As soon as the snow melted, before the other trees, birches awaken, which, under the influence of root pressure, begin to drive juice along their trunk. Birch sap is considered a real storehouse of vitamins and trace elements, as well as proteins, acids, polysaccharides, aromatic and tannic substances. It improves digestion and normalizes the intestinal microflora , it has the ability to dissolve stones in the kidneys and liver. Also, birch sap is useful as a preventive restorative.
When is the time for collection of birch sap?
As a rule, the sap flow begins in the middle of March, with the first thaws, and lasts until the buds bloom. The beginning of the collection of birch sap depends on the weather conditions. The juice may begin to flow during the March thaw, but if the frost hits, it stops for a while.
To determine the beginning of sap flow, it is enough to make a prick with a thin awl in a birch thick in the arm, and if drops of juice appear, it can be collected until the second half of April, when the leaves start to blossom.
The most intensive birch sap is released during the daytime, and at night the tree "falls asleep". The best time for collecting juice is from 10 to 18 hours. The number of holes (from one to four) must be done depending on the diameter of the tree.
Collection of juice should start with the most heated places and gradually move deep into the thicket, where the forest wakes up later.
What is the technology for collecting birch sap?
To get the juice, choose a tree with a well-developed crown with a diameter of at least 20 cm and notch, chop or drill a bark. The slot or hole is best done at a height of 40-50 cm from the ground on the south side, where the sap flow is more active.
By moving the knife from the bottom up we make a hole in the bark depth of 2-3 cm. But if the birch is too thick, then even deeper.
Do not try to drain all the juice from one tree, if you completely exsanguinate the tree, it can wither. It is better to take five liters of juice per day than five liters from one, and doom it to death.
At the end of the collection of juice, you need to take care of the tree itself. The device for collecting birch sap is extracted, and the hole made in the bark is tightly closed with wax or moss.