmful substances from the body.

Among other things, birch sap is good for drinking in diseases of the liver, stomach ulcers, pathologies of the gallbladder, duodenum, low acidity, rheumatism, scurvy, sciatica, arthritis, headaches, tuberculosis and even sexually transmitted diseases.

When to collect birch sap?

Juice production 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 of juice release is quite difficult to establish, since it completely depends on weather conditions. Although most gatherers claim that "birch tears" begin to run as early as mid-March.

To independently determine the beginning of the sap flow period, you just need to come to the forest and prick a birch with a thin awl. If after this action droplets of life-giving moisture appear from the hole, then you can safely proceed to its collection and further harvesting.

Usuallycollecting birch sap is stopped already in the second half of April, when the leaves begin to bloom on the trees.

Collection Features

How to extract birch sap? In order to collect a large amount of a life-giving drink, you should come to the forest before dark. After all, the most intense sap flow along the tree trunk is observed during daylight hours. Therefore, it is better to start collecting early in the morning.

Before you take birch sap, you should measure the diameter of the valve. It is from this value that the number of holes in it can be made will depend. So, if the diameter of the tree is 21-26 cm, then it can be pierced once. If 25-35 cm, then it is allowed to make 2 holes, if 35-40 - 3, and if more than 40 cm, then all 4.

How to collect birch sap? Devices must be placed near the tree that is located in the place most warmed by the sun. In the future, it is allowed to move deeper into the thicket.

As a rule, from 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 approximately 7 liters of juice, or even more.

It is best to collect juice in the place where you plan to quickly cut down a forest or grove. It is strictly forbidden to take a drink from young trees.

Due to the fact that the birch roots are deep in the ground, it is not able to absorb poisons from the surface soil. In this regard, all places where birch trees grow are ideal for collecting sap. However, experienced gatherers say that it is best to carry out this process 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 harming the tree itself? Unfortunately, few people ask this question. In this regard, we decided to remind you of the basic rules for collecting a life-giving drink, which will save the plant from further decay and death, as well as 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 should not be used to harvest he althy natural juice.
• It is better to make a hole for collecting a drink from the north side. This is where most juice happens.
• Before taking birch sap, a shallow incision should be made in the trunk. However, experienced collectors say 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 to collect birch sap without damaging the tree is the "branch" method. Reaching for the branch, cut off a small part from it, and then lower it into the prepared container.
• After the collection of life-giving moisture is completed, it is necessary to tightlycover the incision or hole with wax, plasticine or laundry soap. It can also be plugged with a cork or clogged 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, you should prepare the correct container. 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 notched, notched or drilled. It is better to make a slot 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 chute or some other semicircular device is inserted into it. It is through it that the juice will flow into the prepared container.

After the process is complete, be sure to take care of the tree itself. The cut is carefully closed with wax, moss or cork.

By the way, after the recent felling of birch trees, sap can also be collected from stumps that have not yet decayed.

What birch sap collection devices are there?

Now you know how the collection is donebirch sap. Devices for such an event may be different. You won't be able to buy them in the store. However, you can easily make them yourself. To do this, it is allowed to use completely different containers (bottles, cans), tubes, gutters, funnels, bundles, ropes, etc. By the way, it is the right device that will provide you with a lot of delicious birch sap.

How to store?

Now you know how birch sap is extracted. But this knowledge is not enough to save the collected drink. After all, if you do not want to use it immediately, it should be canned. Otherwise, it will deteriorate very soon and become unusable. In this regard, we decided to present you with several recipes.

Recipes for blanks

The first way. Clean three-liter jars are sterilized over steam, and then filled with 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. The glass container is closed with a lid. After a few days, you'll have a very palatable and sour fizzy drink that's best kept in the refrigerator.

Second way. Before conserving birch sap, it is heated in enamelware to 80 degrees, and then poured into glass jars or bottles. Filled containers are sealed with lids or stoppers with resin. The containers are placed in water and sterilized over low heat for ¼ hour. Readyjuice is stored in the basement or cellar for no more than 5 months.

Third way. In order 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 a few yeast granules and 3 raisins are added (per 1 liter of liquid). Sugar and lemon zest are also 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 must be stored only in a cool room.

Analogues of birch sap

How to make birch sap and store it properly, we described above. However, few people know that in spring sap flow occurs in all trees. Although not from all plants it can be extracted. A drink that is harvested from ash-leaved and sugar maple (American) has received practical application.

In our country, maple sap is very rare. And its volume is quite difficult to compare with birch. This is because the sugar maple grows only in North America, while other species are not fast enough growing to produce a large amount of life-giving drink.

In the northeastern United States, as well as in the southeastern Canada, maple sap is used very widely. As a rule, it is used to obtain a sweet syrup, which is often consumed with pancakes andadded to various confectionery products.

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 harming trees. Thanks to these tips, you will definitely get a very tasty and he althy drink that will quench your thirst well and saturate the body with minerals and organic acids. Do not forget to "treat" the slender beauty and treat the wound so that the tree does not die.