Birch sap: preserving sap at home for the winter

Birch sap is an excellent remedy for spring sap therapy. It is best to drink it fresh, within two or three days after harvest. Then it loses its freshness and useful properties, so people have learned to preserve birch sap. It is important to know how to do it correctly.

How to preserve birch sap

Birch nectar can be frozen. This requires a freezer equipped with a "no frost" system, which makes it possible to quickly and deeply freeze food and drinks. This function was not available in the old-style refrigerators, now the horizon of possibilities has expanded. It is necessary to freeze birch nectar in small portions, since after thawing after 2 hours it loses its freshness and begins to deteriorate.

It is best to preserve birch sap at home. Here you can give free rein to imagination and culinary skills. There are the most unusual recipes for a birch drink, for example, with pineapple, candy, barberry and many other natural flavor enhancers.

It is quite easy to preserve a birch drink. This does not require any special knowledge or material costs. You just need to work hard to collect sweet birch nectar in time, as well as observe the basic principles of proper preservation:

• at first, it is imperative to strain the drink through several layers of organza or gauze, since it often contains various debris, from small chips to midges, it is not recommended to preserve such a product, since it will not be stored for a long time;
• then bring to +100 degrees or boil for several minutes;
• before canning the drink, cans should be sterilized in the oven, microwave or steam;
• use sealed covers intended for conservation, they also need to be sterilized;
• additional components in the form of herbs, fruits, before conservation, dip in boiling water, this will make them as clean as possible;
• add sugar, the amount depends on taste. Usually, 0.5 cups of granulated sugar is put on 3 liters of conservation, but you can less or more, or even do without it.

Birch sap should be preserved with citric acid - this is an indispensable component, a preservative that is needed in order for the drink to be stored. Place 1 teaspoon (flat) for 3 liters.

Is it possible to roll up cloudy birch sap

In the first days of collection, birch nectar, as a rule, flows down transparent, clean. It has a low protein content and it is just this that it is most suitable for conservation. Distillation takes about a month. When the liquid flowing out of the birch trunk begins to grow cloudy, it is necessary to stop the harvesting process.

If the nectar is slightly cloudy, this does not affect the preservation process.It is imperative to boil it and then the drink will be well stored. In addition, during boiling and preservation, the color will change to normal. Too cloudy birch sap should not be preserved at home. It is better to make kvass from it or drink it while it is fresh.

How to roll up birch sap with citric acid and hard candy

You can preserve birch sap with citric acid and fruit candies for the winter. Do it as follows. Put in a jar:

• duchess or barberry lollipops - 3-4 pcs.;
• sugar - 0.5 tbsp.;
• citric acid - 0.5 tsp.

For successful preservation, clean, sterile jars must be prepared. Heat the drink to almost boiling point (+ 80-90 C), remove from heat. Add the rest of the ingredients, let it brew. Filter and reheat, as for the first time, then pour into jars. At home, you can roll up birch sap with any airtight lids.

Rolling birch sap with rose hips

Canning birch sap at home can be done using rose hips. It turns out a very tasty and healthy drink. First, filter the birch nectar with a colander and gauze. Further, for conservation, you will need the following components:

• juice - 5 l;
• rosehip (dried) - 300 g;
• sugar - ½ cup per jar (3 l);
• citric acid - ½ tsp. on the can.

Pour the drink into a saucepan, add the rose hips, bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for 5-10 minutes. Insist 2-3 hours. The result is a dark-colored solution that needs to be preserved. Bring it to a boil again and keep it on low heat for 10 minutes.

Turn off the gas, cover the pan with a lid, insulate with a blanket on top, leave overnight. In the morning, pass the resulting concentrate through a sieve, draining the now unnecessary rose hips. Pour the concentrate into 0.5-1 liters in sterilized large jars, add sugar and citric acid.

To preserve further, you need to take the next portion of fresh birch nectar. Strain it through a filter to clear out debris, midges that inevitably get during harvesting. Pour into a saucepan and heat up to + 85-90 C. Replenish the missing volume in all jars. To preserve completely, roll up with sealed lids. Turn the cans upside down, cover with a warm blanket and leave to cool.

How to roll up birch sap with mint into jars

To prepare birch sap with citric acid according to the following recipe, you will need mint and lemon balm. They can be taken dry, since they are not yet fresh during birch sap flow. Also for conservation you will need:

• birch sap - 5 l;
• orange slices;
• citric acid - 1 tsp (with top);
• sugar - 1 tbsp.

Pour boiling water over the herb for a few minutes to sterilize. Heat the birch drink until the first bubbles appear. This is about +80 degrees. Add citric acid, a glass or a little more granulated sugar. Put 3-4 orange slices in each jar, a sprig of mint and lemon balm, pour everything with a hot (from the fire) birch drink. Roll up the lid tightly.

Birch juice for the winter with lemon

Boil birch nectar, prepare jars and lids for conservation. Place in each container:

• lemon - 3 circles;
• citric acid - 1 tsp;
• sugar - 100-200 g (to taste).

Before canning a drink with lemon, the grains must be removed from the fruit so that later bitterness does not form in the drink. Put all the ingredients in a jar, pour over the juice taken directly from the heat. Next, preserve as usual, roll up and cool, put in the underground for storage.

Recipe for the winter of birch sap with lemon and candies

On sale you can find a huge selection of various caramels, lollipops. They are mint, lemon, orange. It is worth choosing sweets to your taste, since they will give the main taste note to the next recipe for preserving a birch drink. Wash cans, hold over steam for 7 minutes. Dip the lemon in boiling water, cut into slices. Bring the drink to a boil. To preserve, put in a jar:

• mint lollipops 2-3 pcs.;
• lemon slices - 1-2 pcs.;
• a sprig of currants (optional);
• sugar - 5-6 tbsp. l. (with top).

Preserve the drink hot, pour it into cans and seal it tightly. Refrigerate and store in pantry until winter.

Birch sap in jars with lemon zest and raisins

To prolong the preservation of birch nectar and at the same time to give it a pleasant sourness, lemon is used during conservation. The result is a drink that tastes no worse than store-bought lemonade, but many times healthier.

Required ingredients for preservation:

• juice - 3 l;
• lemon zest - 1-2 tbsp. l .;
• sugar - 2 tbsp. l .;
• raisins - 5 pcs.

Pour boiling water over raisins and lemon, cut off the zest with a special vegetable peeler. Put everything in a jar, add sugar. Its amount can be taken other than that indicated in the preservation recipe. This should be decided individually, some like it sweeter, others not. Pour everything with only boiled birch nectar. Cover immediately and roll up tightly.

Canning for the winter birch sap with currant sprigs

During conservation, the currant gives the drink a pleasant unusual taste, to enhance which you can use the shoots of a plant with unblown buds. You will need:

• juice - 3 l;
• sugar - 4-5 tbsp. l .;
• citric acid - 0.5 tsp;
• young shoots of black currant.

Wash the branches of the plant under running ordinary water, and then pour over with boiling water. Place on the bottom of a sterilized jar. Warm up the birch nectar until the first bubbles appear, the foam must be removed. Pour sugar, acid, pour into a jar, seal it tightly.

How to roll up birch sap with barberry

For this recipe, you can use barberry berries or candy with a similar taste. The fruits have excellent taste characteristics and are often used in the preparation of herbal teas, various dishes and drinks. They give an interesting sourness, aroma and rich color; they are often used for coloring compotes, marmalade, and jelly. Berries can be taken both dry and fresh. If this is not possible, the leaves of the plant will do.

Canning a drink with the following ingredients:

• berries - 100 g;
• sugar - 1 tbsp.

Pre-strain the drink, then boil and turn off. Pour hot into cans prepared for conservation, immediately roll up.

How to roll up birch sap with orange and citric acid

Despite the fact that vitamins are lost at high temperatures, birch nectar must be boiled, otherwise it will not be stored. Remains minerals, natural sugars, and some other elements. In winter, the drink will still be many times more useful than plain water. To preserve birch sap with orange, you need the following ingredients:

• juice - 3 l;
• sugar - 1-2 tbsp. l .;
• orange - ½ pc.;
• citric acid - 1 tsp

Sterilize the jars, put the orange cut into circles, add the rest of the ingredients. Pour with boiling drink and roll up in an airtight lid. Cover the jars with a warm blanket for a day, then put them in a cool dark place. Birch sap and orange prepared for the winter will make a delicious lemonade.

Birch sap for the winter: a recipe without boiling

Heat the strained nectar without boiling. The maximum temperature of the drink should be no more than +80 C. Prepare the container in which the juice will be preserved in advance:

• wash jars and lids, let the water drain;
• sterilize everything;
• resin the neck of the cans in those places where there will be contact with the lids. This is done in order to exclude the ingress of air inside.

If empty jars were stored somewhere in the basement, mold spores could get inside. Therefore, it is unsafe to preserve in such a container. It is better to wash it not with plain water, but with a solution of baking soda. This will make it possible to destroy microorganisms and further avoid spoilage of the drink before the expiration date. Then hold the cans over steam for 10 minutes.

Roll up hot birch sap in 3 liter cans. Then sterilize for 15-20 minutes at a temperature of +80 C. This method of conservation allows you to store a birch drink for no more than six months.

Winter preservation of birch sap with citric acid and honey

Put honey in a saucepan, pour the drink there. Stir the contents of the pan until completely dissolved. At first, do not filter the birch nectar, so as not to do this several times, since honey during conservation will give a sediment and it will need to be removed in the same way.

Ingredients:

• honey - 200 g;
• juice - 3 l;
• citric acid - 1 tsp

Strain, add citric acid and then preserve over the fire. Bring to a boil, turn off and pour into a prepared container, roll up. During conservation, white foam will form, remove it.

Preservation of birch sap with sprigs of needles

It is necessary to take pine needles, only young shoots (annual). They usually grow at the top or tip of a branch. For the recipe, you will need 250 g of such branches, this is about 4-6 pieces, depending on the size. It is necessary to preserve the thinnest and most delicate ones. You can still recognize young shoots by the oily, waxy surface of the cones, which should subsequently be cut off. So, in addition to needles for conservation, you will need:

• juice - 6 l;
• citric acid - 1 tbsp. l. (with top);
• soda - in the same way;
• sugar - 1-1.3 tbsp.

Pour the drink into a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Wash the jars with an alkaline solution, rinse and hold over steam for sterilization. Next, start preparing the branches. Before canning, you need to remove all thickenings, defects, various debris, wax deposits, and then cut off the tops. Rinse the twigs well under running hot water, you can use a washcloth, then scald with boiling water.

Rinse the coniferous branches again with hot water, then with cold water. Throw them into a saucepan with freshly boiled juice, turn off the gas beforehand, leave for 6-7 hours. Strain, add sugar and citric acid, pour into prepared jars. To finish preserving the drink, sterilize at + 90-95 C, roll up and cool gradually. The jars are turned upside down and covered with something warm. In this position, it is very clearly visible whether the covers are leaking and how tight they are.

How to store canned birch sap

Preservation with a birch drink is sent for long-term storage in a dark cool place such as a cellar or basement. The shelf life of such a product is no more than 8 months. The preservation of the drink becomes longer if, during the preservation process, it is boiled, sterilized, and acid is added.

Conclusion

It is quite easy to preserve birch sap, it does not require much effort and financial investment. But in winter, the drink will be a rich source of nutrients, strengthen the body, give strength and resistance against colds and seasonal diseases.

Recommended entries

How to make apricot juice

Cranberry juice

Beet juice in the nose

Pear juice in a juicer for the winter

Blueberry juice

Melon juice

Cleansing the liver with oil and lemon juice

Lemon juice: recipes at home

How to make pomegranate juice at home