Harvesting Birch Sap in the Copper Valley
Thanks to the Steck family for letting me try some of their birch sap! Photo by Allison Sayer.
Birch sap is a lightly sweet, mineral rich tonic that can be drunk straight out of the tree. It can also be boiled down into syrup. However, with 100 gallons of sap required to make 1 gallon of birch syrup, the economics of creating the syrup are questionable for most home foragers. Many simply drink the sap, also known as “birch water.”
Kenny Lake resident Judith Lorenz was kind enough to take me with her when she tapped two birch trees earlier this week, with the hope of helping to teach other local residents how to harvest this natural food. She has been harvesting birch sap for about four years. Her total investment has been “about $15.”
The season for birch sap harvesting is just a couple of weeks long. It starts when the snow is still patchy on the ground. It should be freezing at night, but warm during the day. Judith said that if you are not sure if the season has started yet, “it is better to be early.” If you tap a tree too early, sap will flow eventually. However, if you wait too long, the season will be over!
Judith Lorenz drills a hole in a birch tree, with supervision. Photo by Allison Sayer.
Judith taps two trees, and leaves the taps in for about ten days. She checks her buckets about every one or two days. Once she has gathered the sap, she stores it in her root cellar. She and her family enjoy it as a beverage for the next couple of weeks. Some people do freeze birch sap to enjoy later.
Our supplies included:
2 buckets
2 taps
A hammer
A cordless drill (taps will specify which drill bit is right for them, this one was 5/16”)
Then, we looked for the right tree. A good tree to harvest from will be more than 8” in diameter at the base. Judith also looks for a tree with healthy branches, and lots of sun exposure. If you are using a bucket on the ground, you also have to consider where you are going to put your bucket. A tree on a steep slope may not give you a good spot for that.
Some harvesters locate their hole on the east side of the tree, to catch morning light. Others use the south side. When I try this myself, I may split the difference and go with the southeast! According to the Alaska Birch Syrup website, putting just one tap in each tree is better for the tree.
There is a wide variety of taps available on the market. Photo by Allison Sayer.
Before drilling, Judith took a moment to thank the tree for giving her some of its energy. Judith drilled up into the tree at about a 45 degree angle, creating a sloping hole. She uses a dedicated drill bit for this, and cleans it with alcohol before drilling into a tree. There are specialized drill bits available specifically for tapping trees, which have a tapered bit. However, Judith uses an ordinary one. The hole should be about one and a half inches deep. You can make a mark on your drill bit if you like.
Once the hole was made, Judith placed a tap and hammered it in. It’s a good idea to clean taps before using to reduce the risk of infection to the tree. Judith’s taps had hoses attached, which gave her more flexibility in bucket placement. The hoses also can go through a small hole in the bucket lid, minimizing the risk of bugs, rain, needles or other things getting into the bucket.
Bucket collecting birch sap. Photo by Allison Sayer.
There is a wide variety of birch taps available on the market. Some of them are not very practical for hammering, so that is something to think about when you are considering which to buy. Look at the shape and the material and try to imagine where you would hit them with a hammer without breaking or bending them. None of them are particularly expensive.
It only took a few minutes to tap each tree. Then, we waited a few minutes to check the taps. Judith made sure that each tap was tight into the tree, and not leaking around the edges. If one was leaking, it could be pounded farther into the tree. One tap did not seem to be flowing well. Judith removed and repositioned it, getting a slightly better angle. This improved the flow.
Just a few drops had flowed into the buckets when we left, but Judith assured me she would come back to a substantial quantity in a couple of days. There is a lot of variability in how much to expect. It could be a few cups, or more than a gallon.
There is some controversy regarding whether to plug holes after tapping. The Alaska Birch Syrup Company states that it does more potential harm to the tree to plug the hole than it does to let it heal on its own.
After harvesting, use a fine mesh or paper filter to strain out bugs or other unwanted floaties. Enjoy!
by Allison Sayer