{"id":93,"date":"2007-04-05T16:15:00","date_gmt":"2007-04-05T21:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/2d823b65bb.nxcli.io\/2007\/04\/the-first-harvest-of-the-season.html"},"modified":"2016-05-15T09:31:46","modified_gmt":"2016-05-15T13:31:46","slug":"first-harvest-of-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.robweir.com\/blog\/2007\/04\/first-harvest-of-season.html","title":{"rendered":"The first harvest of the season"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nSpring is here. In the last two weeks I’ve seen the snowdrops<\/a> and the crocuses<\/a> bloom. Spring is here. But don’t look outside. Forgot the newly-fallen snow. This is New England. Late snow fall is unwelcome, though not unusual. But in no case will it stop the season’s first harvest.<\/p>\n

Harvest?! What can one harvest in early April? Birch sap<\/a>, my friends, Birch sap. The nectar of the gods. (Well, the sap of the gods at the very least). This is the only good reason to put one’s boots on and tromp around the woods this time of year. The goal, as you might imagine, is to make birch sap wine. Here is how it is done.<\/p>\n

First, find yourself a birch tree. I used a white (paper) birch. The paper birch doesn’t have the highest sugar content, but will do. Black and yellow birches would be preferred, if you have them. You want a big birch tree, not some little twig of a tree. Bigger means more sap with less stress to the tree.<\/p>\n

Second, plan to start collecting sap right around this time, earliest spring, when the sap rises from the roots. If you try too early you’ll get nothing, and if you wait for the warmer weather, the sap gets cloudy. So there is a 2-week window, right around early April here in Massachusetts, that is perfect.<\/p>\n

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Next you need some basic equipment:<\/p>\n