Birch sap
Basically, this is four blog articles in one :
An article about the extraction of our own birch sap, one about birch sap in sap, an article about birch trees in Iceland and an article about Halldóra Bjarnadóttir, who, among other things, published "Hlín" since 1917, a magazine by women for women, in which in 1918 the traditional extraction and use of birch sap was also reported.
Birch sap
In late spring, when the ground is no longer frozen but the trees have not yet fully sprouted, you can tap your own birch sap: To do this, drill a hole in the trunk of the birch tree and then allow the birch sap to flow through a hose into a suitable collecting container. Depending on the size of the hole, you may need to plug it with a plug; this isn't necessary for small holes.
Birch sap in a self-experiment
A friend of ours, together with a friend, tried tapping one of our birch trees.
To do this, they made a small hole in the trunk of the birch tree with a large pocket knife, inserted a small tube, and then the birch sap dripped from the tube into a large, empty Coke bottle, which we had safely placed in a large flowerpot underneath the tube.
However, during our first experiment with the tube and the open bottle, we discovered that the birch sap also worked well as a moth and fly killer. We left the bottle under the tube overnight and then collected it again in the morning before it started to rain. We obtained about 100 or 150 ml of birch sap, although we had to pour it through a filter first to remove the moths and flies.
In a second attempt, our friend optimized the setup and let the birch sap run through a small hose directly into the bottle through a drilled plastic cap - definitely better.
We then tasted the fresh birch sap we had harvested ourselves.
My husband actually thought it was quite tasty, harmless but nice. I thought it tasted a bit like stale lemonade - but it wasn't as bad as my expression suggests when I tried it!
Ingredients and taste of birch sap
Birch sap is rich in amino acids, minerals, and antioxidants, as well as vitamins B and C. It contains between 0.5 and 2.0% sugar. Pure birch sap has a slightly sweet, not very intense flavor - I can confirm that. As I said, it tasted a bit like stale lemonade to me.
Health-promoting properties
Birch sap is said to have numerous health-promoting properties, although these have not been scientifically researched. It is considered a traditional home remedy for gout and rheumatism and is said to counteract dandruff and hair loss and reduce skin blemishes. This may be why birch sap is said to have rejuvenating effects. However, consumption of birch sap is not recommended for people with heart problems, kidney failure, or intestinal inflammation.
Production of birch syrup
Birch syrup is made from birch sap and sugar, and sometimes also from birch leaves. Traditionally, birch syrup is used in Iceland with waffles and pancakes and in desserts, but it is also used to sweeten beverages, including tea and coffee, and even to marinate meat and fish (although usually with fresh herbs).
To make this, combine 2 liters of birch sap with 50 g of brown sugar in a large pot and simmer over low heat until a thick syrup forms. You can find the exact recipe in this
blog post from 2016.
Birch syrup is traditionally used in desserts in Iceland.
Birch trees in Iceland
There are two birch species in Iceland that are native to the area and are also very characteristic of Icelandic nature: the sweet birch (ilmbjörk), which in everyday language is commonly referred to as "birch" (= "birki"), and the mountain birch or dwarf birch (fjalldrapi).
The sweet birch prefers bright conditions, grows very slowly, and tolerates wind and frost. It is the only native tree in Iceland that forms forests—although the birch tends to grow crooked and low. Even in old forests, birches in Iceland very rarely reach a height of more than 12 meters. The dwarf birch, on the other hand, is more of a low shrub, usually growing no more than 1.2 meters tall. The sweet birch can also be successfully crossed with the dwarf birch, producing low but robust little trees. These low birch forests are also the source of the well-known Icelandic joke: What do you do if you get lost in an Icelandic forest? You stand up!
It is estimated that at the time of the settlement, approximately 30 to 40% of the country was covered with such birch forests. However, the Vikings managed to effectively clear the existing forests in a short period of time, primarily due to the damage to the trees caused by extensive grazing and the large number of free-roaming sheep, which could not be compensated for during Iceland's short growing season and led to the destruction of the forests.
Only in the last 120 years reforestation has slowly begun in Iceland. The last mapping in 2015 determined that approximately 2% of the country is now covered in forests, of which about three-quarters are birch forests.
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| Source: Tímarit.is |
Find: Birch sap in an Icelandic women's magazine from 1918
While searching for information about birch sap in Icelandic cuisine, I came across the 1918 annual issue (ársrit) of the Icelandic women's magazine "Hlín" online.
"Hlín" (named after an Old Norse goddess in Snorri Sturluson's work) was the magazine of the "Sambandsfjelags Norðlenskra kvenna", the Nordic Women's Association, written by women for women. The magazine was published annually from 1917 to 1967.
The first chairwoman of the women's association and editor of "Hlín" was Halldóra Bjarnadóttir (1873-1981). She was a teacher, headmistress in Akureyri, and city councilor there, and was particularly committed to local textile handicrafts, organizing exhibitions at home and abroad for many years. In 1955, at the age of 82, she entered a nursing home in Blönduós, where she lived for over 25 years. As early as 1931, Halldóra was awarded the Knight's Cross (Riddarakross) of the Icelandic Order of the Falcon, and in 1971 she received the Grand Knight's Cross (Stórriddarakross). On her 100th birthday in 1973, she was made an honorary citizen of Blönduós. Upon her death in 1981 at the age of 108, she left her legacy to the Nordic Women's Association.
In the second edition of "Hlín" from 1918, I found instructions for obtaining birch sap:
In spring, before the trees sprout, tap a mature but not particularly old birch tree by removing a small piece of bark, drilling diagonally upwards from the bottom, and then inserting an eagle or swan feather. Place a bowl or glass underneath and collect the birch sap.
Then put the birch sap into a saucepan, add some honey or sugar and then slowly boil everything until a syrupy consistency is reached.
Then fill the birch syrup into bottles and store in a cool, dark place.
Even though plastic tubes are used more often today than bird feathers, nothing has really changed since then.
[Translated from
here.]
Traditional rye bread cake
