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.

Pure white stumps covered the hills of the once secret place like mushrooms. The grass withered and burned in the sun, exposing the roots of tired Birches. The birds disappeared, the silence was deafening, pressing on the eardrums.

A hot tear flowed down the wanderer's cheek. The dream of seeing this magical place is forever buried under the dirty track of a timber truck.

Taking a deep breath, the traveler decided to stop here for a while. You need to think about your future path. Having settled down at one of the stumps, the stranger fell into a light slumber.

The traveler dreamed of a Birch Grove: green hills, fresh birch sap, birds and forest animals, a light haze of morning fog and the rotting aroma of birch brooms.

Continued at the end of the article.

Birch juice

Birch juice- a true gift of nature to man. After a long winter, until the greenery blooms, a person especially needs vitamins and microelements. How to properly collect birch sap so as not to seriously harm the tree?

Let's begin with Birch juice useful for humans, especially in early spring, when the body lacks vitamins. Birch sap has its own special sweetish taste, and it is better to drink it fresh.

What are the benefits of birch sap?

In birch sap contains about a dozen organic acids, tannins, enzymes, phytoncides, numerous vitamins (C, A, group B, etc.), minerals (iron, potassium, calcium, sodium, magnesium, manganese, etc.), etc.

Birch juice– tonic, general strengthening agent. It helps relieve chronic fatigue, lethargy, drowsiness and improves immunity.

Birch juice normalizes microflora in the stomach and improves digestion. It will remove excess acidity, and add too little acidity.

Birch juice has the ability to dissolve urinary stones of phosphate and carbonate origin in the kidneys and liver.

Birch juice useful as a preventive tonic and for the treatment of lung diseases.

Washing my face birch sap reduces age spots on the face and acne. It is very useful to wipe your face with a piece of frozen birch sap in the morning. The skin not only receives thermal stimulation, but also microelements that nourish it.

When is birch sap collected?

Birch sap begins to move upward along the trunk, usually after the spring equinox (Maslenitsa) on March 21/Bereznya until mid-April/Tsvetnya, when the Birch tree puts on its first leaves.

How to properly collect birch sap with your own hands using tools. How to store birch sap - simple recommendations.

Birch juice

Birch sap is a completely undeservedly forgotten vitamin complex that can grow right under our window. Or rather, it is better not to touch the one that grows right under the window (if you are a city dweller), but by walking deep into the forest, you can easily find a suitable tree that is ready to give you everything useful that is contained in birch sap.

Birch sap is useful in the treatment and prevention of a whole bunch of ailments.

• Firstly, it is a natural energy drink. Regular intake of juice will give you vigor and vitality, relieve drowsiness and nervousness.
• Secondly, it helps the body get rid of moisture, because it is a diuretic and has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the kidneys and urinary tract.
• Thirdly, it has a positive effect on the gastrointestinal tract and also stimulates metabolism.
• Fourthly, it has an immune-strengthening effect. In general, regular consumption of birch sap has a positive effect on the functioning of almost all body systems.

The time for collecting birch sap is determined by the swollen buds. As a rule, this is the beginning of spring, when the snow begins to melt and the sun's rays warm the trees that have been chilled over the winter. At different latitudes, the collection time is different and depends on the climate. But on average, this time occurs around the beginning or middle of March and lasts a month or a month and a half.

It is very easy to check whether the tree is ready to release sap. Take a thin awl and plunge it into the trunk about 5-10 centimeters. If a drop appears immediately at the puncture site, then it’s time to collect the juice.

How to properly collect birch sap - the best ways

1. Young birch trees need sap for development and growth. Therefore, for collecting, it is better to use trees with a trunk diameter of approximately 20 centimeters.
2. Do not dehydrate the entire tree. If you take a lot of sap from one birch tree, it will have nothing to feed its leaves, and it will soon die. Therefore, it’s better to get a liter from five trees than five liters from one.
3. Be sure to heal the wound on the tree after harvesting by sealing the hole with a wooden plug, wax or moss. Otherwise, it will not be able to restore its former beauty.
4. Do not make the hole too deep, it is enough to go to a depth of 10 cm, and if it is located along the upper layers of wood, you can increase its depth to 15 cm.

How does the process itself happen? A hole is made in the tree trunk. To do this, use a drill with a narrow drill bit. Next, an outlet tube or hose is inserted into it, under which a container is placed, intended directly for collecting juice. At the same time, to prevent foreign impurities from getting into it, it is better to cover it on top with gauze or some other filter material.

Interesting way– use the cord from the dropper. One end is stuck into a hole in the tree, the other end with a needle makes a puncture in a plastic bottle, and thus the juice flows into it.

There is also a little trick when drilling into a tree trunk. In order for the sap to flow more intensely, it is necessary to drill not directly into the depths, but slightly tangentially, along the tree bark, because the sap itself is located precisely in its upper layers.

How is birch sap stored?

Like any natural product, the shelf life of fresh birch sap is extremely short. It is only two days. So what should you do if you want to keep the healthy liquid and enjoy it at another time of the year? There are three options.

1. Shock freezing. Birch sap should be frozen quickly and in small portions. This is explained by the same extremely short shelf life. While the liter jar freezes, it will lose some of its nutrients. Accordingly, it is not advisable to defrost the entire volume in order to drink one glass in the morning.
2. Canning. You can preserve birch sap. But only within two days (or better yet, just one) after collection. There are many recipes for preservation. The simplest one is to heat the juice to a temperature of 80 degrees, pour it into sterilized glass containers, bury it and then pasteurize it for an additional 15-20 minutes at 90 degrees. The shelf life of canned juice is up to 8 months.
3. Beverages. Preparing various drinks that can withstand long-term storage is also one of the ways to preserve birch sap. For example, if you prepare a fruit drink and add birch sap, its beneficial properties will be supplemented by the beneficial properties of the berries from which the fruit drink is made. Or you can make a balm, the main ingredients of which will be birch sap and red wine. This drink is usually added to tea or coffee and is not consumed in its pure form. But even in this form it retains most of the nutrients of its main components.

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 silver juice.

The main thing to remember if you decide to get healthy birch sap: It is necessary to collect birch sap only 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 flows 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 you finish collecting birch sap, help the birch tree heal its 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 diameter 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 depends on the diameter of the birch that can be done:

• if 20-25 cm - then only one,
• with a volume of 25-35 cm - two, with 35-40 - three,
• and if the diameter is more than 40 cm, it is permissible to make four holes.

After collecting 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 birch, as soon as you drill it, it will immediately begin to heal the wound caused to 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 in a slightly different 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.

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

Birch sap contains: 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, and 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 juice 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 birch sap in the complex treatment of headaches, coughs, and joint diseases. Birch sap inherent ability to cleanse the blood and remove toxic substances, therefore it is real benefits of birch sap in case of intoxication of the body. Also Birch juice alleviates the condition of infectious diseases.

Undoubtedly, benefits of 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 be treated with birch sap, what diseases does birch sap treat... Recipes for treatment with 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 beet sap 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 period 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 of birch sap with 2 parts of yarrow juice, 2 parts of carrot juice, 1 part of hemlock grass juice, 1 part of St. John's wort juice and 1 part of meadowsweet grass 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 in a 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 temperatures, birch sap can also be used as a local antipyretic agent - in its pure form or with cold water (2:1). Gauze or cotton flaps are moistened in juice, slightly wrung out and applied to 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 - birch sap should be drunk 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 urate 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 sap this year, learn from our article, as well as the most effective methods for assembling it.

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 consumed fresh. It cannot be stored even refrigerated for more than 2 days; it can only be stored frozen.

What does birch sap consist of?

• 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 the treatment of renal failure and inflammation of the kidneys, but in case of kidney stones it should be drunk with caution, as 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. An important property of the juice is to improve intestinal function and normalize 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.