How to collect birch sap - instructions, tips, videos, photos? Rules for collecting birch sap
Birch juice is loved by many since childhood. In addition to its excellent taste, it is also very useful. Unfortunately, today it is practically not found in the store. But do not get upset, birch juice can be collected independently. It's not as difficult as it might seem at first. When, where and how to collect birch sap - this is what this article is about.
Where and when to collect birch sap?
The sap flow starts in early spring, with the firstthaws. It stops before the buds blossom and the first leaves appear. It is this period that is used to collect the term. Usually this is from mid-March to mid-April. It is more difficult to determine in advance, everything depends on the weather conditions in each particular year. If, after a thaw, frosts suddenly hit, the sap movement may stop for a while and then start again. And in well-lit places, the birches come to life even when the snow is still around. To determine with the beginning of collection of juice, it is enough to make a puncture with a thin awl on a tree with a barrel thick in the hand. If immediately there are droplets of liquid - collection and subsequent workpiece can begin.
Collecting birch sap is better in ecologically clean places, away from the city and industrial zone. Although the roots are birch and go deep into the ground, not absorbing poisons from the top layers of the soil.
Rules for collecting birch juice and step by step instructions
The first thing to remember about when deciding to collectbirch sap, this is something that in no case can damage the tree. After all, we are still applying a painful wound to the birch. If it is done wrong, too deep, the tree will perish. So, let's enumerate the basic rules of how to collect birch sap:
Do not use an ax. The ideal option is a drill with a drill 5-10 mm in diameter. Such a hole will heal without a trace by the next spring. Some people prefer to make a small vertical cut with a sharp knife moving from the bottom up.
The amount of juice collected from one tree is notshould be more than 2-3 liters. It is this lost amount of birch that easily compensates. If it is more - the tree is likely to die. It is better to increase the number of trees from which you collect juice.
At the end of the procedure, heal the wound. It can be greased with a garden wax, a natural wax or an appropriate size wooden plug. Thus, the drilled hole will heal very quickly and painlessly for the birch.
Extraction of birch sap
First, we prepare the dishes for collection of birchjuice. In the old days special tueski from the birch bark was made for this purpose. It was believed that the properties of the juice are best preserved in them. Today, for this, use glass jars and plastic bottles (of course, from food plastic).
The selected tree with a barrel diameter is not less than20 cm from the south side is a slot at a height of 40-50 cm from the ground. The depth of the slot is no more than 2-3 cm. It should be located at an inclination of about 45 degrees to the ground for better drainage. After that, a groove made of plastic or aluminum is inserted into the resulting hole, through which the juice flows into the container. You can simply, as in the old days, use a bunch of last year's dry grass. Through it, thanks to the capillary effect, the juice flows right into the vessel, without losing a drop. Naturally, the grass should be clean.
Sap flow is most active in the daytime. Therefore, it is recommended to check and drain the juice 3 times a day - in the morning, in the afternoon and in the evening. At the same time, juice flows first very intensely, but the tree tries to cover the wound. Therefore, gradually the intensity decreases. Do not try to re-drill a hole. It is better to leave this birch in peace and choose the next one. And even different birches differ in different capacities.
Now you have learned how to collect birch sap. Having done everything right, you will receive a completely natural, wholesome drink. You can drink it fresh, make billets, make moonshine, kvass, braga, wine.
