Nature is very generous to man, giving him not only useful, but also extremely tasty gifts. One of them is the healing fluid extracted from the trunks of slender beauties-birches. When to collect birch sap and whether it is suitable for long-term storage, we learn from this article.

When birch sap is harvested

In the language of many Slavic peoples, the name of the month of March is pronounced as “birch”, “birch”. It is in the spring, as soon as the thaw begins, the black and white birch trees begin to cry, highlighting the lively, tasty and healthy juice.

When should you start collecting this unusual liquid crop? Each region has its own timing: the south - from mid-March to early April, the north - in April-May.

In order to accurately determine the time of year suitable for harvesting, you should follow some recommendations:

  1. Keep track of the snow and buds of birch. Melting snow, swollen tree buds are the first sign that it is time to go on a birch hunt.
  2. Puncture method. Once in the forest, you should choose a suitable birch - the diameter of its trunk should be no thinner than a human hand. With maximum accuracy, it is necessary to make a deep puncture with an awl. The main thing is not to get carried away - the tip should reach the place where the bark connects to the wood. It is not difficult to determine it, you only need to pay attention - the awl passes easily through the bark, and if it gets into the wood, its movements are difficult. You need to stop here, otherwise the birch can get a wound, which subsequently will not heal well.If the tree is ready to share the juice, a few seconds after piercing, a viscous transparent drop forms on the bark.

Having determined the moment, it remains to choose the appropriate trees and begin to stock up on juice. The main thing is not to delay, because it stands out only 1-1.5 weeks. As soon as blooming leaves were noticed on a birch - the collection must be stopped.

How to collect a healthy drink without harm to the tree

For a long time collecting birch sap was considered a duty of women and children. Men regarded this business as fun, but periodically accompanied their wives and babies into the forest, inserting thin wedges into the trunks of birches, along which a healing drink flowed.

How to collect birch sap?

You can use several effective ways to extract it:

  1. Using plastic containers. Having chosen a suitable tree, you should outline a place for making a hole (about a half meter above the roots). If the birch is old, you should use a knife to open the top layer of the bark. Using a drill, screwdriver or hand drill located at an angle, make a hole so that the located peg looks down. When the juice starts to drain, substitute the container under it and fix it with ropes to the tree trunk. Two to three times a day, the container should be emptied. The advent of plastic items made life easier for people, including in matters of collecting birch sap. This material does not break and does not leak subject to a careful attitude. In addition, you can pick up plastic containers of large volume, which eliminates the need to visit the tree every few hours.
  2. With the help of herbal tow. The method is almost identical to the previous one, with the only difference being that instead of a wedge, a homemade tourniquet made of interwoven plant stems is inserted into the hole. That it will serve as a kind of "wick", through which the juice flows into the container. The only drawback of this natural method of collection is the fact that along with the juice forest lovers of sweets, ants, will leak into the jar along the stems.
  3. Using cans. This method was extremely popular in the 60-70s of the last century. The can was removed from the tin can and folded with a plait, after which it was placed in the hole made in the birch and a suitable container was substituted. If the latter had a too narrow neck, a funnel was placed in it. But having completed the collection of juice by a similar method, the tin device must certainly be pulled out of the tree trunk.
  4. Using a dropper. Having found a suitable tree, the dropper needle must be placed in the hole in the bark. The second end of the device is stuck in the lid of the container for collection. When the juice goes, the container needs to be fixed between the roots of the birch or just wrap it around the trunk.

Important! The maximum allowable amount of juice collected from one birch is 3 liters. It is necessary for the tree to maintain vitality. Losing a large amount of liquid essence will be very difficult for the plant to recover.

Is it possible to collect birch sap in urban areas

Despite all its advantages, birch sap will not bring the desired benefit if it was collected from trees growing in ecologically disadvantaged areas. So, you should not process trees growing along the railroad tracks, highways, or located under power lines. Such "trophies" can do harm. Birch, although it "drives" inside itself a liquid rising from the earth, is unable to completely cleanse it of toxins. For collection, a forest is suitable away from the city. Here, most likely, the influence of industry and industry has not yet touched nature.

Important! You should not try to collect juice in the territory of city parks, botanical gardens and places of outdoor activities. Moreover, the integrity of trees in cultural reserves and in places where plants listed in the Red Book cannot be violated.As a rule, the same restrictions apply to trees growing in the territory of sanatoriums and hospitals. Otherwise, fans will enjoy a birch sap for a large fine.

The benefits of juice for the human body

Juice extracted from birch has the following beneficial properties:

  • improves heart function;
  • stimulates intellectual activity;
  • strengthens the immune system, helping the body to resist colds and infections;
  • It has a strong antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effect;
  • helps to improve metabolism, beneficially affecting the digestive tract.

Birch sap is also used in cosmetology. The active ingredients in its composition have a beneficial effect on the condition of the hair, making it strong, healthy and shiny.

Read also:pumpkin juice for the winter at home

How to drink a health drink

The most useful for the human body is freshly squeezed birch sap. Do not boil the collected drink in order to extend its shelf life. In the process of boiling, it loses most of the vitamins and “dies”, since the energy of the awakening tree disappears from it. It is she who gives the juice a special value.

Attention! Store juice in the refrigerator for no more than 5 days.

If a lot of birch juice was collected, you can make delicious birch kvass from it. This wonderful drink, drunk in one glass during the day, will solve many problems of the gastrointestinal tract.

There are several ways to prepare delicious forest kvass:

  1. Pour a handful of barley (fried) with a liter of juice. Place the container for a month in a cold place, after which the drink can be consumed regularly.
  2. Mix 3 liters of juice with half a glass of dark beer, stand for two weeks.

Important! People with gastritis and an ulcer are recommended to use exclusively fresh birch sap.

Proper storage of birch sap

In addition to preparing healthy kvass, birch sap can be saved in several ways:

  • storage in the cellar (not more than one month);
  • preservation;
  • freezing.

The method of conservation is not very popular, because after it many useful substances lose their juice. And freezing allows you to save all the benefits of healing juice. For greater convenience, the drink should be poured into small containers and sent to the freezer.

Birch sap is an unusually tasty and healthy treat. Given the timely collection and proper storage, this gift of nature will help to solve many health problems. When collecting “tear-tree birch trees,” it’s important not to overdo it and remember the state of the tree, which is unlikely to recover after heavy “blood loss”.

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