When To Collect Birch Sap This Year And How To Do It Correctly + Photos And Videos

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

When and how to collect birch sap: recommendations and useful tips

A couple of decades ago, everyone could enjoy this wonderful drink by visiting the nearest store or dining room. Now it is difficult to find natural birch sap even in supermarkets. Therefore, amateurs collect the "correct" birch sap on their own.

A unique drink and its benefits

There is a popular belief: "Whoever drinks the juice of a birch tree will gain health and vigor for the whole year."

Until recently, everyone could enjoy this drink. Now the production of birch sap has decreased. Now it is difficult to find a natural product even in supermarkets. That is why many people prefer to extract juice on their own. It turns out that this is a simple procedure.

Birch sap is a tasty and healthy drink

Anyone can collect birch sap. The main thing is to know the basic rules.

What you need to know when you go for this juice

Before going into a birch grove or forest, you need to arm yourself with the knowledge of technology and the secrets of successful sap collection.

Obey the law, take care of your national treasure

Do not worry, the legislation of the Russian Federation allows collecting birch sap. The main thing is that the tree remains alive after your extraction. Otherwise, you will be fined.

Only adult birches are suitable for sap collection

To prevent this, choose an adult birch with a diameter of 25 cm or more. And also do not make rough and deep cuts that are harmful to the tree.

Remember! You can't:

• collect sap of young birches;
• make deep cuts with an ax;
• collect more than 10 liters of sap from one tree (a couple of liters from one tree is quite enough, it is better to bypass several birches).

Correct time of the year

Nobody will tell you the exact date when you need to go for birch sap. It all depends on the weather conditions and climate of the region. Usually in Moscow, the Moscow region and in central Russia, juice appears in the third decade of March, in the southern regions - in early March, and in the northern regions, beyond the Urals and in the Altai Territory - by the end of April.

But if the buds are still dry, you should wait a little, as most likely there will be no juice. Or it will, but in meager quantities.

Table: Leningrad Region, Siberia or Altai - when can you collect birch sap in different regions of Russia

Early March	Third decade of March	April
Kursk region Lipetsk region Tambov region Belgorod region Voronezh region Krasnodar Territory Rostov Region Volgograd region Astrakhan region Republic of Adygea Republic of Kalmykia Republic of Crimea	Tver region Vladimir region Tula region Oryol region Kostroma region Nizhny Novgorod region. Smolensk region Yaroslavl region Ryazan region Kaluga region Bryansk region Ivanovo region Moscow region	Leningrad region. Pskov region Novgorod region Vologda region Arkhangelsk region Republic of Karelia Republic of Komi Murmansk region Republic of Altai Irkutsk region Khabarovsk region

Temperature, lack of rain, suitable hours of the day and other nuances

There are also several "secrets of success" that you should know in advance:

1. The air temperature should reach 5 degrees Celsius.
2. If, after the thaw, frosts hit or it rained, this is not the best time to collect birch sap. Better to wait until more favorable weather conditions. Otherwise, you will simply waste your time.
3. The best time to collect juice is from 11:00 to 16:00.
4. Pure and high-quality birch sap can be collected only in the forest, in a birch grove, where the environment is clean. Also, avoid swampy areas. Birch sap cannot be collected within the city, especially near factories and plants. This is fraught with allergies, in the worst case, poisoning.
5. Collect sap from the south side of the birch.

Instructions for working with wood

This rule overlaps with the first. The thicker the wood, the better. Young birch will not yield as much sap as an adult tree can.

And be sure, after you complete the procedure, treat the injured place of the birch. To do this, coat the cuts and holes with garden varnish, or close them with a homemade wood cork.

What methods of collecting birch sap will not damage trees

With a groove - plastic, aluminum or wood

You will need:

• drill;
• ax;
• V-shaped aluminum gutter;
• container.

1. At a distance of 40 cm from the ground, we drill a not very deep hole.
2. Carefully clean the top layer of bark with an ax around the hole. This is done so that the juice does not collect dirt and runs off in a clean stream.

3. Install the groove. To do this, insert an aluminum gutter with an ax under the hole. The groove should be at a 45 degree angle.

   

   Drive the groove shallowly into the bark for juice to flow

4. We substitute the container. It can be a plastic or glass bottle, bag or plastic bag, bucket.

Video: extraction of birch sap with a groove

No gadgets - just hands and a knife

You will need: a sharp knife, a container for juice.

1. We are looking for a place on the birch where the bark is even. Make a V-cut in the top layer of the bark.
2. Bend the incised bark a little. The result is a kind of "hook".
3. We make deeper cuts above the "hook" with a knife so that the juice begins to stand out.

4. We substitute or attach the container.

   

   The juice flows down the bark directly into the container

This method is good when you are relaxing with your family or friends in nature. In a couple of minutes, you will collect a mug of juice.

Video: how to collect birch sap quickly and easily

Collection in a bag (bag) or bottle from a branch

You will need:

• sharp knife or hatchet;
• container.

1. We select a suitable branch. It should not be thinner than a finger, move away not from the trunk, but from another thick branch and grow to the side, not up.
2. We cut off the end of our branch.

3. We attach a container to it. You can wire a plastic bottle, or you can tie a bag.

   

   The most convenient way is to simply put the bottles on the branches.

With a dropper

You will need:

• drill;
• drill;
• medical dropper;

• plastic bottle.

  

  plastic bags with birch sap

1. We drill a hole in the birch. We clean it from sawdust.
2. Remove the needle from one end of the dropper. We insert the cambric into the hole.
3. We insert the other end of the dropper with a needle into a plastic bottle, piercing it.

Video: how to collect birch sap with a dropper

As you can see, there are many different options for getting birch sap. Choose the one that suits you best. And do not forget to follow the measure and rules. Then the birch will thank you every year with its wonderful juice.