When is the best time to collect birch sap? Extraction of birch sap

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

Birch juice are usually harvested in mid-March. The end of the collection of juice in the last days of April - the appearance of the first leaves on the trees.

You should be guided by swollen kidneys. Experienced collectors come to the forest after the 20th of March, make an injection on a birch, the thickness of which is more than 20 cm. If juice comes out in the puncture area, then you can collect it.

A 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, 5 to 10 trees are used, from each of which they take 1 liter of liquid 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:

close the wound with garden pitch;
hammer a cork made of wood or moss into the hole.

To collect juice, use a birch tree, the diameter of which is 20-30 cm and the crown is well developed. Such birches have sweet juice. 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, it will begin to heal the wound, and the stream of juice will decrease. You can not deepen the hole or drill a new one, it is better to find another tree.

How is birch sap collected and when

How to store birch sap

Birch sap is used in fresh. It cannot be stored even chilled for more than 2 days, it is stored only in a frozen state.

What does it consist of Birch juice?

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

Birch sap is useful 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, relieve swelling (the juice has diuretic properties).

Birch sap is effective in the treatment of kidney failure and inflammation of the kidneys, however, with kidney stones, it should be drunk carefully, as it can provoke the movement of stones and renal colic. Birch sap cleanses the blood, eliminates toxins, helps against poisoning, and is useful in infectious diseases.

Juice is recommended to use with low acidity of the stomach. Doctors advise drinking birch sap 3 times a day before meals, 1 glass. This improves the formation of fluid in the body for the digestion of food. Also, birch sap is used to treat skin problems, against dandruff and to strengthen hair.

Juice tones and strengthens the body. It relieves fatigue, improves immunity. The drink stimulates metabolic processes, it is recommended during the diet. Important property juice - improving bowel function, normalizing blood formation.

Birch sap is an excellent dietary preparation, it has a tonic property. Drink a glass daily, it will give vigor, drowsiness and lethargy will go away.

Birch sap strengthens the body, acts as a diuretic, improves kidney function. The drink promotes excretion uric acid promotes diuresis. It is useful to drink it in diseases of the kidneys and diseases of the urinary system. Juice helps to restore strength in lung diseases, bronchitis, arthritis. For those suffering from stomach ulcers and urolithiasis you should consult your 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. Juice is useful in the complex therapy of cough, headaches, joint diseases. Also, the drink cleanses the blood and removes toxins, helps during intoxication, with infectious ailments.

Birch sap is harmful if it is collected from trees located near the highway, in an ecologically unfavorable place, and also when there is an allergic reaction to birch pollen. Now you know birch sap when to collect this year.

Our ancestors did not know anything about the composition of birch sap, about all these reserves of potassium and magnesium, sodium and iron, copper, manganese, calcium and fructose, sucrose and glucose, which this spring gift of birches is so rich in.

But they knew perfectly well the time for collecting birch sap and that birch tree would help with an old cough, with women's and men's ailments, with diseases of the throat and stomach, with rotting wounds that did not heal for a long time. They also knew that birch sap would return the fading youth, making the skin smooth and radiant, hair strong and thick, and joints flexible and strong again. After reading our article, you can easily determine when birch sap can be collected.

No wonder the month "March" in the Slavic languages sounds like "birch", something between "birch" and "protect".

Birch is really a tree-amulet for the Slavs, perhaps precisely because of the properties of its juice, which was customary to collect as soon as the snow begins to melt and tender birch trees begin to “cry”, taking away with their “tears” all the bitterness and cold of long winter disappointments.

Dates when you can collect birch sap

Each region has its own time frame for birch sap: for the south - from mid-March to early April, for the north - from April to May.

It is necessary to determine when birch sap is collected by melting snow and birch buds: as soon as the buds swell and increase in size, it’s time to go from the yard to the “birch hunt”.

It is important not to miss the time when the collection of birch sap begins.

Let's go into the forest and at the nearest white-barrel (no less than an arm thick!) Let's make a shallow puncture with an awl to the place where the bark converges with the wood. It is easy to determine this place, you need to “listen” to the tree. The bark in its density differs from the body of the tree, therefore, as soon as you feel the difference in the passage of the awl through the tissues of the tree, stop! Otherwise, you can inflict a poorly healing wound on a birch, and you didn’t plan to destroy the tree, you just came to find out: when to collect birch sap this year.

If it’s time, then after 5-10 seconds, a transparent, heavy drop of the life-giving juice of the tree that has moved up the trunk from the roots is formed at the puncture site. This will be the signal when you need to collect birch sap.

Now you need to choose trees suitable for harvesting and not miss the deadlines, because the juice is only a week and a half, and you need to stock up to the maximum! As soon as the leaves have blossomed on the birch tree, the collection of juice should be stopped.

I hope now it is clear when you need to collect birch sap.

Important! The further the chosen birch grows from megacities and carriageways, the better! Trees are able to absorb exhaust gases and other harmful products the life of large cities, which he willingly "shares" through his juice.

Trees live in the sun, so the sap flows best from 10 am to 5-6 pm. Keep this in mind when setting up your juice traps.

Which birch to choose

In order not to make a mistake with the choice, a few tips from the "experienced":

Estimate by eye the diameter of the girth of a birch trunk at the chest level of an adult: it should be at least 25-30 cm.
According to the circumference diameter, calculate the number of holes that you can make in the tree trunk: from 25-30 cm - only one, from 30-40 cm - 2-3 is acceptable, from 40 cm - 4 can be, and so on.
If more than one hole is made, then the distance between them must be at least 20 cm.
Only mature, strong trees with a well-developed root system and a rich crown are suitable for "birch hunting". Choose a tree according to these parameters, growing slightly at an angle.
It is best to make holes on the south side.
The tree should not be sick or damaged: with your actions, you can destroy the birch by weakening it.
If you found only an old birch stump after cutting down, check if the “smoking room” is alive. If - yes, then it is quite possible to arrange the collection of juice from it.
A young thin tree cannot be used to collect spring juice!
It is also undesirable to “milk” a birch tree standing alone on the edge.

Advice! If the amount of juice secreted by a birch ceased to suit you, do not rush to twist new holes, go to another tree that grows in the depths of the forest and begins to wake up - in the depths the forest has just begun to warm up.

How to collect birch sap "the old fashioned way"

Collecting birch sap was traditionally considered a matter of women and children, men treated this matter rather as fun, but they shared these trips into the forest with pleasure, helping women drive thin pegs into strong trunks, through which weakly sweet juice of those who woke up from sleep flowed trees. This method is still used today, it is very simple and accessible to everyone.

What you need

Birch tuesok, which in our time is easily replaced by a glass jar or plastic container.
Pegs pointed on both sides, 15-20 cm long, along which the juice will flow.
A bunch of last year's grass, washed and dried, twisted into a bundle.
A few ropes for attaching the jar next to the peg.
A knife or other object that can easily and painlessly for a tree open a thick top layer of bark.

How to collect birch sap

We choose a suitable birch and check it for sap flow;
We outline an approximate place for the hole (40-50 cm from the roots up);
If the tree has a thick, old bark, then carefully remove the upper old layer with a knife, trying not to damage the young one following it (a square of about 2x2 cm);
With a manual gimlet or screwdriver, we make a hole in the center of the cleaned square to the pulp (the soft inner layer of the tree bark, located directly above the sapwood). We make the hole at an angle so that the peg inserted into it is located in it with the “nose” down;
We drive a peg into the resulting hole;
When birch sap appears, we substitute our jar under the “nose” of the peg;
We fasten the jar with ropes captured from the house to the birch trunk;
We mask our "trap" from curious and other lovers of freebies;
We come to empty our trap twice or thrice a day.

How to collect birch sap using a herbal tourniquet

The second method of collecting juice "in the old fashioned way" differs only in that instead of a peg, a herbal tourniquet is inserted into the hole made, which is easier to make with a screwdriver, which will act as a wick for life-giving moisture to enter the jar. When birch sap is extracted in this way, the ants who find your “trap” will be incredibly happy, and you run the risk of bringing home a jar of juice fairly mixed with these forest dwellers.

Important! From one tree you can collect no more than 1-3 liters, depending on its age and condition! The tree also needs this juice to live! Withdrawal more birch trees will be difficult to restore.

In short, do not be like greedy vandals, it is better to find 5-6 more trees in advance, from which you can collect juice without damaging the forest.

How to collect birch sap in jars

The youth of our parents came at a time when heels of boiled potatoes and bacon wrapped in a rag were replaced by tin cans with all sorts of delicious stuff. The same jars turned out to be in great demand when collecting birch sap!

How to use banks

The lid from the jar was cut off completely, folded in the previous way, and any suitable container was placed under the groove. If the neck of the container was narrow, then an ordinary household funnel was inserted into it, which significantly increased the amount of collection.

Somewhere at the same time appeared special devices, having the form of a hollow iron or aluminum tube with a “nose” at one end and a pointed edge at the other of different cross-sectional diameters. The pointed edge, of course, was driven into the tree, and the juice dripped from the “spout” into the jar fixed under it. These "collections" are used to this day, they are really very convenient.

Advice! In order not to inflict serious injury on the birch, the cross-sectional diameter of such devices should not exceed 5-6 mm, and after collecting the juice, the “adapt” must be removed from the tree trunk.

Plastic devices for collecting birch sap

With the spread of various plastic items in everyday life, the collection of juice went faster.

Firstly, plastic container has virtually no weight.
Secondly, it does not break with careless handling and does not leak.
Thirdly, plastic containers can be quite large and you do not have to run to the birch every 2-3 hours.
Fourthly, it usually has a screw-on plastic lid, in which it is easy to make a hole for a tube with flowing juice, which eliminates its loss and forest debris or insects getting into the container.
Fifthly, the tube itself is also made of plastic (cambric from an electrical wire, a cocktail tube or a medical dropper).
Sixth, the device is easy to assemble, dismantle without problems and do not deform.

Collecting birch sap with a drip

Having found the desired birch, we pierce the bark of the tree with a wide dropper needle. Basically, the juice goes between the bark and the wood, so the length of the dropper needle will be quite enough.
We stick the other end of the dropper into the plastic lid of the jar or bottle.
After making sure that the juice has gone, we fix the container between the birch roots, and if the bottle is small, then we simply tape it to the trunk (again - plastic!).

How to get birch sap with minimal effort

Approximately according to the same principle, a cambric with a cocktail tube “works”.

True, here you have to work hard and first drive a nail into a tree or a thick nail to a depth of 3-5 cm, with a downward slope, making a hole of the desired diameter, and then also pull it out of there. Or use a manual brace with a drill diameter that matches the diameter of the plastic tube. As a rule, this diameter does not exceed 1 cm.

Important! Remember the allowable distance between the holes (20 cm) and do not arrange “multi-station pumping” on the tree, trying to put as many tubes as possible into one bottle, making holes in the bark 2-3 cm apart!

In our “advanced” times, instead of a nail and a hand brace, a cordless hand drill is successfully used, which makes the process of collecting birch sap much more prosaic and easily accessible.

All of the above methods make it clear how to properly extract birch sap without applying great harm birch itself.

The method that gives the largest amount of birch sap

There is such a way, but it is unacceptable for a normal person, because this way makes a tree hurt for a long time, and can even destroy it.

With this method, an ordinary ax is used, with which a notch is made along the trunk of a birch. The poor white-barreled friend literally bleeds with her tears, and often she is simply not able to restore such an amount of lost juice.

People using this method liken themselves to a pig from Krylov’s fable “The Pig under the Oak”, where the pig undermines the roots of the oak tree in search of acorns, not at all caring that the oak tree, on which these same acorns grow, dies.

Advice! There is no need to approach nature from the position of a predator, this is what distinguishes us - people - from animals!

The options for collecting birch trees proposed above (except for the “clumsy”, of course) are the safest for trees, because they do not cause serious damage to them. With these methods, you can collect as much juice from several birches as your heart desires, without causing serious harm to either the birch tree itself or the forest as a whole. Above, we described in detail how to extract birch sap without applying severe harm tree.

Basic rules for collecting birch sap

It’s not enough not to cause serious harm, you also need to help the birch heal the wound in gratitude, which you inflicted on it anyway. It's easy to do this:

If you used the “old-fashioned” pegs, at the end of the process, they must be broken off and cleaned “flush”, covering the surface with garden pitch or resin from coniferous trees on top.

After your “birch hunt”, wounds remain on the tree trunk in any case. You need to carefully remove all your devices and drive a wooden chop or tightly packed moss into this “hole”.

Advice! Any knot or twig picked up in the forest can serve as a chopik, the main thing is that it is not rotten and cleared of bark.

And be sure to cover up! No garden pitch? Didn't find a Christmas tree in the forest? Cover with at least oil paint!

Of course, a birch tree will be able to overgrow a small place of damage without your help, but with you it will do it faster! The birch sap will quickly soak the chop-cork itself, fill the remaining space in the "hole" and cheerfully run up the trunk and branches, and the tree itself will easily tighten the wound with new wood.

If you have done everything correctly, then the tree will quickly tighten the place of your impact so that when you come to the same tree the next year, you will not even be able to find the place of the previous introduction.

You are welcome for the next batch of birch!

Not everyone is aware of how to collect birch sap correctly so as not to damage the tree and not cause death by incorrect actions, so you should know which month to collect the drink, is it possible to do this in May and summer, what devices to use for collection, how to make a groove, how to use a drip, tubing…

What time to collect birch sap - terms, in which month

Which have been known to man since time immemorial - the drink is really incredibly tasty and healthy, rich in vitamins and other elements necessary for the body. However, not every lover of a natural drink knows how to properly collect birch sap so as not to damage the tree, but it is necessary to have such knowledge, otherwise irreparable harm can be done to the birch - the tree will die.

One of important conditions the correct collection of birch sap is the observance of the recommended terms, - according to experienced harvesters, optimum time for harvesting birch sap is spring, namely the period before buds begin to form. As a rule, this is the second half of March, when the air has already noticeably warmed up - this period is popularly called birch weeping, at this time the most active movement of sap is observed near the tree.

Collection of birch sap

The juice moves intensively along the trunk and branches of trees in the morning and daytime, and by the evening the process slows down noticeably, so the collection it is recommended to appoint in the first half of the day. The color and sweetness of the drink largely depends on the month in which birch sap is collected, - Fresh Juice, collected in March, is almost transparent and has no color, but not particularly sweet, while a drink collected in April will have a brown tint, but a higher sugar content.

It is necessary to stop collecting birch sap when the buds begin to turn into green leaves. In general, the period for collecting juice is 3-4 weeks, depending on what air temperature is relevant for spring.

How to collect birch sap correctly so as not to damage the tree - collection technology

When birch sap is harvested, the wounds inflicted on the tree are often neglected. If you follow the simple rules that you will read about below, you will be able to collect at least 12-15 liters of sap from a tree and not harm it - the birch will not become infected and, moreover, will not die.

To collect a healing natural drink, you will need a certain set of tools and materials:

A small but well-sharpened hatchet;
Hand drill;
A pack of plasticine;
The container where the juice will be collected;
Funnel.

Before you collect birch sap, you need to choose the right source - the tree must be at least 40 cm in diameter. With a hatchet, carefully remove the top layer of bark without hitting the wood. On the bottom of the log house, fix well-mashed plasticine so as to secure a tray or funnel for collecting juice - if the plasticine is damp or wet, the connection will be poor.

A container for collecting juice is installed on the ground under the log house - it can be a plastic bottle with a cut neck, a can or other container.

The third stage is drilling a hole with a drill, the depth of which should not exceed 6 cm - this distance is safe for the health of the tree.

After required amount the drink is collected, care should be taken to treat the wound inflicted on the tree - the hole should be tightly clogged, a wooden cork or other improvised materials will do. Such measures will help protect the birch from possible infections, which, with a strong spread, can lead to the death of the entire tree.

Among the rules on how to properly collect birch sap so as not to damage the tree, one more important point should be taken into account - the age of the birch. Collect juice from adults, and preferably old individuals, keeping young ones, since the injury inflicted on a young tree can be fatal for him, and you will be able to collect little juice.

Basic devices for collecting birch sap

Craftsmen have come up with many ways to collect birch sap using various devices, among which the use of a medical dropper is popular - this method gives the richest collection of the drink. A regular dropper, which is sold in a pharmacy, will do. The technology of how to collect birch sap using a dropper is as follows:

A hole in the trunk of a middle-aged birch is made with a sharp and thinnest drill (slightly thicker than a sewing needle) at a height of one and a half meters, the bark does not need to be removed from the trunk;
Insert the dropper needle into the resulting hole, and lower the other end through the plastic lid into a jar or bottle;
Two holes must be made in the lid - one for the tube, the other for the free exit of air from the container.

Do not forget to change the container in time so that the juice does not flow out to the ground and is not wasted. After the collection is over, carefully plug the hole with a wooden plug and cover with garden pitch.

Among the devices suitable for how to properly collect birch sap, so as not to damage the tree, are:

Glass jar 3 l - stable and reliable container for juice, and an aluminum groove inserted into the hole;
A plastic funnel that ensures the exact hit of the juice into the container in windy weather;
A bunch of dry grass, inserted into the hole and directing a stream of juice into the jar, also acts as a filter for the juice;
Tube for juices and cocktails - inserted into the hole in the barrel and sent to plastic bottle pinching with a clothespin.

As you can see, a variety of devices can be used, the main thing is to follow the rules of tree-safe collection.

When collecting birch sap, it is important not only to comply with the basic requirements for collection technology, but also to know how to store birch sap at home so that it pleases with its taste and benefits for a long time.

Many people love birch sap. The taste of the drink often causes a lot of pleasant memories of childhood. Birch sap is recommended for everyone in the spring, because it contains great amount minerals, and also cleanses the blood and removes kidney and liver stones. How and when to collect birch sap this year? How to do it correctly so as not to damage the tree?

The time for collecting birch sap falls on the end of March, April

Birch sap: how and when to collect it correctly?

Scientists have long noticed that the biological substances that make up a natural drink not only improve brain function, but also have antiseptic properties, strengthen immunity, and positively affect the functioning of the endocrine glands. In Russia, birch sap has always been valued, and every spring they actively collect and use it as a health-improving drink.

How and when to collect birch sap so that the human body receives the greatest benefit? The time for collecting a valuable drink falls on the end of March, April. In regions with a cold climate, it is harvested in May. Each locality has its own terms and the air temperature should reach +5 degrees. The tree itself helps to determine the exact time. When the birch buds swelled, it's time to go for the juice.

It is in the middle of spring that all vegetation wakes up after winter, and the period of active sap flow begins. Tree roots absorb nutrients from the soil. Through the vessels in the tree trunk, they are delivered to all parts of the plant, saturating it with biologically active components.

It is in April that birch sap contains the greatest amount of moisture, glucose, fructose, and other bioactive components, and their concentration is simply ideal. Birch sap in April is not only healthy, but also delicious. How to properly collect liquid? Here are some tips:

The greatest value is the juice obtained from perennial birch trees with a thick trunk. The root system of young trees is too weak and has not had time to grow enough, so it does not absorb so many components from the soil. At a young birch chemical composition juice is different from the old tree and contains more water than valuable substances. However, old trees are also not suitable.
It is worth choosing those trees that grow in ecologically safe areas, away from highways, factories, plants and other potentially dangerous sources of pollution. Perfect option- go to the countryside, to the forest.
To collect enough juice, you need to go to the birch grove. According to reviews, about 1-2 liters of liquid can be collected from one tree per day. This amount is only enough for one person. To collect more birch sap, it is necessary to simultaneously install containers for collecting the drink on several trees.

How to collect birch sap correctly so as not to damage the tree?

Every year lovers of birch sap return to the places where the healing drink is collected. It is for this reason that during the collection of liquid, it is important not to damage the tree. A gross mistake is to remove the bark, cause deep damage to the birch using an ax. From such wounds, the tree will suffer for many years or even die.

We suggest using a safe method of collecting birch sap:

to extract valuable contents, it is worth using a brace with a drill or a screwdriver with a self-tapping screw, the diameter of which is equal to the diameter of the drain tube. The optimal diameter is 5 mm, but not more than 10 mm;
it is recommended to collect no more than 1-1.5 liters of juice per day from one birch. It is very important to leave enough liquid for the plant, which will become very weak and may die;
after receiving a sufficient amount of drink, it is important to close the hole made in the barrel. To do this, use garden pitch, resin or wooden cork.

According to the observations of experienced birch nectar collectors, the most active sap flow is observed during the day, approximately from 10-11 to 17-18 hours.

How and when to collect birch sap, video:

love natural drinks useful for health and want to know how and when to collect birch sap? There is nothing complicated in this matter, but some nuances should still be taken into account. The main thing during the collection of liquid is to think not only about the amount of the collected substance, but also about nature. No need to use barbaric methods to extract juice. After all, you will have to return to the grove again and it’s good if by that time the tree remains intact.

Birch is an extraordinary tree that cannot be confused with any other. Since ancient times, the people of Rus' have composed songs, sayings and proverbs about birch, admired its beauty and gratefully accepted its lares: wood, tar, birch bark, as well as natural birch sap - a great healthy refreshing drink. Birch sap is clear and only slightly sweet in taste, despite its sugar content of about 2%. This environmentally friendly drink is rich in proteins, vitamins, organic acids, microelements and brings many health benefits. able to destroy kidney stones, helps with diseases of the gallbladder and liver. Also, it is very useful for digestion, helps with all sorts of harmful substances and serves as an excellent general tonic. On a spring day, there is nothing better than drinking a glass of a wonderful pure and natural refreshing drink that nature itself brings to us. And it is a pity that at the time when it is possible to collect birch sap, most urban residents do not have such an opportunity. After all, even if you can buy this drink in stores, when canned, it loses most of its useful properties. And fresh birch sap is stored in the refrigerator for no more than two or three days, and then begins to ferment.

And when can you collect birch sap? How to do it? Let's take a closer look at the answers to these questions. As a rule, the beginning of the season when you can collect birch sap is considered to be mid-March, but this period is highly dependent on the weather and climatic conditions of the region in a given year. You can start collecting juice when the snow melts. Then water begins to flow to the roots of the tree, and all the starch available in the roots and trunk turns into sugar, dissolves in water. This solution rises up the trunk to give life to fresh greens. The collection period, unfortunately, is very short - only about two weeks - before the first leaves appear on the tree. Best of all, the juice moves along the trunk in the morning, when the sun is high and shining brightly. To accurately determine whether the long-awaited period of collecting juice has come, you need to make a small puncture on the birch with a thin spike. If a drop of juice appears at the site of damage, then you can start collecting it. To do this, it is better to choose trees standing on hills and open edges - where there is a lot of sun. The sap of such birches has more high content useful substances.

It is very important in the process of collecting juice not to harm the birch itself. You should be very careful in choosing a tree for these purposes. There are cases when it is impossible to collect birch sap in any case - this will kill the birch. The main rule is that the tree should not be too young or too old. As you know, the age of a tree is determined by the thickness of its trunk, so the best choice would be a birch with a diameter of about 20-30 centimeters. In addition, the tree should not be sick. As mentioned, it's best to look for a birch that sees a lot of sunlight. You should also not be greedy and try to take more from the tree than it can give: a liter of juice for a period of 2-3 days is enough. Having chosen a suitable tree, you need to make a hole in its bark with a chisel or knife. The hole must not be too deep. A tube or groove made of aluminum or plastic is placed in it, through which the juice will come out. Now it remains only to substitute a vessel suitable for collecting juice and periodically check its fullness. In some cases, it is enough to simply hang the bottle on a broken branch without causing additional damage to the birch.

Now, knowing how and when to collect birch sap, we can use the knowledge and get incredible pleasure and benefit from drinking a wonderful natural drink that birch shares with us - amazing and dear to the heart of every person in