Ahh the sap is here!

[youngbushcrafter]

Hi Everyone!
just came back from my first sap tapping experiment. It all went really well. I tested if the sap was running using the tip of my knife and for the first 20 seconds, nothing, then there was a bit of dampness on the cut which was very bitter, another 20 seconds later and it started to drip, milky at first but clear after a while. Once that small hole was sealed I used my leatherman to bore a hole in the tree (the cut was very clean) and inserted a flexible tube. I sealed the outside with putty and put the other end through the hole in the cap of a large bottle which i taped to the tree. By the time i was finished there was a steady drip of clear sap dripping into the bottle. Will return tomorrow morning and if it drips the way I left it through the night my bottle may just overflow!
Unless someone steals it i am thinking about using it to make syrup but i suppose you need to boil a lot off and i only set up the one bottle so can anyone tell me anything good to use it for? Do you need to add anything for a syrup? I am 14 so i don't think ill appreciate wine or beer enough.
Thanks!
Harry :You_Rock_

 

[Mesquite]

Unless someone steals it i am thinking about using it to make syrup but i suppose you need to boil a lot off and i only set up the one bottle so can anyone tell me anything good to use it for? Do you need to add anything for a syrup? I am 14 so i don't think ill appreciate wine or beer enough.

Just a quick question... are you tapping a sugar maple tree?

 

[youngbushcrafter]

Just a quick question... are you tapping a sugar maple tree?

No it isn't, its a silver birch

 

[Mesquite]

No it isn't, its a silver birch

You'll have a real hard time making maple syrup out of Birch sap then

 

[Totumpole]

You can make birch sap syrup - it just takes a hell mof a lot of birch sap. Takes about a hundrd litrees of sap to make 1 litrew of syrup - thats a lot of bottles, and a long time bopiling your sap/syrup down.

I can strongly recommend finding some pine needles and having a cup of woodsman tea.

 

[youngbushcrafter]

aah yea i dont think i set up enough bottles, must use some for a proper woodsmans tea

 

[Chasing Rainbows]

Aye, been doing tapping experiments myself for the last few days mate. It wasn't half fiddly at first but after the first two the second two were fairly easy. Next time I'll use putty rather than rubberised tape for sure.

What a satisfying thing it is to see a regular drip-dripping begin to land in my bottle. And showing up later to find a decent yield was even better.

My four trees are all plugged up now and I've been enjoying a few different teas with the sap. Green tea with jasmine was favorite, the sap added a delicious malty smoothness that had me gulping it down.

Defo time well spent. Next up I might try a few maples and make some syrup. I'm curious, does anyone know how birch sap tastes?