Three way Birch Tap Trial !
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Yes you can:
1. Drink it neat from the tree.
2. Heat it up with some chopped up Pine Needles for a Brew.
3. Boil it down into a syrup.
4. Freeze it and add to drinks
4. Make wine as mentioned above
I am sure there are more, and varying recipes that will be added by those more in the know then me
Ooooh I want to go now, but I can't!!! am I likely to be too late by the weekend? I need to go out and get me some tubing etc... feeling a brewing session coming on
This cannot be discounted. A couple of years ago, one tree I had tapped had collected a warm yellow sap that was very salty
Literally for the trubing method do you just drill into the tree and poke the tube inside and put the other end into a container?
Also do you drill into the tree at an agle or just horizontally?
ill have a go this week if i can. when do you guys reckon it will be too late?
Cheers
Also do you drill into the tree at an agle or just horizontally?
ill have a go this week if i can. when do you guys reckon it will be too late?
Cheers
Last year I only used the stick method and I was able to fill a demijohn in a little over 24 hours. I tapped three different trees all of about a foot in diameter.
This year I have one tapped witha stick and a couple with tubes (though they have a large hole and rubber bung rather than just the tubing, but i will give that a go later )
This year I have one tapped witha stick and a couple with tubes (though they have a large hole and rubber bung rather than just the tubing, but i will give that a go later
)
Yes, I just drill a small 10mm hole and push the 10mm pipe into this. The hole wont be fully 10mm as it closes up a bit and the pipe is flexable and creates a tight fit.
I did mine horizontal, But if flowing well a slight angle sould be ok as it flows into a recess first then down the pipe.
It seems the last two people who drilled a larger hole for a bung to be placed into, which then has a pipe put into it, get a greater return.
Im in favour of a smaller hole though, leaving for a longer time.
This is the way we did it when I was a kid. We had bottles hanging over the entire forest.
Haven`t tapped a tree since though.
Tor
ok so I have just tapped me first tree, using all equipment available to me. Which was... A pocket knife, a metre of plastic tubing and a plastic bucket stolen from work. Seemed to be doing the job though! when I plug it does it matter what with? ie. whether it's also birch or not? Newbie question I know Yay for new springtime activities!
Yay for new springtime activities!
The sap here is finally rising here on the BC coast set up a tap today and its flowing nicely so how many liters can you take from a 12 thick tree with out doing any long term damage?
For what it's worth heres a link to my first serious effort at collecting
http://www.escouts.org.uk/forum/group.php?groupid=22&pp=10
http://www.escouts.org.uk/forum/group.php?groupid=22&pp=10
Hi All,
I went and tapped my first tree tuesday 24/03/09 used about a 10mm drill sized hole about 45deg put a piece of tube in and got 1ltr in about 1.1/2 hrs. made up, drank most of it gave some away, it did not taste as sweet as i have herd other people saying. while i was ther picked some wild garlic and made some soup today with it for dinner(lovely)
Bill
I went and tapped my first tree tuesday 24/03/09 used about a 10mm drill sized hole about 45deg put a piece of tube in and got 1ltr in about 1.1/2 hrs. made up, drank most of it gave some away, it did not taste as sweet as i have herd other people saying. while i was ther picked some wild garlic and made some soup today with it for dinner(lovely)
Bill
Hi All,
I went and tapped my first tree tuesday 24/03/09 used about a 10mm drill sized hole about 45deg put a piece of tube in and got 1ltr in about 1.1/2 hrs. made up, drank most of it gave some away, it did not taste as sweet as i have herd other people saying. while i was ther picked some wild garlic and made some soup today with it for dinner(lovely)
Bill
Nice one. Mine wasn't to sweet either, but nice. You can reduce it down to a syrup though apparently. Might try this next time round and stick it on top of my porridge.
I've just reduced down about 13/4 litres to 1/8 litre. It is still runny but concentrated however there's a taste a bit like Creme brulee topping in there. Have I boiled it too quickly and scorched the sugar somehow? A bit spilt on the hob and it went dark brown.
