The sap is running.
In the Gaspe peninsula of Quebec, the finest maple syrup comes from the
sap of their maple trees. It takes gallons of sap to make a quart of syrup, and
the time involved to render the thin, not-so-sweet sap into the thick, incredibly
delicious and unique taste experience that is Gaspe maple syrup is
monumental. It is largely the reason why
the price of true eastern maple syrup is so high. But the sap is running in every tree, across
the entire continent, and many of these trees can produces syrup, as well.
The natives of North America have a long history of
gathering birch syrup. It is more bitter, but equally of culinary value. Birch
is a member of the willow family, of which poplar also is a member. Don’t think there is enough sap in those
trees? Just park under a cottonwood or
flowering poplar in the spring, and see how much sticky residue falls onto your
car! The syrup is there for the taking.
Birch sap has about 1-2% sugar content. Ideally, birch syrup for pancakes, etc.
should be about 65%. You can imagine the
amount of raw sap that needs to be evaporated: about 100-150 litres for every litre
of syrup. And birch or poplar sap runs later, in a shorter window than maple,
since the trees generally are found further north.
The sap begins running about two weeks before the leaves
emerge. In Canada, for instance, that
window of opportunity occurs in mid- to late April, with a normal spring. Maple
trees have higher internal pressure than most members of the willow
family. Like blood pressure in humans, higher
sap pressure means the sap will run more freely when the pressure is
higher. Commercial birch sapping employs
a vacuum suction technique, but birch and poplar sap still can be harvested
using traditional pipe and stem taps.
Unlike maple syrup, birch sap is not limited to use as a
syrup. A decent wine can be made from the partially-condensed syrup. Thicker
syrup mixes often are blended with Seneca root, spruce buds or Echinacea, for
use as cold remedies. Most willows contain salicylate, the primary component of
ASA (Aspirin), which is an excellent pain reliever. It is also astringent,
anti-bacterial and diuretic, making birch sap-based home remedies a
multi-purpose health solution.
While you are collecting sap, scrape a small amount of the
inner bark of the poplar or birch, saving it to be chewed when on long hikes.
It is also a great anti-inflammatory, and provides a welcome nourishment, instead
of gum. They may be the common, low-brow cousins of the famous maple, but birch
and poplar are more than fair-weather friends!
