Collecting Birch Sap

[Nightwalker]

I hope to collect Birch Sap for the first time this year, today a quick google search for "collecting birch sap" brought me straight back to the first place I should have looked!.. BushcraftUK to a good guide on Collecting Birch Sap.

It wasnt really the collecting technique itself I was looking for; more the right time to collect the sap. I have not collected any before but I think my mind served me right; I remembered the first couple of weeks in March and I read on the BushcraftUK guide; around 15th March.

So really I wanted to gather people's advise on when and how to collect. How much do collecting times vary with different areas? I live in the (North) Cornwall area; anyone down here got past experience on times they've collected?

Any advise to a novice collector would be greatly appreciated!

 

[British Red]

When the buds start to grow and open a little on Hazel, sap is rising so go for it mate

Red

 

[dommyracer]

Or as Mr Mears so poetically puts it - "when budding Hazel leaves are the size of a Squirrel's toe"

 

[Singeblister]

good luck with it , I hope to get my first birch sap this year as well.