How to preserve birch sap without boiling. Preparation and storage of birch sap until summer

To get a healing drink, you need to go to the forest for it. To obtain it, you need to choose birch in environmentally friendly places. Trees growing near the road or in city neighborhoods produce liquid that contains large amounts of harmful substances. Consumption may cause harm to a person instead of benefit.

The season for collecting healing liquid from birch is from mid-March to mid-April, until the first leaves bloom. The greatest intensity of its expiration is from 12 to 18 o'clock in the afternoon.

How to collect birch sap?

The process of collecting the drink can be described as follows:

1. The healing liquid is collected only from mature trees. Their trunk diameter must be at least 20 cm. If you collect a drink from young birch trees, irreparable harm will be caused to them, and they may dry out.
2. It is better to make a hole in the trunk with a drill. This method will cause less damage to the tree.
3. The hole should be made 2-4 cm deep. A tin or plastic groove is inserted into it or gauze is tied. The ends of the fabric are tucked into the neck of the container, where the liquid is collected.
4. They collect it in plastic bottles. Previously, glass jars were used for this; in the old days, special birch bark containers were used to collect the drink.
5. Some pickers shorten a few branches and hang plastic bottles on the stumps.
6. Holes in the trunk are made at a height of 30-100 cm.
7. During the birch sap collection season, 10-20 liters of liquid can be collected from one tree. On cloudy days it flows slower, on sunny days faster.
8. There may be several holes for collecting sap on one tree. They are made depending on the diameter of the trunk. As the trunk increases, one hole is added for every 10 cm.
9. They finish collecting the useful liquid by sealing the hole in the tree with garden pitch, wax, or plasticine.

Birch sap lemonade (video)

What is the benefit of the drink?

Birch sap is best consumed fresh. The drink contains sugar, their concentration is 0.5-2%, salts of various metals, microelements, a vitamin complex, and organic acids. It contains tannins and phytoncides, enzymes, and plant hormones. It is beneficial for a person to drink up to 10 liters of birch sap per year.

The healing liquid of birch is indicated for urolithiasis, as it helps to destroy stones. A properly assembled drink effectively helps in the treatment of stomach and liver diseases. It alleviates the patient's condition with headaches.

It is good to take birch sap for colds, bronchitis, and coughs. It reduces pain during attacks of rheumatism, radiculitis and arthritis. The liquid washes out many harmful substances from the body well.

The drink helps in stimulating metabolism and cell regeneration. Everyone loves it for its dietary and refreshing taste.

It helps with spring vitamin deficiency. It is recommended to drink it for anemia and tuberculosis. The usefulness of its use in cancer and skin diseases has been proven. The drink has good diuretic and anthelmintic properties. It is taken to prevent caries.

The properties of the juice are noted to be useful in the fight against swelling, which makes it indispensable for pregnant and lactating women. It is recommended to be given to children with elevated temperatures; it does not cause allergic reactions.

A natural drink made from birch cleanses the blood and kidneys. It serves as a general tonic for the body, and is simply a tasty thirst quencher.

Birch sap recipe (video)

Storing birch sap

Fresh birch drink can be stored without processing for no more than 2 days. Then it begins to lose its beneficial properties. To be able to drink it throughout the year, the liquid is canned, syrup is boiled, and birch kvass is prepared.

They say that the best way to preserve the beneficial properties of birch drink is freezing. Few people use this method, since there is no place to store the juice processed by this method. It is better to process birch sap at home for long-term storage in the form of kvass and hot-fill canning.

Kvass recipes. An obligatory ingredient in the production of birch kvass is roasted barley grains.

1. Juice filtered through cheesecloth is poured into a glass container, washed dried fruits and fried barley grains are added. The mixture is mixed well and left in a cool place to ferment. After a week you can drink kvass. This drink can be stored in a cool basement for up to 6 months. Recipe: for 20 liters of birch liquid, add 500 g of drying (apples, pears, plums can be in a mixture or in separate portions), 500 g of fried barley grains.
2. Mix the juice and sugar in a large container and leave to ferment for several days. Then the kvass is poured into glass bottles, a few raisins are added to each of them, they are closed with corks, and the corks are secured with wire, because a large amount of carbon dioxide will be created in the bottle. Recipe: add 1 tsp per 1 liter of juice. sugar without top. Add 5-7 raisins to the entire bottle.

Canning. A modern way of processing it for long-term storage is sterilization of the drink by hot filling. The juice is poured into a saucepan, sugar and citric acid are added, boiled until the foam settles, filtered through 4 layers of gauze into steamed glass jars. Cover with lids and turn the lids down on a horizontal surface. Wrap a warm blanket on top and leave until completely cool.

Preparation of glass containers. The jars are washed with hot water and set aside for a while to drain the water. The water is drained. The container is placed in an oven preheated to 80°C. Keep the jars at this temperature for 20-30 minutes. You should remove the jars carefully to avoid getting burned.

Wash the lids, place them in a saucepan, add water and boil for 5-10 minutes.

Recipe: add 100 g of sugar and 2.5 g of citric acid to 1 liter of drink. Citric acid can be replaced with fresh lemon slices.

Birch sap lends itself well to blending. A mint-flavored drink can be made by adding 1-2 mints to the jar before bottling.

Blending with dried fruits and rose hips. Pre-washed dried fruits or rose hips are boiled in birch sap until softened. The blend is filtered. 1/3 of the blend and 2/3 of birch sap with sugar and citric acid are poured into each jar. In this case, the recipe for adding ingredients is as follows: add 125 g of sugar and 5 g of citric acid to 1 liter of drink.

The amount of sugar and citric acid is increased, since the blend is not sweetened or acidified in advance.

The prepared birch drink can be blended with cumin, chokeberry, apple and pear juice. It acquires an interesting taste, a beautiful amber color, and its beneficial properties are improved.

For those who are fans of birch sap, the beginning of spring is associated with the collection of this product. You need to have time to collect the sap while the birch tree is still young and the first leaves have just blossomed. Birch produces a lot of sap, which can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 48 hours.

Possible home storage methods

• Storage in the freezer - this method can only be used if the freezer has a “quick freezing” function, since regular freezing takes too long and affects the composition of the product;
• Canning is the most common method that can be used during other winter preparations;
• Evaporation produces a product that must be diluted with water; it is also worth considering that when evaporating, the volume of juice decreases by 25%;
• Preparation of drinks - drinks based on birch water can be stored for a long time, plus additional components in the composition enhance the usefulness of the main ingredient on which the drinks are made.

Which method of storing birch sap at home to choose is decided individually, depending on capabilities, availability of free time and personal taste preferences.

How to freeze juice

The raw materials should be poured into food containers (you need to use these containers; it is not recommended to use bags for freezing) in small portions up to 300 milliliters. The fact is that when defrosted, birch sap can also be stored in the refrigerator for up to two days, so it is not advisable to freeze whole liters of raw materials.

After spilling the juice, you should immediately put it in the freezer and turn on the fast freezing mode.

How to preserve juice for the winter

Canning birch sap is very similar to the process of preparing compote for the winter. The raw materials need to be heated in an enamel container up to 85 degrees Celsius, then pour into sterilized jars and seal with tin lids.

After the jars are sealed, they need to be sterilized for an additional 20 minutes at a heating temperature of 90 degrees Celsius.

Before storing jars of juice in a cool, dark place, they should be left upside down to cool completely.

Evaporation of juice

Birch sap in an enamel container must be evaporated at a temperature of 60 degrees Celsius until the total volume of liquid decreases by 25% of the initial volume. During the evaporation process, the liquid will acquire a cloudy caramel color, as it should be.

After evaporation, the resulting product must be bottled either in sterilized jars or sterilized bottles and roll up like regular preparations for winter.

After the cans or bottles have completely cooled, they can be stored in a cellar or basement. It is important that you cannot drink this juice undiluted. Before drinking the drink you need dilute it with boiled water. You need to add very little water so that the liquid acquires a light brown tint.

Recipes for making drinks from birch sap

If you don’t particularly want to make rolls, then you can prepare delicious drinks, such as kvass and fruit drinks. All drinks retain the beneficial composition of birch sap, and even enhance its usefulness.

Preparing kvass

Add four teaspoons of sugar and a handful of raisins to two liters of juice. Mix everything, pour the drink into glass bottles (preferably the bottles are made of dark glass), put in a cool dark place for sourdough for 7 days. After this time, the kvass should be strained and drunk; the drink should be stored in the refrigerator for up to three months.

Preparing fruit juice

To prepare this drink you will need not only birch sap, but also berries. You can choose any berries that are available. The berries need to be squeezed out, only the cake is needed, and the berry juice itself will be needed at the end of cooking.

The berry pulp should be poured with birch sap and placed in a boiling water bath, heated for five minutes. After this, the contents that were in the water bath must be mixed with berry juice. Cool the drink before drinking; you can also add sugar or honey to make the fruit drink sweeter.

Morse made from birch sap perfectly quenches thirst and normalizes the balance of nutrients in the body, and can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three weeks.

It is quite possible to store birch sap at home, because there are several options. But how nice it is to drink this drink in the hot summer, or replenish your supply of vitamins in the fierce winter!

First, a little educational program for those who have never tried to extract birch sap on their own, but really want to learn. For the rest, see below for information: how to preserve (preserve) birch sap for long-term consumption, make healing kvass based on it, and how it actually benefits our body.

Birch sap is a clear liquid that flows from cut or broken birch trunks and branches under the influence of root pressure. Sap flow begins in the spring with the first thaw and continues until the buds open. The exact period of birch sap release is difficult to determine, because it depends on weather conditions. For example, if during the March thaw the sap had already begun to flow and then, unexpectedly, frost struck, then it may stop secreting for some time.

To accurately determine the beginning of sap flow, it is enough to go out into the forest or grove and make an injection with a thin awl on a birch tree as thick as your hand; if the sap flows, then a drop of sap will immediately appear at the puncture point, you can begin collecting and harvesting it. They stop collecting sap in the second half of April, when the leaves are already blooming.

The most intense flow of sap through the tree occurs during the light half of the day, so it is better to start collecting in the morning; at night the sap “falls asleep.” The best time to collect sap is between 10:00 and 18:00, when it flows most heavily. The number of holes that are recommended to be made depends on the diameter of the tree; if the trunk diameter is 20-25 cm, then only one, 25-35 cm, two, 35-40, three, and if the diameter is more than 40 cm, it is quite acceptable to make four holes.

The collection of birch sap should begin in the places most warmed by the sun, where the birch tree wakes up, even if there is still snow around. As the forest warms up, you should move deeper into the thicket, to where the forest wakes up later than on the southern edge. Usually 2-3 liters of sap per day are obtained from birch trees. A large tree can produce about 7 liters of sap per day, and sometimes more. It is preferable to collect sap where cutting is planned, and it is not recommended to take it from young trees.

Due to the fact that the roots of the birch go deep into the ground, it does not absorb poisons from the surface layer of the soil. Therefore, all places where birch grows are equally good for collecting sap, but it is still better to collect sap in ecologically clean forests, because the tree itself is capable of absorbing harmful substances and exhaust gases.

How to extract birch sap

The choice of containers for collecting and storing birch sap must be approached selectively. In the old days, birch sap was collected in special containers made of birch bark; it was believed that in them it retained its properties better. But it is quite possible to collect juice in ordinary glass jars or even in plastic bottles, but remember that chemistry can give the juice its own specific taste, and sometimes it dissolves in it itself.

The sap is usually obtained by cutting, nicking or drilling the bark of a tree with a diameter of at least 20 cm and a well-developed crown. It is better to make a slot or hole in the trunk on the south side of the tree, where sap flow is more active, at a distance of 40-50 cm from the ground, downwards (the movement of your knife should be from bottom to top), the depth of the hole is 2-3 cm to penetrate under the dead bark, and if the birch is very thick, then even deeper. An aluminum, plastic groove, birch bark tray or other semicircular device is inserted into the slot, through which the juice flows into the container. Sometimes the sap is extracted by cutting small branches and attaching a plastic bag to the cut site.

There is no need to try to “drain” all the sap from one tree, it will compensate for some of it, but if you bleed the tree completely, it may dry out. It is better to take a liter of juice per day from 5-10 trees than to take 5 liters from one, dooming it to death. After the collection of birch sap is completed, it is necessary to take care of the tree itself and tightly close the holes made with wax, cork or moss so that bacteria do not get into the trunk, which can pose a serious threat to the life of the tree. After cutting down the birches, sap can be collected from the stumps.

How to store birch sap

If you do not want to drink the juice right away, but want to store it longer, pour it into a glass jar and put it in the refrigerator. This way the drink will oxidize less, that is, spoil. However, it is better not to store the juice for longer than 2-3 days, otherwise it will ferment. But if you preserve the juice, it will last for several more months. Several recipes:

1) Fresh birch sap is fermented in glass containers of any size. After washing with hot (preferably boiled) water, they are filled with fresh juice. For every half liter, add half a teaspoon of regular or glucose sugar, 2-3 raisins, washed in cold boiled water, and, if desired, a little lemon zest. The container is closed with a stopper or lid and secured with wire or bands. The pressure of carbon dioxide during fermentation is created quite high, and to prevent the glass from bursting, it is not recommended to add more than the specified amount of sugar. In a few days you will get a pleasant-tasting, sour, highly carbonated drink.

2) For canning, heat the juice in an enamel container to a temperature of 80 degrees. Pour into glass bottles or jars almost to the top and seal with lids or corks, followed by tarring. Then soak for 15-20 minutes in 85 degree water to pasteurize.

3) Also, in order to preserve birch sap, kvass is prepared from it. Heat the juice to 35 degrees, add 15-20 g of yeast and 3 raisins per 1 liter, you can add lemon zest to taste. After this, the jar or bottle should be tightly closed and left to infuse in a cool, dark place for 1-2 weeks.

Kvass can be prepared in another way.
To 10 liters of birch sap add the juice of 4 lemons, 50 g of yeast, 30 g of honey or sugar, raisins at the rate of 2-3 pieces per bottle. Pour into bottles and keep for 1-2 weeks in a cool, dark place. Kvass can be ready in just 5 days, but the fact that it sits longer will prevent the drink from spoiling and can be preserved for the whole summer.

Another recipe for kvass.
A bag of burnt rye bread crusts is lowered onto a string into a barrel of birch sap. After two days, the yeast will move from the crusts into the juice and fermentation will begin. Then a bucket of oak bark is poured into the barrel as a preservative and tanning agent, and for aroma - cherries (berries or leaves) and dill stems. After two weeks, the kvass is ready and can be stored all winter.

Our ancestors drank birch sap, fermented in barrels, without adding sugar - it was a traditional low-alcohol drink at Russian feasts. Birch sap in itself is a pleasant, refreshing and body-strengthening drink, but you can add chokeberry, lingonberry, blueberry juice to it or infuse it with various herbs (thyme, chamomile, caraway, linden flowers, rose hips) in a jar covered with gauze for about 2 weeks . You can add to it infusions of St. John's wort, mint, lemon balm, pine needles, cherry juice, apples, and currants.

Birch sap can be thickened by evaporation to a syrup containing 60% sugar. This syrup has a lemon-white color and the thickness of honey.

Drink in Belarusian style. Pour the juice into a large bottle and place in a cool, dark place for 2-3 days. Then they add barley malt or toasted crushed crackers to it. For 5 liters of birch sap - 30 g. barley malt or crackers.

Balsam is also prepared from birch sap. For a bucket of juice you need 3 kg of sugar, 2 liters of wine and 4 finely chopped lemons. All this needs to be left to ferment in the cellar for two months, and then bottled and aged for another three weeks.

Healing properties of birch sap

Birch sap contains organic acids, tannins, minerals, iron, potassium, calcium, glucose, fructose, and phytoncides. Drinking birch sap helps break down stones in the bladder and kidneys, cleanses the blood, enhances metabolic processes, removes harmful substances from the body, and is very useful and healing for various infectious (contagious) diseases.

It is useful to drink juice for stomach ulcers, diseases of the liver, duodenum, gall bladder, low acidity of gastric juice, radiculitis, rheumatism, arthritis, bronchitis, tuberculosis, scurvy, headaches, sexually transmitted diseases, etc.

Birch sap increases the body's resistance to colds, infectious and allergic diseases, has an anthelmintic, diuretic, and antitumor effect; Birch sap is useful for wiping the skin for eczema, acne, to moisturize and cleanse dry skin.

It is very good to apply the following mask to the skin of the face during the juice harvesting season: mix 1 tbsp. l. sour cream with 2 tbsp. l. birch sap and 1 tsp. honey. You need to keep this mask for about 15-20 minutes, then rinse with cool water. After it, the skin will acquire a beautiful matte shade, enlarged pores will narrow.

It is also useful to wash your hair against dandruff with birch sap, to enhance its growth and appearance of shine and softness (infusion of birch leaves has the same property). Birch sap is a good remedy for impotence. The substances it contains have a positive effect on people during menopause - if you drink at least a glass of juice a day, drowsiness, fatigue, irritability and other phenomena associated with menopause will disappear.

How to store birch sap? Whole or fresh - no way. Berezovitsa is essentially ordinary water. And, it would seem, it should remain unspoiled for a long time. But no. It contains so many substances that after two days, even in the refrigerator, it begins to mold. But what can you do - bacteria and microorganisms also love birch “water”.

But sometimes you want to enjoy birch sap when there is autumn slush outside, summer heat, winter cold... What to do? Usually - save for future use.

Birch sap is stored in three ways:

• deep freezing;
• canning or evaporation;
• preparation of drinks;

It is clear that the taste and amount of nutrients change slightly after processing birch bark. But there is no other way.

How to properly store birch sap in the freezer

A regular freezer is not suitable for long-term storage of birch sap. A prerequisite must be the presence of a quick freezing function. In a simple refrigerator, juice freezes for a long time and this does not have the best effect on its composition.

Birch “water” is poured into small portions, approximately 200-300 ml, and subjected to shock freezing.

Why small? Because defrosted it is also stored for only 2 days. So why drag out the whole block to drink a glass? It is much more convenient to thaw birch sap in portions at a time.

Canning for the winter

Birch sap must be heated to a temperature of about 80-85°C, then poured into glass bottles or jars, and sealed with tin lids. After all procedures, the sealed containers must be pasteurized for an additional 15-20 minutes at 90°C.

Jars with precious contents that have cooled at room temperature can be safely stored in a dark, cool place for 6-8 months.

Another way to store birch sap is evaporation. At a temperature of 60°C, birch sap is heated for a long time, evaporating its volume to 25% of the total. That is, if initially there were 10 liters of liquid, then at the end only 2.5 liters should remain.

The juice will turn out a caramel brown color, but that's normal. It is poured into containers, closed like usual homemade twists and put away in the basement or cellar.

The resulting drink is not consumed whole. It must be diluted with clean water in a ratio of 1 part juice to 3 parts water.

Advice. To be completely safe, the drink is poured into bottles and cans to the very top so that no air remains. For the same reason, the lids are coated with liquid wax or paraffin.

Drinks made from birch “water”

If you don’t want to bother with twists, then making drinks is your choice. Wonderful kvass, balms, and fruit drinks are made from birch sap. There are a great many recipes; below are the simplest, but no less tasty.

Kvass
Add 4 tsp to 2 liters of birch sap at room temperature. no top sugar and a medium handful of raisins. Add grated lemon zest, a few favorite berries, and fruit slices to taste. The mixture is thoroughly mixed, poured into glass bottles, then put into fermentation in a cool, dark place for 7 days.

After a week, the kvass is filtered and drunk. This drink can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

By the way, raisins are not washed before storing, otherwise the fermentation process will occur with mold.

Advice. If you add pine needles instead of fruits or berries, the kvass will be not only tasty with a pleasant aroma, but also healthy with a high content of vitamin C.

Balm
Mix 5 liters of birch sap, 1 liter of high-quality red wine (preferably homemade, without preservatives and chemical additives), 1.5 kg of granulated sugar, 2 washed and finely chopped lemons. Cover the resulting mixture with tight lids, but do not roll it up. Put away for two months in a cool place (cellar, underground).

Afterwards, they are filtered and allowed to “rest” for another 21 days. You can enjoy it!

Advice. The balm is not consumed as an independent drink. It is added to tea, cocktails, coffee.

Morse
Fruit juice from birch sap is prepared with the addition of any berries that are on hand. They are squeezed out and the liquid is set aside. The remaining pulp is poured with birch grass and placed in an already boiling water bath. Heat for no more than 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.

Then mix with previously prepared berry juice, cool and drink. If desired, sweeten with sugar or natural honey.

This drink perfectly quenches thirst, gives the body a boost of energy and strength, and replenishes the vitamin and mineral balance.

The resulting elixir can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Advice. Birch “water” is harvested early in the spring, when there are no berries in season yet. What's stopping you from taking frozen ones from last summer? There are probably a few bags left in the freezer with last year's supplies.

Valuable utilities

1. In the old days, birch trees were left to ferment without additives. The result was an intoxicating drink with a low alcohol content. It’s unlikely that a modern person will like the taste, but what’s stopping you from trying it?
2. Pure, untreated birch “water” is transparent, reminiscent of spring water. The appearance of air bubbles or whitish foam indicates that the drink has spoiled. This liquid should not be consumed or processed.
3. Freshly extracted birch sap is a very useful drink for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
4. After preparation, kvass can be infused with linden flowers, St. John's wort, and chamomile. This will only add more nutrients and the taste will become richer.
5. Only fresh birch sap is suitable for preservation. After standing for 2 days, it can no longer be saved by sterilization. But it is still suitable for making kvass.
6. If, when collected from a tree, the birch tree appears cloudy with a yellow tint, then time has already been lost. We have to wait until next year.

How to store birch sap? In order for it to retain its valuable properties for as long as possible, it is best to store it directly in birch. And extract according to the season and in quantities for personal use. People say there is a time for everything.

Video: how to preserve birch sap

Probably everyone has heard about birch sap. Many people also know its benefits. But, unfortunately, the consumption of this product in our country has been declining for several years now. And the reason is not even that people cannot afford it (on the contrary, the cost of a liter of juice remains very affordable today), but because: firstly, the taste qualities of “modern” juice leave much to be desired, and secondly, people they simply don’t trust “store-bought” products of this kind, which contain more chemicals than natural ingredients. This is no longer the same product that was produced strictly according to GOST.

That is, the sap that you can buy in a store without any problems has very little in common with real natural birch sap, and its benefits, if any, are minimal. What to do? Should you stop drinking birch sap completely, or use the one that is not of the best quality - from store shelves? Neither one nor the other. After all, there is an alternative! You can prepare the juice yourself and enjoy the healthy drink all year long - until the next season.

The time to collect raw materials for the future drink is spring. On our blog we discussed the topic of how to properly prepare birch sap. And today we’ll talk about an equally important aspect: how to preserve birch sap. You can do everything right: collect, save. But, if the cooking and canning process is carried out incorrectly, then all these efforts can go to waste! But if you take into account the information that we have prepared for you and set out below, then the canning process will take place as quickly and comfortably as possible, and the juice will be stored for a long time and will not lose its healing properties.

Birch sap helps maintain good health and is an excellent remedy for the prevention of various types of ailments. With its help, you can strengthen the immune system, cleanse blood vessels, normalize your weight, and stabilize blood pressure. And these are far from the only positive effects that you can achieve by consuming juice prepared according to the following recipes.

There are different recipes. The most popular are: birch juice with lemon, juice with orange, with raisins, with, with currants. You can also make tasty, aromatic, healthy kvass from juice and raisins. As a bonus, you will be presented with a recipe for homemade birch sap with candies. Next - about everything in detail!

How to preserve birch sap with lemon?

This is perhaps one of the most popular options. Sometimes a little more mint is added along with the lemon. This makes the drink even more refreshing and tonic. At the same time, it has a positive effect on the nervous system, thanks to the presence of mint essential oils. The culinary properties of this drink are outstanding: it has a pleasant sour taste and a characteristic mint aftertaste. But, if you don't like mint, or you can't/don't want to add it, then you don't have to do it.

Ingredients:

• birch sap;
• fresh lemons;
• mint (preferably in sprigs, fresh, if not, then you can do without mint);
• white crystalline sugar.

Cooking method:

1. For 10 liters of juice you will need 3-4 sprigs of mint, 1 medium-sized lemon and 12 tablespoons of sugar.
2. You need to put the juice on the stove (on “low” heat) and simmer. It is better to take enameled utensils for cooking, both in the example of this recipe and others. Once bubbles appear on the surface of the liquid, all foam should be collected. It will have a characteristic reddish tint.
3. After collecting the foam, add all the ingredients to the juice - one by one: lemon (cut into slices), mint (optional), sugar. Stir.
4. Simmer for another 13-15 minutes. At the same time, sterilize the containers into which you will roll the finished product. It is also advisable to treat the lids with boiling water.

Roll up the jars, filling them with juice one by one. Place in a dark place (not cold), cover with a blanket or other warm cloth. After a day, you can transfer the jars for storage in the cellar or refrigerator.

How to preserve birch sap with orange?

Such a drink will not only be healthy, but also very tasty and aromatic. Those who love sweet notes and citrus aroma will appreciate it.

Ingredients:

• birch sap;
• fresh oranges;
• white crystalline sugar;
• citric acid.

Method of preparing the drink:

1. For 10 liters of fresh birch sap you need: 1 ripe orange, 500 grams of sugar, 3 teaspoons of citric acid.
2. The juice should be left on the stove in an enamel pan until it begins to simmer slowly. After a few minutes of boiling, you need to collect the foam from the juice and turn off the stove.
3. While it is boiling, prepare the remaining ingredients: wash the oranges thoroughly and cut into approximately equal 4 parts (you can also cut the orange into slices). If the jars are 1-2 liters, then each part of the fruit can be divided again.
4. Place citrus parts in pre-sterilized glass jars. Add citric acid and sugar there. It’s easy to calculate the required amount: if you took 10 liters of ingredients, and you have, for example, 2-liter jars, then put a fifth of acid and a fifth of sugar in each jar.
5. The juice has already boiled, the foam has collected. It's time to pour it into jars that already have everything you need.
6. Roll up the lids treated with boiling water. Next - everything is the same as in the previous recipe (with mint and lemons).

Citrus fruits, which are used in recipes for birch sap preparations, give the drink freshness and piquancy.

Birch sap with raisins

An equally interesting recipe that can be used to prepare a very healthy and tasty drink. It cannot be stored as long as lemon or orange juice. But, if everything is done correctly, then in a cold place it will have a shelf life of up to 3-4 months. So how to cook it?

Ingredients:

• fresh birch sap;
• white sugar;
• raisins (can be used from any grape variety);
• citrus zest (just a little, optional for flavor).

You can also add orange or lemon if you wish. For a richer taste of the drink.

Cooking method:

1. The juice is simmered in a saucepan for a few minutes.
2. Raisins are added to it (about 1.5 cups per 10 liters of juice), and the boiling process is maintained for another 5 minutes.
3. Add sugar (2 tablespoons for each liter of juice) and zest (lemon, orange).
4. Everything gets mixed up. The stove turns off.
5. Next is the seaming process, as in previous recipes.

You can make very tasty birch kvass based on birch sap; it turns out sharp and unusual, especially if you add raisins.

Kvass from birch sap with raisins

Based on juice and raisins, you can prepare a drink unique in its healing and gastronomic properties - kvass. Our ancestors knew this recipe. It has survived to this day virtually unchanged. Preparing kvass is simple, and the result will certainly please you.

Ingredients:

• fresh birch sap (5 liters);
• raisins (200 grams);
• 1 cup white sugar;
• a few crusts of rye bread.

Method for preparing kvass:

1. The juice is filtered through clean gauze and poured into glass containers.
2. Sugar, bread crusts and raisins are added to the same containers.
3. You need to put rubber gloves on the neck of each container (it’s better to take jars) (they will serve as a kind of indicator).
4. The jars are left in a dark place at a temperature of about 21-25 degrees Celsius.
5. The liquid will ferment for several days. When the excess gas inside the container is critical, the gloves will rise up, while remaining on the necks. You need to make one hole on the finger of each glove and leave the drink to ferment for another day. This, as a rule, is enough to complete the fermentation processes in it.
6. After this, the liquid must be strained and placed in the refrigerator without a lid. After 48 hours, the kvass is ready for use.

How to preserve birch sap with rose hips?

The vitamin-mineral composition and healing properties of birch sap can be significantly enhanced by simply adding rose hips to it. To prepare it you need a minimum of ingredients and the same amount of effort.

This is a good antiviral agent that helps strengthen the immune system and fight seasonal infections. Also, with its help you can normalize blood pressure, because the juice has a pronounced diuretic effect.

Ingredients:

• fresh birch sap;
• rosehip (fruit);
• citric acid;
• sugar.

Cooking method:

1. Take for 5 liters of juice: 25-30 rose hips (fresh or dry), 250 grams of sugar and 1 teaspoon of citric acid.
2. First of all, strain the juice and place it on the stove. When it starts to boil, skim off the foam and add the above ingredients. Stir. Simmer for another 8-10 minutes.
3. Next comes the process of pouring and rolling, as in recipes with lemon or orange.

If desired, you can add orange slices or lemon slices to the drink.

How to prepare birch sap with currants

This will be a sweetish drink with a pronounced currant aroma and barely noticeable sourness. Its health benefits have been proven by time and tested by the experience of generations!

Ingredients:

• fresh birch sap (5 liters);
• currant cuttings (14-16 pieces);
• citric acid (15-20 grams);
• sugar (to your taste).

Cooking method:

1. Jars and lids should be prepared in advance in a well-known way.
2. Place the juice in the pan on a gas stove, bring to a boil, remove the foam.
3. Add sugar and acid to the juice, simmer for another 5 minutes.
4. Place the cuttings in jars, pour in juice, roll up and cover with a blanket.

You can also prepare canned birch sap with candies; you can use barberry or duchess.

Recipe for homemade birch sap with candies

This is the promised bonus. The recipe is really unusual and interesting. The juice turns out tasty and aromatic. Lollipops do not add any benefits to it, but they allow you to create a special taste aura that will definitely not leave you indifferent. So let's get started.

Ingredients:

Components (let's look at the example of a 3-liter jar):

• birch sap;
• sugar (8 tablespoons);
• 1-2 slices of lemon;
• 3-4 “Barberry” lollipops (can be taken with other flavors).

Cooking method:

1. Everything is done according to the usual method: the juice is placed on the stove, brought to a boil, and the foam (if any) is removed. Just a little bit of citric acid, sugar, and unwrapped candies are added to the slowly boiling liquid.
2. The liquid is stirred periodically until the candies are completely dissolved, and the stove is turned off.
3. Lemon slices are placed in a jar, the juice is poured there and rolled up.

Now you know how to preserve birch sap correctly. Bon appetit and good health!