How to drink birch sap? Ways of using and preparing birch juice at home
Leaves, bark, birch buds are used by mana long time ago. Besides this tree gives us a wonderful product - birch sap. This transparent liquid, which looks very similar to water, is obtained at the very beginning of spring, until the very first leaves are dissolved. The ways of collecting the juice are quite simple. For this, cuts are made on the trunk of the tree, through which the healing liquid flows. It's enough just to collect it. If you do everything according to the recommendations, from one birch you can collect 2-3 liters of juice, with no harm to the tree. Let's figure out why and how to drink birch sap?
Composition of birch sap
The composition of birch sap is very rich. It includes vitamins and minerals, organic acids, essential oils, tannins, fruit sugars, saponins, and also chemical elements - magnesium, calcium, copper, sodium, potassium, manganese, etc. Thus, the benefits of using birch sap are obvious. It is shown to adults and children, both healthy and those who suffer from various diseases - metabolic disorders, ulcer and urolithiasis, rheumatism, radiculitis, gout, etc. The calorie content of the juice is only 24 kcal per 100 g, it can be drunk with losing weight . It is good to drink juice in the heat, it perfectly quenches thirst.
Tips on how to drink birch sap
You can drink birch sap in the first place,of course, in fresh, natural form without the addition of sugar. It is in this form that it is most useful. It is colorless and has a soft, pleasant, slightly sweet taste. Freshly picked birch juice is stored in the refrigerator in a glass bowl for a short time - about 2 days. But, since it is extracted only in the spring, it becomes necessary to prepare it for a long period of time. For this, there are several methods that have long been used by man.
Freezing. Freshly picked birch sap is poured over small portions and goes to the refrigerator. The easiest and fastest way to prepare birch juice for future use.
Preservation at home. To do this, the juice is filtered, boiled with the addition of citric acid and sugar. Then it is poured into prepared sterilized cans and is packaged. The method is simple enough and not laborious. To save tare and place, concentrate is also prepared. For this, the raw material is evaporated on low heat until its volume is reduced by 3-4 times. When using concentrate diluted with clean water.
Tinctures. Their recipes include alcohol. Most often it is purified alcohol or vodka, which are introduced in certain proportions. In tinctures you can add mint, spices, berries, etc. Insist birch sap also on needles. It turns out delicious and healthy drink.
Moonshine, braga, kvass, wine. All this can be prepared from fermented birch sap. For this, there are special technologies that have been tested by time and people's experience. They are quite laborious and troublesome, and they will also require considerable time. But in the end you can get an original and unusual product, which will certainly surprise the guests.
So, on the question of how to drink birch sap,there are many answers. You can use it fresh and prepare for future use for a long time. In all variants it will be useful and tasty. In addition, birch sap is widely used in cosmetology. They can wipe their face, rinse their hair, prepare lotions on its basis, etc. Birch juice preparations can also be used for this, which can be used throughout the year.
