Tapping Birch Trees for Sap, Syrup, Wine, and more

Tapping Birch Trees for Sap, Learning Multiple Methods, and Using Birch Sap for Wine, Sparkling Drinks, and Gut-Health Tonics.

Early March is the moment when the birch trees wake, their sap rising with a clarity and purity that has been valued for centuries. Mid-March is the peak of sao flow. And at the fantastic Holnbush farm the are 100s of birch trees we can work with. This workshop is devoted entirely to understanding and working with this short and beautiful season.

We will begin with a walk to find suitable birch trees, learning the subtle differences between species, the signs of good health, and the best positions for tapping. You will learn several ways to tap a birch tree, from the simplest traditional approaches to more modern, gentle methods that ensure the well-being of the tree.

Once we have gathered sap, we will explore what can be done with it.

Birch sap is delicate, slightly sweet, and full of minerals, and it changes quickly, so we will use it while it is at its freshest.

Together we will make:

• a light birch sap wine with clean, subtle flavours

• sparkling birch drinks that hold the brightness of early spring

• simple gut-health tonics that draw on birch sap’s long history as a cleansing, restorative early-spring medicine

There will be hot wild soup and homemade sourdough bread, wild salad, quiche, and cake, as well as hot teas and coffees drinks and to nourish us.

All materials provided.

No experience necessary.

£75 per person.

10 am to 2 pm.

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Host or Publisher Herbivore