Birch sap - benefits, harm, extraction and storage of birch sap. How to collect birch sap: useful tips How to cover a birch tree after 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 a 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%;
• — 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;
• — 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 for improving metabolism. Despite the fact that birch sap differs little from water, it ferments well and has a positive effect on the functioning 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 remove harmful substances from the body during 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 sap is a good remedy for 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.

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.

Birch– one of the most medicinal trees in our country. The list of ailments that can be treated with birch includes several dozen names. So much has been written about the benefits of fresh birch sap that it is impossible to dwell on it in detail. Let us only note that since time immemorial it has been famous as a healthy drink for young and old, healthy and sick, and also as an excellent cosmetic product.
In the spring, as soon as the snow begins to melt intensively, the birch trees in the sun-warmed meadows stop their winter sleep and the sap begins to flow. Collecting it is not difficult - during this period, just make a damage to the tree trunk or break off a twig, and sweetish drops will flow.

Nowadays, when there are fewer and fewer forests, looking at the traces of inept attempts to collect sweet juice, we feel especially sorry for our native birches. After all, when such a collector leaves, he leaves an unhealed wound. Day and night, days and weeks, the tree will bleed its birch “blood.” Dozens of liters of juice will leak out uselessly. It is almost impossible to stop such a flow of cuts made with an ax. And when the intense movement of sap ends, this wound will be covered with bubbling pink mold, killer mushrooms will begin to develop, and the forest will lose another beauty.

Is it possible to collect sap without harming the tree? Can!

There is a simple method that gives brilliant results. From each mature tree we get up to 20 liters. The loss of such a volume of sap will occur without damage to the tree if leakage of sap is completely excluded. The main thing is that the tree will be provided with reliable protection from the entry and development of a dangerous fungal infection.

1. So, with the onset of warm spring days, in dry weather, when the last snow has melted, we will go to the forest, taking with us:
- A small sharpened hatchet;
- Hand drill with a drill bit with a diameter of 8 – 10 mm;
- Children's plasticine or window putty;
- A cardboard tray cut from a corner of a tetra pack milk bag (Fig. 1);
- A funnel for collecting juice, for example, cut from the top of a plastic bottle;
- A container for collecting juice, for example, a 5-liter plastic bottle.

Any image can be enlarged (just click on it).

2. We choose a suitable mature birch tree with a trunk diameter of at least 30 cm so that our intervention does not cause significant harm. In addition, as experts say, the sap from mature birch trees is sweeter. We do a general fitting, placing the bottle on different sides of the birch so that the bottle is securely installed. The layer of coarse crust should reach the top level of the funnel inserted into the neck of the bottle. This is necessary so as not to touch the living tissues of the plant in the future and not harm the tree. Using a hatchet, carefully make a flat, even cut the size of your palm, leaving a layer of bark at least 5 mm thick (Fig. 2.).

(Fig. 2.)

3. Knead a walnut-sized lump of plasticine between your fingers. Plasticine will reliably protect the bark from getting wet and will prevent juice from leaking between the bark and the tray for collecting juice. At the same time, it will serve us to attach the cardboard tray. Having rolled it out into a “sausage” along the width of the cut, apply it just below the intended hole and flatten the plasticine, carefully distributing it across the entire width of the cut in a layer 3-5 mm thick, carefully pressing it into the bark to ensure maximum adhesion (Fig. 3) . This is done to avoid even the slightest leakage of juice between the bark and plasticine and to securely fix the tray. The bark at the point of contact with the plasticine must be dry, otherwise the tray will fall off over time. The location of the future hole is indicated by a dotted line.

5. We finally install the bottle. We level the soil at the bottom of the bottle using a spatula or a hatchet, placing it in the right place and compacting it thoroughly (Fig. 5). Experience shows that weakly compacted soil sags as the bottle is filled, causing it to deviate and the juice to flow past the funnel.

(Fig. 5)

6. Next, putting the bottle aside for a while so as not to interfere, use a hand drill to make a hole 4 - 5 centimeters deep (Fig. 6). This is the optimal depth to ensure three changes of cans during the day, for example, at 8 am, 2 pm and 8 pm, because On a cold night the sap flows very slowly. It is easy to make an approximate calculation of the time it takes to fill a jar, knowing the capacity of the jar and the number of drops flowing out per unit time. As a rule, 15-20 drops are equal to 1 milliliter of juice. There is no point in increasing the size of the hole for acceleration, because Excess juice will still be lost.

We disguise the entire structure from too curious eyes (Fig. 8).

(Fig. 8)

Now all that remains is to regularly visit the place where the juice is collected until the end of the sap flow.
The quantity and quality of juice is influenced by many factors: the time of collecting the juice, the individual characteristics of the plant, weather conditions, and so on. From my own experience, I can say that the juice is released more intensely at the beginning of the harvest and on warm, sunny days. There is evidence that on elevated, sunny edges and on the southern side of the trunk, the juice is sweeter and healthier.

8. When the collection of juice is completed, we disassemble the entire structure, remove the plasticine and securely close the hole. Usually it is recommended to hammer a wooden plug into the hole. To protect against fungal diseases, the literature recommends pre-impregnating this plug with a solution of copper sulfate. I tried this by placing wooden plugs in a solution of vitriol. But even after a week, these plugs were not completely saturated. In addition, the sap still leaks through the capillaries of the wood cork, so all this impregnation flows out, and the fungal infection still develops over time.

The solution to the problem turned out to be simple and effective.

We plan the cork from coniferous wood, which is less susceptible to fungal infection. And protection against infection and reliable isolation from the release of sap to the outside will be provided by an antiseptic waterproofing gasket between the birch wood and the plug. To do this, we make a special “antiseptic” plasticine ball by mixing and thoroughly kneading the plasticine with a dry antiseptic (fungicide): copper sulfate, copper oxychloride or any other in a ratio of approximately 1: 3 – 1: 5 (Fig. 9).

The result is a neatly sealed hole (Fig. 11).

And if you are interested in the healing properties of this amazing tree, look at any directory of medicinal plants, find there a detailed description of how and what the Russian beauty - birch - cures. May she always bring joy to all of us, as a bright symbol of our Motherland!

Skuridin G.M., Candidate of Biological Sciences.

The beginning of the collection of birch sap depends on weather conditions and in different regions of Russia begins at its own time. Somewhere in mid-March, and somewhere at the end of April... Swollen buds on birch trees can serve as a guide to collecting birch sap. To determine the beginning of sap flow, it is enough to go out into the forest after March 20-25 and make an injection with a thin awl on a birch tree as thick as your hand. If the juice starts flowing, a drop of juice will immediately appear at the puncture point. So it's time to collect birch sap.

The main thing to remember if you decide to get healthy birch sap: Birch sap should only be collected in ecologically clean forests, because the tree is capable of absorbing harmful substances and exhaust gases.

How to collect birch sap

Rules for collecting birch sap:

You cannot use a young tree to collect birch sap!
- When collecting birch sap, do not use an ax. It is better to use a drill with a 5-10 mm drill bit. Such a hole in the birch trunk overgrows almost without a trace.
- When collecting birch sap, it is important to know that, basically, the sap goes in the surface layer between the bark and the wood, so there is no need to make a deep hole at all.
- The best time to collect birch sap is considered to be between 12 and 18 hours.
- Do not drain all the birch sap from one birch tree. It is better to go around 5-10 trees and take a liter of sap from each of them per day than to collect all of it from one birch, destroying it.
- After finishing collecting birch sap, help the birch heal the wound. Cover the area where birch sap is collected with garden varnish or drive a wooden plug into the hole.

How to properly collect birch sap

Choose birch trees with a diameter of more than 20-30 cm with a well-developed crown. In addition, as experts say, the sap from mature birch trees is sweeter. Carefully make a hole in the birch trunk at a distance of 20 cm from the ground. A birch bark tray or other semicircular device is attached to the hole made or under it, along which the juice will flow. The groove should be directed into the bottle, jar or bag.

The number of holes that can be made depends on the diameter of the birch:
- if 20-25 cm - then only one,
- with a volume of 25-35 cm - two, with 35-40 - three,
- if the diameter is more than 40 cm, it is permissible to make four holes.

After you collect birch sap, do not forget to help the tree recover: you need to tightly close the hole with varnish, 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.

Keep in mind that the birch, as soon as you drill it, will immediately begin to heal the wound inflicted on it. Therefore, the amount of birch sap will constantly fall. This is fine! Do not try to destroy the tree by deepening a hole or drilling a new one. Just change the birch tree when collecting birch sap no longer suits you.

How to store birch sap

You can store fresh birch sap in the refrigerator for a little more than 2 days. To preserve birch sap longer, kvass is prepared from it.

Recipes for kvass from birch sap:
- Heat to 35 degrees, add 15-20 g of yeast and 3 raisins per 1 liter, you can add lemon zest to taste. After this, the jar or bottle is tightly closed and left for 1-2 weeks. The result is a very tasty, carbonated, invigorating drink!
- Kvass can be prepared a little differently: 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.

In the cases described above, kvass can be ready after 5 days, but the fact that it sits longer will not spoil the drink: it can be preserved for the whole summer.

Our ancestors drank birch tree fermented in barrels without adding sugar - it was a traditional low-alcohol drink at Russian feasts.

You can infuse birch sap on dried fruits, in a jar covered with gauze, for about 2 weeks. You can also add berry juice to “birch tears” and infuse them with herbs.

Recipes for harvesting birch sap for future use:

Canning. For 1 liter of birch sap - 125 g of sugar and 5 g of citric acid. Filter, pour into jars, pasteurize and screw on the lids. It is useful to infuse the juice on the leaves of mint, lemon balm, thyme, St. John's wort, linden blossom, rose hips, and lingonberries.

Birch kvass. The juice is heated to +35°C, yeast is added to it at the rate of 15-20 g per 1 liter. The starter is placed in a cold place for 3-4 days, then poured into containers and preserved.

Birch syrup. After evaporating the juice to a lemon-white color and the thickness of honey, the sugar concentration in the syrup reaches 60-70%.

The benefits of birch sap, treatment with birch sap

In the spring, for about three weeks, the birch tree shares its “tears” with us and helps a person heal the body. The secret and popularity of birch sap is that the forces accumulated in the birch trunk over the winter are transferred to humans with birch sap.

Composition of birch sap

The composition of birch sap includes sugars (fructose, glucose, sucrose), organic acids, enzymes and substances with high antimicrobial activity (phytoncides). Birch sap also contains a lot of mineral elements, which the body weakened by spring hypovitaminosis needs. By drinking birch sap, we replenish the body with potassium, calcium, sodium, magnesium, iron, manganese, and copper.

Properties of birch sap
- Since birch sap contains enzymes and biological stimulants, it strengthens the immune system.
- Potassium, calcium, magnesium contained in birch sap are necessary for normal heart function.
- Tannins from birch sap have an anti-inflammatory effect.
- Easily digestible sugars are good for brain function.
- The properties of birch sap make it an indispensable aid for healing the human body and strengthening the immune system.

What are the benefits of birch sap

Spring birch sap can be considered one of the best dietary remedies. Systematic taking birch sap has a tonic effect. If you drink at least a glass of birch sap a day, you will feel more alert and energetic. Drowsiness, depression, and fatigue will disappear.

The benefits of birch sap and the fact that birch sap is a good tonic for a variety of diseases. Among other things, it has a diuretic effect and stimulates kidney function. Birch juice promotes the release of uric acid, enhances diuresis. It is useful for people with kidney and urinary tract diseases. Birch sap strengthens the strength of those who have lung diseases, arthritis or bronchitis. However, people with urolithiasis and stomach ulcers should consult a doctor before expecting benefits from drinking birch sap.

It is recommended to drink birch sap for skin problems - eczema, lichen, furunculosis. Rinse with birch sap sore throat, proven benefits of birch sap in the complex treatment of headaches, coughs, and joint diseases. Birch sap inherent ability to cleanse the blood and remove toxic substances, so the benefits of birch sap for intoxication of the body are real. Also Birch juice alleviates the condition of infectious diseases.

Certainly useful birch sap obvious, but you should understand: this juice is not a medicine, but a good supporting agent given by nature that should be used in complex treatment.

Harm of birch sap

Birch sap can be harmful if: collected near highways, collected in the city, in a place with an unfavorable environment. Birch sap can also be harmful to those who are allergic to birch pollen!

The benefits of birch sap - folk recipes

What does birch sap treat, how to treat with birch sap, for what diseases Birch sap cures... Recipes for treating birch sap were collected and preserved by our ancestors. People often treated themselves with birch sap.

Anemia - treatment with birch sap
Birch sap contains a large amount of vitamins and microelements, including iron and natural sugar, so it is indicated for low hemoglobin levels.
Mix fresh birch sap in equal parts with apple, carrot or beetroot and you will get a product that effectively increases hemoglobin. Take 50 ml (this is about 1 shot glass) 15 minutes before meals 3 times a day, during the entire time of birch sap flow.

Reduced immunity - treatment with birch sap
A drink consisting of birch sap, milk (in equal proportions) and with the addition of a small amount of starch is a great way to boost immunity.

Tumors - treatment with birch sap
In the presence of various tumors, traditional medicine recommends mixing 2 parts birch sap with 2 parts of yarrow juice, 2 parts of carrot juice, 1 part of hemlock herb juice, 1 part of St. John's wort juice and 1 part of meadowsweet herb juice. Take 1 tablespoon in the morning on an empty stomach, washed down with milk, and 1 tablespoon at night, also washed down with milk.

Diseases of the digestive system - treatment with birch sap
For heartburn and gastritis with low acidity, biliary dyskinesia, exacerbation of peptic ulcers, flatulence and chronic inflammation of the pancreas, birch sap is taken as follows: 50 ml in pure form or diluted with warm boiled water in a ratio of 2:1 - drink per day.

High blood pressure - treatment with birch sap
For hypertension with high blood pressure, accompanied by swelling, heart pain, headache and dizziness, drink 1/2 glass of birch sap 2 times a day. The juice acts as a mild diuretic, removing excess moisture from the body.

Diseases of blood vessels and joints - treatment with birch sap
The diuretic function of birch sap, coupled with its anti-inflammatory effect, allows us to consider it as a good remedy for arthritis, arthrosis, gout, rheumatism, varicose veins of the legs, and trophic ulcers. In this case, the juice should be drunk 50 ml in pure form or diluted with water in a ratio of 2:1, 3 times a day, half an hour before meals. The effect of therapy will be enhanced if you drink a glass of warm milk on an empty stomach and before bedtime.

Pulmonary diseases - treatment with birch sap
For bronchitis, pneumonia, tuberculosis, birch sap is drunk as follows: 75-100 ml 2 times a day. For colds (pharyngitis, laryngitis) and sore throat, birch sap, pure or diluted with warm water, is useful to gargle on an empty stomach and after each meal. At high temperature Birch juice can also be used as a local antipyretic - in pure form or with cold water (2:1). Gauze or cotton flaps are moistened in juice, lightly squeezed and placed on the elbows, armpits and groin areas, under the knees, wrapped around the ankles and wrists and changed as they dry until the patient’s temperature subsides.

Skin diseases - treatment with birch sap
As an external remedy, birch sap is used for eczema, neurodermatitis, psoriasis, furunculosis, acne, fungal diseases and poorly healing wounds. In these cases, birch sap is used in the form of washes, rubs, lotions, and compresses on problem areas and places. The external effect of the juice can be duplicated by taking it orally in its pure form, 75-100 ml before meals and at night.

Diseases of the genitourinary system - treatment with birch sap
For kidney diseases - chronic pyelonephritis, the presence of sand or small stones - You need to drink birch sap daily on an empty stomach, 1 glass undiluted.

In case of urolithiasis and cholelithiasis, birch sap should be taken with caution, first finding out the composition and size of the stones. Otherwise, being a strong stone-reducing agent, birch sap can drive a large stone into a narrow duct and provoke colic. However, this applies only to stones of oxalate and uric acid origin. But birch sap, on the contrary, dissolves phosphate and carbonate stones, only for this you need to drink it for at least 3 months, 1 glass on an empty stomach and an hour before bedtime.

Hair loss - treatment with birch sap
If you begin to notice that your hair has weakened and began to fall out, then rubbing a mixture of birch sap with vodka and a decoction of burdock root in equal parts into the scalp will help stop this process. Birch sap also helps fight dandruff; to do this, you need to wash your hair with birch sap.

When to collect birch buds

Birch buds also have medicinal properties. This is a kind of concentrate of useful substances, loved by the people and often used in folk medicine.

The greatest amount of useful substances in birch buds is contained during the period of active sap flow in the tree. That is, around the same period when birch sap can be collected, or rather a little later. Don't miss the moment when the buds are swelling but have not yet opened. It is necessary to collect birch buds for further use for medicinal purposes when they are very swollen, but the scales have not yet separated. Of course, it is worth remembering the basic rules: collecting birch buds, like birch sap, should be kept away from highways, landfills, and industrial enterprises. Only collecting birch buds in ecologically clean places will provide you with useful raw materials.

We are lucky that we were born and live in a country where such beautiful and unique trees as birches grow.

After all, they are not just pleasing to the eye, but also have many other useful properties that can serve well both in the household and in survival conditions. This also includes the opportunity to enjoy birch sap! That's what we'll talk about today!

Birch sap is really very healthy and contains such valuable vitamins as B 6 and B 12, as well as other benefits in its composition! It is recommended to drink it for vitamin deficiency, diseases of the joints, skin and blood, problems with the respiratory system, liver, stomach, arthritis, rheumatism, headaches and other health problems!

When to extract birch sap?

The movement of sap in birches begins with the very first thaws of spring, and ends when the buds open.

How much birch sap can be collected from one birch tree per day?

It all depends on the size of the birch and the extraction method. On average, per day you can get about 2 - 3 liters from one tree; if a larger tree is selected, this figure can increase to 7 liters of juice; according to other data, tens of liters can be extracted.

What size trees is best to choose?

For any extraction method (which will be described below), it is NOT recommended to choose young birches; it is less effective and more dangerous for the tree than if you choose a larger and more mature birch! And, naturally, you should not try to extract sap from very young birches.

How to prevent the death of a birch tree?

To extract sap, in any case, you need to make an incision or notch on the birch tree, through which the valuable liquid will flow. Be sure to seal the hole or nicks made after you stop extracting birch sap, because if this is not done, the tree may dry out. The chances of a disastrous outcome are especially high for young trees, but large trees must also be handled with care. You can’t approach the extraction of juice like a barbarian, you need to be careful and caring! Wounds inflicted on the tree should be repaired using garden pitch, wax, a specially carved peg and other means.

Methods for extracting birch sap.

Which method of extracting birch sap is the most correct? In this matter we will not make any specific statements and will only express our general opinion. It is worth choosing the most humane method of extraction and at the same time it should provide you with a sufficient amount of juice. It is important to find the right balance between the amount of juice and the health of the plant, which you need to think about first of all already at the stage of preparation for harvesting.

A justified exception may be a situation in which you are far from the benefits of civilizations and are fighting for your own life. In a survival situation, you may need to urgently relieve thirst or get rid of scurvy. In this case, you need to use the tools and means that are at hand, because if you don’t do this, you will die. In this case, the speed of obtaining a valuable drink will be in the first place. If you have enough time left to prepare as much sap as you need, then you need to choose a more humane method, at the same time taking care of camouflage (the presence of icicles on a birch trunk in frosty conditions is very noticeable).

Methods for extracting sap from birch trees:

1. We will need a hand gimlet, drill or screwdriver to make a hole in the birch. You need to do it at a slight upward slope and on the warmer south side. After which (here the actions vary) either a groove of a suitable size is inserted (carved from deciduous wood, for example, from NOT dried buckthorn, the inside of which can simply be easily removed and a neat groove is formed) and a vessel is placed (tied) under the groove ( jar, plastic bottle, bag).

Instead of a groove made of wood, grooves and tubes made of other materials are used (or even an ordinary cocktail tube, or special metal grooves prepared in advance), which are adjusted so tightly that the juice flows through the hole and not along the walls from the outside. There is another option when, in order to prevent the juice from spilling, first make a small hole with a knife under the groove, which is driven quite tightly, and already above it, a little higher, make a deep hole with a gimlet, so that the juice flows from above exactly onto the groove, you can make a small channel in the bark .

An alternative to a gimlet can be, for example, a nail (as shown in the following video), the essence of the process does not change: you need to make a hole and, using a correctly fitted outlet, deliver the juice into the vessel.

Another method is using droppers and a screwdriver.

2. The method is less humane and boils down to various kinds of nicks and cuts at certain angles, which supply liquid into the vessel through juice drains.

And here’s how things stand with the extraction of sap in fraternal Belarus (in a video from 2014, it is stated that up to 30 liters of sap per day can be collected from a birch tree! And this is the official method! However, its humanity still raises great doubts).

3. There is a slightly different method, I haven’t tried it myself, but a video is attached for clarity. The advantage is that all we need as a tool is a knife, a vessel, and the birch tree itself will give us the gutter. You just need to bend (using a knife) the bark into a triangle, and a little higher above it poke the birch tree a couple of times with a knife, the sap will flow straight along the “triangle”. Obviously, this method also has a disadvantage and is not at all protected from insects, unless some improvements are made by covering the collection area, gauze or branches of coniferous trees.

Of course, there are probably other methods, with their own nuances and technology, but which method do you use?

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