Birch Sap News

[OldFingersGreen]

i spent a little time making some elder augers last night before something niggled at me....

is elder toxic??

if so will running lots of water through it take away the toxins?

i know it wont be deadly but apparently toxins will give a horrible taste, slightly counter productive in sap collecting i would imagine!

 

[BigShot]

I'm not too far from melonfish and have to confirm the fact the trees are still bone dry here too.
I tried a good few with a knife tip and not a drop from any of them. I'll be back to them most days this week but from the little I know it'll take a while to get up to full flow so maybe another week or so before things are chugging along nicely.

 

[Tye Possum]

Well I don't have high hopes for sap anytime soon cause there's still a whole bunch of snow here (live in Canada). I'm going to go out tomorow anyways, just to see cause I sure don't wanna miss it. I'm going to have to make some sort of snow pants though because I don't have any. I'm thinking, two pairs of pants and a couple garbage bags... Well we'll see.

 

[Melonfish]

aye, me and col (calibanzwei) will prolly keep checking on a weekly bi-weekly basis, i've just started cycling into work again too so i pass a whole bunch of birch round here, i'll test a few every few days.

question tho, when testing i'm cutting into the plant with my knife, whats the best way to plug this? just using a sliver of wood?
pete

 

[dwardo]

Nothing up here yet either, only a knife point test but dry as a bone. The buds are not bursting or swelling yet so still too early. I did notice the wild garlic starting and hazel buds starting to burst

 

[JonathanD]

question tho, when testing i'm cutting into the plant with my knife, whats the best way to plug this? just using a sliver of wood?
pete

Just knock the flap back into place with the butt of your knife so that it's concealed, the tree will do the rest.

 

[Melonfish]

oh don't mention the wild garlic me and col found some on sat and after one leaf smelt like dracula's worst enemy all day
peppery too.
no worries on the birches. i didn't want to go round sticking a load of tree's and possibly causing them issues later on

 

[pheasant plucker]

I'm not too far from melonfish and have to confirm the fact the trees are still bone dry here too.
I tried a good few with a knife tip and not a drop from any of them. I'll be back to them most days this week but from the little I know it'll take a while to get up to full flow so maybe another week or so before things are chugging along nicely.

Don't worry there can be a fortnight or more difference in when spring starts between the north and the south of the country, plus colder areas in the same region can have a later spring.

PP

 

[inthewids]

Just been out to try a few trees, there are tiny buds but no sap yet, maybe still too cold as there was a fair bit of snow last week, how long does the rising last? I dont want to miss it :.(

 

[bushcraftbob]

I have found a nice group of birch trees, trouble is they are next to a busy road, does anyone know if the quality of the birch sap be affected by pollution from the cars etc???

ta

 

[MartinK9]

I have found a nice group of birch trees, trouble is they are next to a busy road, does anyone know if the quality of the birch sap be affected by pollution from the cars etc???

ta

http://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/23605/

however:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/ma.../03/06/sugar_maples_fall_victim_to_road_salt/

I personally wouldn't just in case, there again I have some access to trees away from roads and the run-offs produced

 

[BigShot]

I'm aware there's a difference between springs in different areas. I was actually surprised at how cold it was when I was out walking and checking for sap, after reading the comments about people getting sap already I almost expected it to be semi-warm, early flowers starting to show and so on - wrong! Haha.

 

[Armleywhite]

Walked home from Town t'other day (Leeds) and checked a few tree's along the way. None of em are producing yet. Not even any sign of green in the buds.

 

[Stanleythecat]

What is the window of opportunity anyway? Is it days or a couple of weeks? I know bud burst is fairly prolific!

 

[Armleywhite]

Couple of weeks I think.

 

[shep]

Nice technique and nice tutorial Jon.
Glad to see the auger/sheath put to good use.

 

[JonathanD]

Nice technique and nice tutorial Jon.
Glad to see the auger/sheath put to good use.

It is sweeet, thanks Shep. Seems I'm the only one that's got Birch trees that have sap though. Must be some elsewhere as I'm in the mids.

 

[MartinK9]

It is sweeet, thanks Shep. Seems I'm the only one that's got Birch trees that have sap though. Must be some elsewhere as I'm in the mids.

I'll check again tomorrow if I have time

 

[BigShot]

I plan to head out to check tomorrow.
I'll post up when I get back.


Jonathan
A few questions if you don't mind...

Are those bungs the standard size demijohn ones? (Assuming demijohns are a standard size)
How do you attach the hose to the waterbags?
Do the hoses fit the bungs with a friction fit or do you use an adhesive? (If so, which one?)
Where can I find waterbags? The nearest thing I know of are the camelbak type bladders and it doesn't look like you're using those.

 

[Tye Possum]

I couldn't get out and check yet but now I'm thinking, do I really need to? I don't know about you folks but here there's still a lot of snow and I'd consider it still winter so I doubt there will be any buds on any trees. I'm going to wait a while before I go check, at least a couple weeks. I do have a set ready though, just a water bottle with the top chopped off, tied a string to it that I can wrap around the tree. Man the wait in killing me!