First bit of birch tapping

[bushcraftbob]

I tapped my first birch in a friends garden yesterday. I left it overnight and in the morning there was about 3/4 of a litre of sap - well chuffed! Its the first time i've properly tasted it, and i must say it is delicious!

I made some ice cubes with it (as inspired by you know who) and had one in a glass of Glenlivet single malt and it was very, very tasty (sadly didnt have a Mint leaf to hand to go inside the ice cube).

When i returned to the tap this morning, the hole seemed to have stopped flowing. I put a plug in the hole anyway, just to be on the safe side. The hole i made was with a 1cm drill bit and stuck the end of my platypus hose straight in to it.

Does birch sap go off or will it keep in the frisge???

ta

[HeltorChasca]

...Does birch sap go off or will it keep in the frisge???

ta

Yes it does eventually. It's best to boil it asap after collecting it and then you can freeze it if you are only going to use it at a later date. The boiling just kills any bacteria picked up from the drill, the tree itself, bark, the tubing, the bottle, you etc. With home brewing most of the success is in the hygeine and how well you sterilise everything. I have just had a cup of camomile tea made with sycamore sap and it was ok after a week in the fridge. (It was pre-boiled though)

All the best.........hc