Birch sap is rich in minerals and antioxidants and has been used as a heath tonic by a variety of cultures for many centuries. It’s one of the first fresh things we enjoy on our homestead when spring arrives in Canada. Don’t be intimidated to try because tapping trees is really easy!

There are many ways to enjoy birch sap. You can keep things simple and drink it fresh from the tree as a healthy and refreshing mineral water. If you want to get more creative you can fermented it for a gut healthy pro-biotic, boil it down to make a syrup or transformed it into beer, wine or soda.

Tap in Early Spring

If you don’t have access to birch trees you can find birch water and syrup for sale in health stores and on-line. If you are fortunate to live near birch trees, be sure to plan ahead! Birch trees can be tapped only one per year for about three weeks.

In folk lore the birch is known as many things: The mother tree, Beith, Tree of Endurance and Survival, Tree of Air and Water, Betula Alba, The Lady of The Woods, The paper Tree, The Shining One, The Nurse Tree, Tree of Renewal and Rebirth. It was the first tree to grow after the ice age retreated. (source)

What can Birch Sap be used for?

You can make birch beer, birch wine, soda, syrup, fermented pro-biotic drink or you can drink the sap as you would a mineralized water.

It takes an average of 110 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of birch syrup. Making birch syrup takes patience but it’s quite delicious and worth the effort!

When to tap

In cooler climates such as Canada late march and early April are generally the best times to start tapping trees.Sap flows strongest when nights are below freezing and days are above zero degrees.

What does birch sap taste like?

Birch sap looks and tastes like water with a slight twist. Its really refreshing.