birch sap

[Ralph]

What is birch sap supposed to taste like? I tapped a load the other day and the results were rather disappointing. Is it supposed to be sweet and tasteful, because mine just tasted like water with a slight bark-like aftertaste. And no, it didn't rain here last night.

 

[torjusg]

It tastes quite bland. Sugar it up and it will be better. Or maybe boil it down a little.

There are few things in nature that tastes good to people so used to refined sugar as we are. If you almost never tasted anything sweet at all birch sap would probably be like a taste of heaven.

Torjus Gaaren

 

[-Switch-]

Yep, that's the taste of birch sap
Someone asked what it tasted of a while ago and a few of us tried to answer. The best we could come up with was ''Cold water with a slight taste of the wilds''.
Personally I really like the taste but I like to think of it as simply water. If you compare it next to the tap water where I live (chlorine and limescale ) then it's a very nice alternative

 

[Ketchup]

I was the one who asked, after having tasted tetrapacked birch sap from Belarus. I've had the real thing since, after tapping birch on a nearby uni campus. Same taste. Well it's refreshing and pure, but not exactly something to look out for every year.

 

[Mattwills1978]

Have any of you guys tried boiling it down to a syrup or further? I harvested a couple of litres of sap last weekend - came out clear but had turned yellow by the time I got it home - have any of you guys had a similar experience?

 

[Ralph]

I tried boiling it down to a syrup today. Don't bother unless you have loads to start with, I started with a bottlefull and finished with a substance that was sickly sweet, a disgusting colour and burnt my tongue several times.

 

[match]

I usually reduce the sap down when making wine, but not to a syrup - usually only by around 50%. This is usually enough for the flavours and sweetness to become much more apparent when drinking though, and gives a nice addition to the wine.

 

[torjusg]

I dried the sap in the sun once, convinced that it would give me a strong glue (don't remember why I thought so). I ended up with a thin layer of very strong and hard substance. Didn't find any use for it though. Wasn't able to make it work like glue.

Torjus Gaaren

 

[SoloBoy]

Ive just made my first batch of wine using Silver Birch sap,will be ready in August.I used the recipe from Match's post here

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=5623

P.s thanks Match :You_Rock_

Check out the different colours from different trees (both silver birch) right next to each other.

http://img375.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf01736yn.jpg
http://img375.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf01741iv.jpg

 

[SoloBoy]

I collected 4 litres of Birch sap yesterday .Having allready made wine with Birch sap this year.I decided to reduce it and make a syrup.My my,was I dissapointed.....Not enough to put on half a piece of toast
Pictue to follow

 

[Young bushman]

Try crushing up some charcole and adding that to the sap before using it that will make a strong useful glue

 

[SoloBoy]

http://img133.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf01955xy.jpg

http://img138.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf01978hj.jpg

It is an extemely unusual taste.Bit like a cross between,sugary -marmite,and burnt toast,very strange.

 

[SoloBoy]

Yeah,because I burnt it reducing it