Hi

[Hairyjoe123]

Hello,


My name is Joe and I am from Michigan. I never really had an itch to tap sap until very recently. I began getting interested in syrup after briefly being interested in bushcraft. My semi-interest in bushcraft lead to an interest in herbalism/natural/organic foods and medicines. During a search for uses of willow bark tea I discovered a vitamin rich sap. This sap was from the birch tree. I further found that this sap could be turned into syrup for cooking, eating and drinking. I have become very interested in the fact that a non maple could have its sap utilized for syrup.


I started talking with a friend about the uses of birch sap and syrup. We decided that Maple is the way to go about learning. A 40:1 ratio makes for a much easier learning process. We both love maple syrup but neither of us has any experience with sap refinement. We eventually decided that we would give a small batch a try. You have to start somewhere. We are currently building our first arch. From thousands of internet pages of arch design we have been creating a 2'x5' arch.


I have been told by many that birch syrup is non palatable. If that is true then we will have a great arch made for maple syrup. The more I read about syrup the more I want to make syrup. I hope this wasn't to long. lol

Joe

[SDdave]

Let me be the first and say "Welcome to the Trader!".

SDdave

[maple flats]

Welcome! There are a few members on here who have made Birch syrup. The only thing I know about it is that they finish making maple syrup then clean up and soon after the birch syrup season begins. I think the sugar % in birch results in a ratio of about 100/1, while sugar maples with good crowns are more like 35/1. A good woods sugar will still give 2% sap or better and 2% gives a 43/1 ratio.

[happy thoughts]

Welcome to the forum, Joe. Never made birch syrup but if you do a search you should find a few threads about it here. As Dave said, birch sap starts to run after maple season so you should have a chance to make both. As I remember, birch sap is prone to scorching so that may make the difference between what tastes good and what is unpalatable. I do know that in many cultures birch sap is drunk fresh and unprocessed as a spring tonic. That may be the way to go if you want to retain whatever vitamins are in it. And just in case you were wondering, short of freezing it, I don't think unprocessed birch sap can be canned or bottled.

[jrgagne99]

Hello,


The more I read about syrup the more I want to make syrup.
Joe

It would appear that you have been bitten quite hard by the Maple Bug. It produces a very real and serious sickness and a strange addiction to everything maple. Good luck trying to get rid of it. :-)

[Hairyjoe123]

Thanks for the warm welcome and info. I look forward to gaining knowledge about the syrup trade. Perhaps I will be able to offer some info or advice myself one day.

[BC Birch Tapper]

We and many others have been making & selling birch syrup for years. we have even produced a manual & sold several hundred copies to people in various countries. Yes it is different than maple, but also flows after or near the end of maple season. So in theory you could make two products with the same equipment. It sells for $100 per litre and has a different end use as it is more for cooking as opposed to a pancake syrup. Birch sap has been used for centuries as a tonic & used mainly in Europe. Good luck