How to properly collect birch sap? Where and at what time is the best time to do this? The benefits and harms of such a drink. When is the best time to collect birch sap?

Birch tears or how to properly collect birch sap

Slender white birch trees have been inspiring poets and writers to create masterpieces for centuries. Birch trees not only delight the eye, but also serve as a source of microelements, proteins, acids and vitamins. Every person has tried birch sap at least once, but you need to collect it carefully so as not to cause irreparable harm to the birch tree. Unfortunately, not everyone knows how to properly collect birch sap.

First you need to know when you can collect birch sap. The season for extracting birch sap opens at the end of March and ends in April. As it warms up, you should gradually move from the edge to the depths of the forest, where the forest wakes up from hibernation much later. An injection is made with a thin awl on the birch trunk; if sap oozes from the wound, then you can begin to systematically collect it.

Preparing to collect juice. You need to take several plastic bottles with you, since they have a narrow neck, and insects, dust and small leaves will not get into them. Be sure to take a hand drill or a battery-powered drill to make a neat hole in the barrel. You cannot make a cut with an ax, this destroys the birch, very often the tree dies from such a procedure. Be sure to make small plugs with which you will later close the holes you made. To collect the juice, you can take a soft string, a piece of cloth, or just a clean bunch of grass.

Extraction How to properly collect birch sap is a whole science. The tree must be chosen old enough so that it can heal the wound. Once all the preparations have been made, we proceed directly to collecting the juice. We choose a tree, preferably slightly inclined, to make it easier to collect the sap. We make a small hole in the trunk with a drill and firmly attach the bottle with a cloth (rope or grass) to the trunk. Three times a day we go to check the bottles and collect the juice. It is best to drill 5 or 6 trees rather than draining all the sap from one tree. The intensity of sap flow varies from tree to tree; as soon as the volume of sap produced decreases, the tree needs to be replaced.

Helping the Tree As soon as you leave the tree, it needs to be helped to heal the wound. Carefully insert the plug that you prepared in advance into the hole. Birch has already begun preparing to heal the wound, and your help will make the healing process quick. If you understand how to collect birch sap correctly, next year you will not find the place where it was taken from.

Storage Birch sap is best drunk fresh, then it will retain all the beneficial substances and vitamins in full. If you have a cellar in your house, or preferably an icebox, then the juice will be stored for quite a long time without losing its qualities. It is not recommended to seal birch sap in jars or pasteurize it. If you want to try it, the recipe for making it is extremely simple: it is made in the same way as regular kvass, only instead of water, birch sap is added, and the product turns out to be much more useful than simple kvass. Birch sap helps treat acne and tightens pores on the face, so you can freeze it into “birch ice” and use it as needed.

Strengthens the immune system, increases the body's resistance. Birch sap will relieve you of depression and fatigue. The juice destroys kidney and liver stones, improves metabolic processes, cleanses the blood, and reduces blood pressure. For pregnant women, birch sap is simply irreplaceable.

If you know how to properly collect birch sap, take care of the trees, and do not take more sap from them than they can give you, nature will generously give you useful vitamins, minerals and trace elements for the health of you and your family.

Birch sap - healing and healing gift nature, it contains a huge amount of useful substances and microelements, it has a beneficial effect on humans. This is a real storehouse of health and beauty.

Birch sap is a liquid that flows from the trunks and branches of birch trees. It is mainly obtained in the spring during the spring sap flow from holes made in mature trees.

The use of this drink by humans has been known since ancient times. There are a large number of traditional medicine recipes that use birch, because it is considered one of the most healing plants. Traditional healers use all the gifts of birch - leaves, buds, juice and bark to prepare medicines and decoctions.

The juice contains glucose, fructose, sucrose, organic acids, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, manganese, iron, copper, enzymes, substances - all this is very necessary for the human body after winter vitamin deficiency.

Healing qualities of birch nectar

Use in cosmetology

When you wash your face with birch nectar every morning, your skin is well cleansed and becomes fresh and rejuvenated. To preserve the gift of birch for a long time, you need to freeze it in ice-freezing molds and wipe dry skin with it.

Birch sap will help strengthen hair, remove dandruff, and give it softness and shine.

Anti-cellulite wraps will help remove cellulite.

Contraindications to taking birch nectar

It is contraindicated only for people with stomach ulcers and those who have an allergic reaction to birch pollen. It can also cause harm only if it was collected in places not intended for these purposes.

Favorable and unfavorable places to gather

Birch drink must be obtained far from large cities, factories, and highways, since trees accumulate harmful substances and exhaust gases. The sap collected from such trees will not only not be beneficial, but will most likely harm your health.

A favorable place for collecting this healthy drink is an ecologically clean forest, which is located away from the city, highways and industrial zones.

When is birch sap collected?

The collection begins when the snow melts, when the birch buds swell, and ends when the leaves bloom. There are no specific start and end dates for the collection, because in all regions of the country this occurs at different times.

Appearance of juice depends on weather and climate. For example, in the Moscow region and central Russia you can collect juice at the end of March, in regions further south you can start collecting it at the beginning of March, and in the northern regions, beyond the Urals and Altai, it is collected at the end of April.

The collection period is very short, ranging from 10 to 14 days a year. You need to watch, and as soon as the first signs of the end of winter and the onset of spring appear, you can go for the birch gift.

Using a thin awl, you can check whether the time has come to collect the juice or not. You need to come to the forest and make a puncture in a small birch tree with this awl; if a drop appears at the puncture site, then the sap can already be collected.

Juice is released best during the daytime; at night, sap flow stops, so morning time is the best.

There are “secrets” for successful collection that not everyone knows:

The possible number of cuts on the tree depends on the volume of the birch trunk; the thicker the trunk, the more punctures can be made. If the diameter of the birch is on average from 20 to 25 centimeters, then one puncture can be made on the trunk; if the trunk volume is about 30 centimeters, two punctures can be made. Three holes are made in trees with a volume of 35 centimeters, and four holes only in trees with a volume of more than 40 centimeters.

First of all, you need to use trees growing on the southern side of the forest, since they awaken under the sun earlier than others.

A medium-sized birch produces three to four liters of sap per day, and large trees - up to seven liters. For mining, it is better to choose old trees that will soon be cut down. Young trees do not need to be injured, as they may die.

Juice Collection Tools

Currently used for collection various devices:

How to properly collect birch sap

There are rules that need to be taken into account when collecting this drink. The sap itself is located between the tree bark and the wood, so there is no need to make deep punctures and cuts.

To collect the juice you need choose suitable trees. You should not take it from young trees, and also concentrate your attention on one tree. It is better to choose several trunks: you can collect five liters of drink using five trees (one liter from each) than using five liters from one trunk.

Then you need to make a puncture or cut in the tree trunk, into which you carefully insert an aluminum or plastic groove, through which the sap will flow into a container attached to the tree. In order not to destroy the tree, you should not make cuts with an axe, but it is better to use a drill with a thin drill bit.

For collection, it is better to select a container with a narrow neck, so grass, leaves and other debris are least likely to get in there. A good option would be a plastic bottle, which is very easy to tie to a tree.

The best way to collect birch sap is to collect it using a dropper; this collection causes the least harm to the tree. To do this, you need to drill a small hole in the tree using a drill, with a depth of two to five centimeters and no more. Then insert the tip of the dropper system there, and lower the other end, with the needle removed, into the container. You always need to monitor the filling of the container.

If the rate of discharge has decreased, there is no need to make the hole deeper, because it can harm the tree, but rather move on to another tree. After the collection is completed, the system must be removed from the dropper, and a stick must be inserted into the hole and covered with wax and moss. After these procedures, the juice will no longer be released, but will begin to flow to the branches. The tree itself will heal the resulting wound and in a year there will be no trace of the puncture site.

Storing birch drink

Freshly collected birch nectar cannot be stored for long periods of time. Fresh juice can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than three days without losing its beneficial nutrients. To preserve the collected drink longer, it is preserved in jars and syrup is boiled.

Without treatment, birch sap quickly sours, so kvass is prepared from it, homemade wine is made, and infused with dried fruits and herbs. To do this, take a glass jar, place dried fruits, various herbs (thyme, chamomile, linden, caraway, rosehip) in it and fill it with fresh juice, covering it with gauze. Infuse for 12–14 days in a cool and dark place. Afterwards you will get fruit or herbal kvass.

You can drink birch sap every day. If you drink one glass a day for a month, a person’s general well-being will become much better, sleep will stabilize, swelling will go away, and the immune system will be stronger. You can add the juices of various berries to birch sap, such as blueberries, currants, rowan berries, and lingonberries. It is also useful to add infusions of lemon balm, St. John's wort, and mint.

Birch nectar is considered the most useful remedy for vitamin deficiency and colds. It is indispensable for healing and strengthening the body.

Nature is full of mysteries; it brings gifts even from places where you might not expect them. In spring, all living things wake up, and the period of sap flow begins in the trees. Natural, garden-grown products appear on the tables. Vegetables, first berries - without preservatives or chemicals. In general, this is all familiar, but natural juice straight from the tree, and not from the nearest supermarket, is already a curiosity.

Birch sap has a high content of vitamins C and B, minerals, sucrose and nutrients that improve immunity and well-being. If you have a birch tree at your dacha, don’t miss this opportunity to collect sap. European white birch produces it well. This juice is allowed even for diabetics, since birch sugar (xylitol) is easily and quickly absorbed without affecting insulin levels.

When to collect birch sap

Birch sap is collected in late March-early April, before the vegetative buds swell. The end of the collection occurs during the period of foliage formation, namely mid-April. Choose the collection time from 10 am to 6 pm. At night, sap flow stops.

Choose an adult, middle-aged tree (15-20 years old), preferably in the forest, more often or on your own site, most importantly, away from roads, environmentally polluted places, cities, highways, and away from industrial zones. The diameter of the tree must be at least 20-25 cm. A young tree may die from such a procedure.

You cannot collect more than 5 liters of juice from one tree, and no more than 1 liter per day. If you break this rule and immediately pump out a lot of sap from a birch tree, this will cause significant harm, depleting its vitality.

How to determine the beginning of sap flow

A puncture is made in the tree trunk with a thick awl. If droplets of sap appear after a while, it means it’s time to collect birch sap.

How to collect birch sap

In order to start collecting birch sap, an incision is made in the tree trunk or a hole is drilled with a drill at a height of 1.5 m from the soil surface, the depth is no more than 5 cm. The diameter of the drill is no more than 10 mm. A gutter (a glass or plastic tube, a new hose) is inserted into the hole, and the container is placed on the ground or secured to a tree, where the juice will flow. There may be several punctures. If you use straws for cocktails, then make up to 5-6 punctures.

On the north side of the tree there is more accumulation of birch sap than on any other side.

If there is nothing at hand to serve as a gutter, then cut a branch with a diameter slightly smaller than the neck of a plastic bottle. Insert the branch into the bottle and secure it. True, it takes more time to collect juice than in the previous version.

When the amount of birch sap begins to decrease, it means that the tree is healing the wound. There is no need to try to make new punctures, just change the birch.

After the birch sap has been collected, the gutter is pulled out and the hole is covered with laundry soap, plasticine, garden moss, or at least a wooden sliver is inserted. Sealing with garden varnish will allow it to quickly recover, not lose more sap than necessary, and harmful microorganisms will not penetrate inside the tree.

Such a useful product for humans is dangerous for pets, therefore products containing birch sap are strictly prohibited for animals.

It is better to consume birch sap fresh, immediately after collection. Can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days in a glass container. Then the drink begins the fermentation process and kvass is prepared from it or placed in barrels and a low-alcohol drink is obtained. If a lot of birch sap has been collected, it is preserved for the winter.

In the spring, drinking birch sap is very important, since it is during this period that vitamin deficiency, depression, stress, weakness and loss of strength occur. This is exactly the product that will fill the gaps in the body and set you up for positivity.

How to make kvass from birch sap

1 liter of juice is heated to a temperature of 35°C, 3-5 raisins and 15-20 g of yeast are added. The jar is closed and stored in a dark, cool place for 1-2 weeks. The result is a tasty, invigorating, carbonated drink.

Preserving birch sap for the winter

In order to also be able to drink birch sap in winter, it is canned.

The jars are washed with baking soda and sterilized. The lids are boiling. For 3 l. juice take ½ cup sugar and 1 tsp. citric acid. Boil for 5 minutes, pour into jars and seal.

In spring, nature comes to life, and at this time of year sap flows down the birch trunk. It doesn't taste sweet at all. It resembles water from a spring. But it is a storehouse of useful substances. To get the maximum benefit, you need to know when to collect birch sap.

What time of year is it collected?

Nobody knows the exact date when the juice can be collected. It depends on the climate and weather conditions. If the buds on the birch tree begin to swell, you can try collecting the drink. If the kidneys are dry, there is no need to rush.

The sap is usually collected after the spring equinox. To find out if it has appeared, you need to go to the forest at the end of March and make a cut with a thin awl. This should be done on the south side of the tree - this side is heated more by the sun. It is better to choose a thick tree. If a drop appears at the cut site, it means sap flow has begun and you can collect it.

In what month is the sap collected? Liquid flows from the end of March to the end of April. First it appears on birch trees warmed by the sun (at the edge of the forest). Then the sun moves deeper into the thicket, the distant birch trees warm up, and the sap can be collected from them. When talking about whether it can be collected in the city, it should be remembered that the air is polluted, therefore, the juice may not be useful, but on the contrary, harm or cause allergies. Therefore, in the city, liquid is not collected from birch trees.

Important! The air temperature should warm up to 5 degrees. The best time to collect is from 11.00 to 16.00.

If frosts or rains begin after warm days, then it is better to postpone the trip for a drink. Many people wonder whether it is possible to collect juice in May? You can, but the taste becomes bitter. However, it retains its beneficial properties. Therefore, we can say that the taste depends on the time of collection, and not just on weather conditions and terrain.

How to collect juice correctly - methods

Birch sap must be collected without causing damage to the trees. The following rules must be followed:

You cannot make deep cuts with an ax, since the liquid is between the bark and the wood. It is better to take a drill with a drill no more than 1 cm (the bark overgrows better).
You should not take all the sap from the tree. It is better to collect no more than 1 liter per day from one tree (in total, it is recommended to collect no more than 10 liters from one tree per season).
You cannot collect liquid from young trees. It is believed that mature birch trees produce sweeter sap. You need to choose trees with a diameter greater than 25 cm.
After collecting the juice, hammer a wooden plug into the hole. The tree will heal faster.

So, in order to assemble correctly, you need to choose a tree with a slight slope (this will make it more convenient to install the bottle). Three times a day (morning, afternoon and evening) you must come and pick up a drink. If it is clear that the birch tree produces little product, you should not drill other holes in it or expand what has been done. You just need to change the tree. Usually, birch produces 2-3 liters per day.

When it becomes clear that no more liquid can be collected from the tree, you need to help it heal the wound. To avoid damaging the tree, you should find an old dry twig, slightly larger in diameter than the drill, and plug the hole with it. This way the juice will not spill out, but will flow along the branches. Next year there will be no trace of the hole left.

Collection methods:

Using a groove. Drill a small hole about 30 cm from the ground. Clean the top layer of bark around the hole to prevent dirt from getting into the juice. Install the v-groove using an ax at a 45-degree angle. Place a bottle (bag, bucket).
Collection without equipment. Find a flat place on the birch tree and make a v-shaped cut. Bend the cut bark a little (to form a hook). Attach the drink container.
In packages. Choose a thick branch. It should move away from another thick branch (not from the trunk) to the side, and not up. Cut off its end. Attach the container. You can simply put the bottles on the branches.
Using a dropper. Drill a hole in the birch and clean it. Remove the needle from the dropper and insert the spout. Place a needle on the other end of the dropper and pierce the bottle with it. The liquid will flow through the dropper into the bottle.

Anyone can choose the most suitable collection method for themselves.

How to store birch sap

Of course, it is best to drink fresh birch sap. You need to drink at least 0.5 liters per day to experience the benefits. It can be stored in the refrigerator or cellar for no more than a month. It is best to store it by freezing: this way it will retain more nutrients.

Storage methods:

Pasteurization. For 1 liter of liquid, take 150 g of sugar and a pinch of citric acid. Stir everything thoroughly, filter through cheesecloth, pour into jars and boil for 10 minutes. Roll up the lids and place in the pantry. The disadvantage of this method is that sugar and citric acid will change the taste of the juice.
Fermentation. Strain the juice and pour into containers. Cover with lids and cloth. Place in a place where the optimal fermentation temperature is 10-15 degrees for 3 days. The drink may become cloudy. You can store it until mid-summer.
Freezing. Pour the drink into glass bottles and freeze.
Healthy drink. Mix the juice with mint and rose hips. Pasteurize.
Evaporation. Evaporate 5 liters of liquid in an open pan. You should get 0.5 liters of syrup with a sugar concentration of 70% (like honey).
Leaven. Add sugar, yeast and raisins to the juice. When it starts to ferment, pour it into containers, close the lids tightly, and place in a cool, dark place (cellar). Stored for at least three months.
Birch kvass. For 0.5 liters of juice, take 1 tsp. sugar, three raisins, a little lemon zest. Ferment the drink in glass bottles, attach the lid tightly. This is a folk recipe patented by the Academy of Medical Sciences.
Birch-pine drink. For 50 liters of juice, take 3 kg of pine needles (scalded), heat to 80 degrees, leave for 6-7 hours. Then strain, add sugar and citric acid. Pour into glass jars, pasteurize for 30 minutes at 95 degrees.
Storage in cans. Pour the drink into stainless steel cans. Insert a tube into the lid and plug it with a wooden stopper. Pour well-roasted young barley into a gauze bundle and place in a can (so that the juice does not turn sour). The juice will change its color and taste (like bread), but it will be tasty and healthy for the liver.

There are a lot of recipes, all of them do not require much effort to prepare.

Birch drink has a positive effect on the body:

normalizes digestion: relieves spasms and colic, improves appetite;
stabilizes the acidity of gastric juice: a decreased level of acidity increases, an increased level decreases it;
dissolves kidney stones, has a diuretic property;
helps with atherosclerosis – cleanses blood vessels from cholesterol plaques;
has expectorant properties, it can be used for bronchitis;
restores metabolism, being a low-calorie drink;
treats anemia, increases blood hemoglobin levels;
helps with colds: increases sweating, reduces temperature;
treats runny nose;
brings blood pressure back to normal;
fights vitamin deficiency and spring blues;
eliminates age spots (the juice is used externally in the form of lotion);
stimulates hair growth and reduces oiliness;
tonic, improves immunity.

The benefits are due to the fact that it contains the following substances:

organic acids;
tannins;
fructose;
enzymes;
a large amount of vitamin C;
mineral elements.

Contraindications:

exacerbation of stomach ulcers;
exacerbation of urolithiasis;
individual intolerance.

Birch sap is used in folk medicine. It helps get rid of many diseases, improving the general condition of the body:

For anemia, drink it mixed with carrot or apple juice. Taking 50 ml 15 minutes before meals can increase hemoglobin levels.
To increase immunity, birch drink is mixed with milk in equal proportions and consumed orally.
For diseases of the digestive system, drink 50 ml of pure juice.
Skin diseases are treated with birch lotions and compresses.
To cleanse the body of waste and toxins, drink 200 ml in the morning before breakfast for 6 weeks.

Important! When treating cough, birch sap is heated.

Birch sap can be found on store shelves. But assembling it yourself will not be difficult. The main thing is to choose a method that is convenient for you and that will not harm the tree. Birch sap, collected in the spring, is a very valuable and healthy product.

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

General information about the drink

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

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

Surely everyone knows that berezovitsa (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 beneficial properties

In the spring, sweet birch sap is extracted due to the fact that it is very rich in vitamins and minerals. Experts say 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.

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

Among other things, birch sap is useful for drinking for liver diseases, stomach ulcers, gallbladder pathologies, low acidity, rheumatism, scurvy, radiculitis, arthritis, headaches, tuberculosis and even sexually transmitted diseases.

When to collect birch sap?

The release of sap from birch begins in early spring, with the first thaw. 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 collectors claim that “birch tears” begin to run in mid-March.

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

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 the sugar maple grows only in North America, while other species are not fast-growing enough to produce large quantities of the life-giving drink.

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

Let's sum it up

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 and saturate your body with minerals and organic acids. Just don’t forget to “treat” the slender beauty and treat the wound so that the tree does not die.