How to get birch sap from a tree. When is birch sap collected - timing, which month is best? When to collect birch sap

Birch sap (birch tree)- liquid coming out of a birch tree in places where its trunk or branches are damaged. Such damage can be cuts or fractures, and the outflow of fluid is caused by root pressure in the tree.

Birch sap is very valuable product, enriched with many substances beneficial to the body, due to which this liquid has a complex beneficial effect on human health.

Composition of birch sap

• Juice density - 1.0007-1.0046 g/ml;
• Dry matter content - 0.7-4.6 g/l;
• Ash content - 0.3-0.7 mg/l;
• Total sugar content - 0.5-2.3%;
• Protein - 0.1 g/100 g;
• Fat - 0.0;
• Carbohydrates - 5.8 g/100 g;
• Among the organic substances we note: essential oils, saponins, betulol, more than 10 organic acids.

The calorie content of birch sap is— 22-24 kcal per 100 g of fresh product.

Birch sap also contains the following macro- and microelements (minerals):

• sugars - 1-4%;
• potassium (K) - 273 mg/l;
• — 16 mg/l;
• — 13 mg/l;
• — 6 mg/l;
• aluminum (Al) - 1-2 mg/l;
• manganese (Mn) - 1 mg/l;
• iron (Fe) - 0.25 mg/l;
• silicon (Si) - 0.1 mg/l;
• titanium (Ti) - 0.08 mg/l;
• copper (Cu) - 0.02 mg/l;
• strontium (Sr) - 0.1 mg/l;
• barium (Ba) - 0.01 mg/l;
• nickel (Ni) - 0.01 mg/l;
• zirconium (Zr) - 0.01 mg/l;
• phosphorus (P) - 0.01 mg/l;
• traces of nitrogen (N).

The chemical composition may vary somewhat depending on the growing region of the donor birch tree and the composition of the soil on which the tree grows.

Medical studies have shown that drinking at least one glass a day for 2-3 weeks (it is optimal to drink a glass three times a day half an hour before meals) will help the body cope with spring, or absent-mindedness, fatigue, etc.

From the point of view of herbal medicine, birch sap is one of the best natural remedies to improve metabolism. Despite the fact that birch sap differs little from water, it ferments well and has positive influence for the work of the stomach.

Birch sap is rich in sugars, organic acids, enzymes, calcium salts, magnesium, iron and others that are necessary for the body, which we talked about a little earlier. Due to its rich composition, it is recommended for diseases of the blood, joints, skin, as well as for other respiratory diseases.

Drinking birch sap helps cleanse the blood, enhance metabolic processes, and removes from the body harmful substances for infectious diseases. It is useful to drink juice for diseases of the liver, gall bladder, low acidity, scurvy, and sexually transmitted diseases.

Birch sap also helps to quickly cleanse the body of harmful substances and break down urinary stones of phosphate and carbonate origin.

Birch increases the body's resistance to colds, infectious and allergic diseases, has an anthelmintic, diuretic, and antitumor effect; birch sap is useful for wiping the skin to moisturize and cleanse dry skin.

It is also useful to wash your hair with birch sap, to enhance its growth and appearance of shine and softness (infusion of birch leaves has the same property). Birch juice good remedy from impotence. Birch “tears” have a very good effect on women during the period. If you drink at least a glass of juice a day, drowsiness, fatigue, irritability and other symptoms associated with menopause will disappear.

When to collect birch sap this year, find out from our article, as well as the most effective methods its assembly.

Birch juice, as a rule, harvested in mid-March. The end of sap collection in the last days of April is the appearance of the first leaves on the trees.

You should be guided by the swollen buds. Experienced pickers come to the forest after the 20th of March, make an injection on a birch tree, the thickness of which is more than 20 cm. If sap flows in the area of ​​the puncture, then it can be collected.

The strong flow of juice begins from 10 to 18 hours.

Birch sap is on the surface between the bark and wood, therefore, the hole should be shallow.

Basically, from 5 to 10 trees are used, from each of which 1 liter of liquid is taken per day. If you take all the sap from a birch, it will destroy the tree.

You need to help the tree heal the wound (so that bacteria do not get into it) using one of the options:

• seal the wound with garden pitch;
• hammer a wood or moss plug into the hole.

To collect sap, use a birch tree with a diameter of 20-30 cm and a well-developed crown. These birches have sweet sap. Drill a hole in the birch trunk. The distance from the surface of the earth is 20 cm. A groove is hung in the hole or under it so that the juice flows into the container.

The thickness of the birch trunk determines the number of holes drilled:

• from 20 to 25 cm - 1 hole;
• from 25 to 35 cm - 2;
• from 35 to 40 cm - 3;
• more than 40 cm - 4 holes.

Please note that as soon as you drill it, the wound will begin to heal, and the trickle of juice will decrease. You cannot deepen the hole or drill a new one; it is better to find another tree.

How to collect birch sap and when

How to store birch sap

Birch sap is used in fresh. It cannot be stored even refrigerated for more than 2 days; it can only be stored frozen.

What does it consist of? Birch juice?

• enzymes, biological substances that strengthen the immune system;
• calcium, potassium, magnesium are needed for cardiac activity;
• tanning components with anti-inflammatory properties;
• fructose and glucose for the brain.

Birch sap is beneficial for everyone, especially in spring. The drink does not contain allergens - it can be consumed by pregnant and lactating women to strengthen the immune system and relieve swelling (the juice has diuretic properties).

Birch sap is effective in therapy renal failure and inflammation of the kidneys, however, if you have kidney stones, you should drink it carefully, since it can provoke the movement of stones and renal colic. Birch sap cleanses the blood, eliminates toxins, helps against poisoning, and is useful for infectious diseases.

The juice is recommended to be consumed when the acidity of the stomach is low. Doctors advise drinking birch sap 3 times a day before meals, 1 glass. This improves the formation of fluid in the body to digest food. Birch sap is also used to treat skin problems, against dandruff and to strengthen hair.

The juice tones and strengthens the body. It relieves fatigue and improves immunity. The drink stimulates metabolic processes and is recommended during a diet. Important property juice - improves intestinal function, normalizes blood formation.

Birch sap is an excellent dietary supplement and has a tonic property. Drink a glass daily, it will give you vigor and relieve drowsiness and lethargy.

Birch sap strengthens the body, acts as a diuretic, and improves kidney function. The drink promotes the elimination of uric acid and increases diuresis. It is useful to drink for kidney diseases and diseases of the urinary system. The juice helps restore strength in case of lung diseases, bronchitis, and arthritis. Those who suffer from stomach ulcers and urolithiasis should consult a doctor before drinking this drink.

The benefits of birch sap

Birch sap helps with skin problems such as lichen, eczema, furunculosis. The drink is used to gargle during a sore throat. The juice is useful in the complex treatment of coughs, headaches, and joint diseases. The drink also cleanses the blood and removes toxins, providing assistance during intoxication and infectious diseases.

Birch sap is harmful if collected from trees located near a highway, in an environmentally unfavorable place, or when there is an allergic reaction to birch pollen. Now you know When to collect birch sap this year.

Birch sap is a clear liquid that flows from cut or broken birch trunks and branches under the influence of root pressure. The flow of birch sap begins in the spring with the first thaw and continues until the buds open.

It is difficult to determine the exact period of birch sap release, because it depends on weather conditions. For example, if during the March thaw the sap has already begun to flow and then frosts unexpectedly hit, then it may stop secreting for some time. However, as a rule, the sap begins to run around mid-March, when the snow melts and the buds swell. To determine the beginning of sap flow, it is enough to go out into the forest and make an injection with a thin awl on a birch tree as thick as your hand. If the juice has started flowing, a drop of juice will immediately appear at the puncture point, which means you can start collecting and preparing it. They stop collecting sap in the second half of April, when the leaves are already blooming.

The most intense sap flow through the tree occurs during the light half of the day, so start collecting better in the morning, at night the juice “falls asleep.” The best time to collect the juice there will be an interval between 10.00 and 18.00, when it flows most strongly. The number of holes that are recommended to be made depends on the diameter of the tree; if the diameter is 20-25 cm, then only one, if the volume is 25-35 cm, then two, if the diameter is 35-40, three, and if the diameter is more than 40 cm, it is quite acceptable to make four holes.

The collection of birch sap should begin in the most sunny places, where the birch tree wakes up even if there is still snow around. As the forest warms up, you should move deeper into the thicket, to where the forest wakes up later than on the southern edge. Usually 2-3 liters of sap per day are obtained from birch trees. A large tree can produce about 7 liters of sap per day, and sometimes more. It is preferable to collect sap where cutting is planned, and it is not recommended to take it from young trees.

Due to the fact that birch roots go deep into the ground, it does not absorb poisons from the surface layer of soil. Therefore, all places where birch grows are equally good for collecting birch sap, but it is still better to collect sap only in ecologically clean forests, because the tree itself is capable of absorbing harmful substances and exhaust gases.

The choice of containers for collecting and storing birch sap must be approached selectively. In the old days, birch sap was collected in special containers made of birch bark; it was believed that in them it retained its properties better. But it is quite possible to collect juice in ordinary glass jars or even in plastic bottles, but remember that chemistry can give the juice its own specific taste, and sometimes it dissolves in it itself.

The sap is usually obtained by cutting, nicking or drilling the bark of a tree with a diameter of at least 20 cm and a well-developed crown. It is better to make a slot or hole in the trunk on the south side of the tree, where sap flow is more active, at a distance of 40-50 cm from the ground, in a downward direction, your movement should be from bottom to top, the depth of the hole is 2-3 cm to penetrate under the dead bark, and if The birch is very thick, then even deeper.

An aluminum, plastic groove, birch bark tray or other semicircular device is inserted into the slot, through which the juice flows into the container. Sometimes sap is obtained by cutting small branches and attaching them to the cut site. plastic bag. There is no need to try to drain all the sap from one tree, it will compensate for some of it, but if you bleed the tree completely, it may dry out. It is better to take a liter of juice per day from 5-10 trees than to take 5 liters from one, dooming it to death.

After the collection of birch sap is completed, it is necessary to take care of the tree itself and tightly close the holes made with wax, cork or moss so that bacteria do not get into the trunk, which can pose a serious threat to the life of the tree. After cutting down the birches, sap can be collected from the stumps.

If you do not want to drink the juice right away, but want to keep it longer, pour it into glass jar and put it in the refrigerator. This way the drink will oxidize less, that is, spoil. However, it is better not to store the juice for longer than 2-3 days, otherwise it will ferment and turn from healing nectar into poison. But if you preserve the juice, it will last for several more months.

Several recipes for preserving birch sap for long-term storage.

Fresh birch sap is fermented in glass containers of any size. After washing with hot, preferably boiled, water, they are filled with fresh juice. For every half liter, add half a teaspoon of regular or glucose sugar, 2-3 raisins, washed in cold boiled water, and if you like, a little lemon zest. The container is closed with a stopper or lid and secured with wire or bands.

Pressure carbon dioxide During fermentation it is created quite high, and to prevent the glass from bursting, it is not recommended to add more than the specified amount of sugar. In a few days you will get a pleasant-tasting, sour, highly carbonated drink. To preserve the juice, heat it in enamel dishes up to a temperature of 80 degrees. Pour over glass bottles and banks. Fill almost to the top and seal the bottles with caps and then resin. Then soak for 15 - 20 minutes in 85 degree water to pasteurize.

Making kvass from birch sap.

To preserve birch sap, kvass is prepared from it. Heat to 35 degrees, add 15-20 g of yeast and 3 raisins per 1 liter, you can add to taste lemon zest. After this, the jar or bottle is tightly closed and left for 1-2 weeks. Kvass can be prepared in another way. To 10 liters of birch sap add the juice of 4 lemons, 50 g of yeast, 30 g of honey or sugar, raisins at the rate of 2-3 pieces per bottle. Pour into bottles and keep for 1-2 weeks in a cool, dark place. Kvass can be ready in just 5 days, but the fact that it sits longer will prevent the drink from spoiling and can be preserved for the whole summer.

Another recipe for kvass. A bag of burnt crusts is lowered on a string into a barrel of birch sap. rye bread. After two days, the yeast will move from the crusts into the juice and fermentation will begin. Then a bucket is poured into the barrel oak bark, as a preservative and tanning agent, and for aroma - cherries (berries or leaves) and dill stems. After two weeks, the kvass is ready and can be stored all winter.

Other methods of preserving and preserving birch sap.

Our ancestors drank birch sap fermented in barrels without adding sugar - it was traditional low alcohol drink at Russian feasts. Birch sap in itself is a pleasant, refreshing and body-strengthening drink, but you can add sap to it chokeberry, lingonberries, blueberries, or infuse with various herbs - thyme, chamomile, caraway, linden flowers, rose hips, in a jar covered with gauze for about 2 weeks.

You can add to it infusions of St. John's wort, mint, lemon balm, pine needles, juice of cherries, apples, currants. Birch sap can be thickened by evaporation to a syrup containing 60% sugar. This syrup has a lemon-white color and the thickness of honey.

Belarusian drink - pour birch sap into a large bottle and put in a dark place cool place for 2-3 days. Then they add barley malt or toasted crushed crackers to it. For 5 liters of birch sap – 30 g. barley malt or crackers. Balsam is also prepared from birch sap. For a bucket of juice you need 3 kg of sugar, 2 liters of wine and 4 finely chopped lemons. All this needs to be left to ferment in the cellar for two months, and then bottled and aged for another three weeks.

Medicinal properties of birch sap.

Birch sap contains organic acids, tannins, minerals, iron, potassium, calcium, glucose, fructose, phytoncides. Drinking birch sap helps break down stones in bladder and kidneys, cleansing the blood, enhancing metabolic processes, removes harmful substances from the body during infectious diseases. It is useful to drink juice for stomach ulcers, liver diseases, duodenum, gallbladder, low acidity, radiculitis, rheumatism, arthritis, bronchitis, tuberculosis, scurvy, headaches and sexually transmitted diseases.

Birch sap increases the body's resistance to colds, infectious and allergic diseases, has an anthelmintic, diuretic, and antitumor effect; birch sap is useful for wiping the skin for eczema, acne, to moisturize and cleanse dry skin. It is very good to apply the following mask to your facial skin: mix 1 tbsp. l. sour cream with 2 tbsp. l. birch sap and 1 tsp. honey You need to keep this mask for about 15 minutes, rinse with cool water, after which the skin will acquire a beautiful matte shade.

It is also useful to wash your hair with dandruff with birch sap, to enhance its growth and appearance of shine and softness (infusion of birch leaves has the same property). Birch sap is a good remedy for impotence. Birch “tears” have a very good effect on people during menopause; if you drink at least a glass of juice a day, drowsiness, fatigue, irritability and other phenomena associated with menopause will disappear.

Systematic intake of birch sap has a general strengthening and tonic effect. Birch sap is contraindicated for those who are allergic to birch pollen. IN medicinal purposes Birch sap should be drunk fresh. It is recommended to take 1 glass 3 times a day 20-30 minutes before meals for 2-3 weeks.

Mother Nature made sure that after a long winter “hibernation” and spring vitamin deficiency, we could replenish the supply of vitamins and microelements in the body. Natural birch sap is unique vitamin drink regulating activities gastrointestinal tract and output system. It is rich in mineral salts and microelements and has a different composition at different periods of sap flow.

Spring came. Let's go to the forest for juice

If you know when to collect birch sap, you can accurately select its time. maximum benefit. Birch sap has long been unique properties called a cure for all diseases. Indeed, it perfectly “cleanses” the kidneys of sand, is indicated for gastritis, normalizes the acidity of the stomach, and has a beneficial effect on general condition The body, being a multivitamin, improves immunity.

The time when you can collect birch sap is in different years for the period from late February to mid (late) April, depending on the region and how early spring has arrived. But as soon as the last snow melts, nature wakes up and its life, still hidden from the human eye, begins. There aren’t even the first leaves yet, but sap flow has begun, which means it’s time to collect birch sap.

How to collect birch sap

Knowing when to collect birch sap, you can prepare for this event in advance, especially if you plan to make preparations for the whole year. After all, you can not only drink birch sap regularly all spring, while birch trees provide this opportunity, but also prepare it for future use. Of course, it brings maximum benefits to the body Fresh Juice, but also prepared, for example, in the form of a decoction with dried fruits or mint, it perfectly quenches thirst, has excellent taste and smell.

Residents of rural areas know better than others when to collect birch sap, and most importantly, how to do it with minimal harm for wood. To prevent damage to the birch tree, it is not recommended to take more than a liter of sap per day from one tree. This golden rule must be strictly followed if you want to enjoy the gifts of the forest year after year. A hole for collecting juice is made using a screwdriver with a diameter of 6 to 10 mm. In this case, the drill should enter the tree trunk at an angle from bottom to top no more than 3 cm. Plastic bottles, buckets can serve as containers for collecting sap, and sometimes large plastic bags tied to a birch tree are used.

Birch sap for health and beauty

If you are a supporter healthy image life, you, of course, will not miss the time when collecting birch sap in the forest begins in industrial scale, that is, when the sap flow has gained full strength. After all, in addition to the fact that the juice can be drunk fresh for a month, or even more, it can be prepared for future use. Sterilized, it will last until spring, replacing your fruit and berry compotes. Kvass made from birch sap has a number of medicinal properties and can also be used for a long time as a vitamin and strengthening agent. Ice cubes made from birch sap are wonderful cosmetic product. As you can see, birch sap is not only delicious drink, but also a powerful therapeutic natural remedy.

Nature is rich in various gifts. With autumn comes the berry season, mushroom pickers also go “hunting”. In the spring, you can please yourself with others, the main thing is to figure out how to properly collect birch sap, how to find the right time.

Collection time

Birch sap is actually collected from birch trees, but exact time quite difficult to determine. Nature is changeable, you can’t just set yourself an exact date for collection and follow it every year. It's better to watch what's happening around you. Usually, birch sap flows with the beginning of snow melting, and when the buds swell, this is a sure sign of the beginning of harvesting.

You need to stop collecting from the moment the leaves appear and actively grow.

Birch is a beautiful, unique tree, it is difficult to confuse it with something else. The birch tree is sung by poets, described by artists, and is sung about in some songs. Indeed, beautiful and as it turned out, useful tree. After all, you can collect a little sap from birch trees every year. The main thing here is not only to collect it, but also to store it correctly.

Look at the diameter of the tree to see how many holes you can make:

When the diameter is 20-25 cm - 1;
25-35 cm - two, if 35-40 - 3;
When the birch is large, the diameter is above 40 cm - up to 4.

After harvesting, be sure to help the tree heal the wound faster. Close the hole tightly with a cork, or varnish, or wax or moss. Otherwise, bacteria and bugs will quickly get into the trunk from there, which will then become a serious threat. It is better to take care of the surrounding birch trees, then you can safely collect sap for many years, especially since it is defenseless.

Almost immediately after drilling, the birch tree will begin to heal the resulting wound and the amount of sap will drop. This is fine! Do not drill a hole by making it deeper. Better wait patiently required quantity sap or change trees when the collection rate drops further.

Juice storage

Fresh juice cannot be stored for more than 2 days, even in the cool of the refrigerator. Those who want to stock up on juice then make kvass from it.

Recipe for kvass

Harm of juice

Yes, it can also cause harm, especially when the juice is collected near highways or in general in a city where the environment is unfavorable. Allergy sufferers should also be careful. When you are allergic even to birch pollen, there is no need to risk the sap.