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BIRCH SAP, LIFE'S AMBER

You touch his skin and notice how he vibrates, you notice the water of life running inside his body. The winter has let him rest and recover strength, and now that everything is shining again, the warmth runs through his body and he is ready for a new cycle and wants to share it with you. When the earth begins to awaken, during the first days of spring the birch gives us something precious: its sap. Before the leaves cover its branches, the sap accumulated during the winter begins its journey to the surface to bring forth life. That's the perfect moment for the harvest of the sap, close the equinox. The process needs love, respect and calm. Nature has her rhythm and we have to adapt to it. After choosing the right tree we'll make a hole of a few centimeters in the trunk with a knife or chisel, in an upward direction. In the hole we'll put a tube or a small piece of branch through which the sap will descend continuously to a bottle. You can collect up to 5 liters of sap in 24 hours, letting nature flow. Once the sap is collected, cover the hole with a piece of branch from the same birch tree, thus preventing the tree from getting sick because it keeps losing sap or being affected by a fungus. The most important thing is to thank the birch for the gift it gave us. The sap is consumed as a normal drink and is also made into wine or syrup. Birch syrup is a beautiful amber liquid obtained after boiling the sap for several hours. I can imagine the feeling as the color changes, the clear liquid turns yellow and then caramel color.... is true magic, nature's alchemy! The sweet smell envelops you, the warmth of home embraces you... it invites you to dream... Special thanks to my wild sister Rúnahild for these amazing pics



 
 
 

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