How to Tap Birch Tree Sap - Bushcraft tutorial

Ben and Lois show you two different methods of tapping (extracting) birch sap from a Silver Birch tree. These simple bushcraft or survival methods, using a few basic tools, enable you to tap birch sap easily, and to get the benefits from this mineral rich drink.
Field Knives: bit.ly/39XSCy6
Knives, Tools, Leatherwork and more available now: bit.ly/2IJxjE9

[@okboomer6201]

To really appreciate the tapping of burch and maple, you should remember that in the past there was no refined sugar, corn syrup, etc among European society. Just honey, which was rare, and the natural sugars found in fruits, berries, and the such. When emerging malnourished from a hard winter these saps provided vital calories to the peasantry

[@chippysteve4524]

Before domestication and religion,people were intelligent and resourceful. The idea that honey was rare is frankly laughable. :-)

[@brmbkl]

@@chippysteve4524 "Before domestication " yeah, OP probably wasn't talking about 3000BC. and when the honey bee was domesticated, it wasn't a staple either.

[@jhonayo4887]

@@chippysteve4524 can i have a hit off of what you are smoking?

[@clarencebaldwin2424]

@@chippysteve4524Christ is King and He loves you. Europe is Christian through and through.

[@KR72534]

@@chippysteve4524what are you talking about? In the good old day life expectancy was 25 years. Life was brutal, nasty and short.

[@debbaura240]

Love the idea of getting the sap from a branch, less invasive. I will try that method, my first time. Thanks for Northern Ontario, Canada

[@Medietos]

On the contarry, MORE invasive, risking bleeding! It has immune defense on the stem, and with awooden plug put in afterwards, it can stop bleeding and heal fine...

[@BernardDauphinais]

Wow. Lovely! I grew up in New England (and returned here 7 years ago) and we tap maples for their sap, which is usually boiled down into syrup. I remember drinking fresh sap as a youngster--mildly sweet and very fresh. I did not know that birch trees could be tapped.

[@suvilehtonen6692]

So funny, for me it’s the opposite - never tapped the maple trees before, only birch. Let’s do a mixture! 🫰

[@user-uh9um8fp7f]

Greedy humans like mosquito, don't care it makes tree sick m weak drilling in stam! Use branch for juice

[@DGardhouse]

Birch tree syrup is definitely an acquired taste. Thank you for sharing your video. And hello from Toronto Canada. ❤️

[@BenOrford]

Very cool glad you enjoyed it. Would love to come to Canada and tap maples 👍

[@TITAN0402]

This is a high quality video 10/10. I never thought about using the branch but it seems so blatantly clear now…ahh I’m happy.

[@BenOrford]

Great stuff so pleased you enjoyed the video 👍

[@ouagadougou62]

I grew up in Quebec, each spring we tap the maple trees to get maple syrup. We used to tap the yellow birch to get water to wash dishes until the spring started running. I never thought of it as sweet but it certainly has minerals in it.

[@TheGeenat]

Wait.. you didn’t have any water?

[@ouagadougou62]

@@TheGeenat No, there was no spring nearby. We had to bring water to drink and use birch to wash dishes. Maple sap is sweet, good tasting but drinking it makes you thirsty.

[@jeremysmyth8839]

Did the Birches get tapped later than the Maple or at the same time?

[@KR72534]

@@TheGeenathow old are you?

[@davek89666]

You two are awesome. Love from Ireland,🇮🇪

[@gabejohnson97]

"drinking spring itself" how lovely :-)

[@herpingmad145]

Fantastic! I love tapping birches each spring. I am loving the videos you are putting out.

[@susanbayliss3736]

Brilliant! No fluff, just how to do it and how to be respectful of the tree. Wassail!

[@BenOrford]

Thanks a lot glad you liked it Many thanks cheers Ben

[@roddyryan2867]

Can't wait till March..Thank you both and happy new year to ya ... Jesus Christ is Lord peace from Toronto Canada ✌️

[@gremlin23_youtube]

@@Osijj yea?

[@1erinjames]

Did your trees die? Ive heard you can kill a tree by introducing germs, fungus, sickness but NOT using sanitized items when you tap into a tree.

[@tweedsmcgeeds]

JESUS Christ is LORD!!💪🙏

[@discipleadamos9527]

❤ Repent daily Hebrews 10:26-27 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Revelation 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Philipians 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

[@suvilehtonen6692]

In my country we collect it in the bucket with lid at the spring time when there’s still a bit snow left. I’ve honestly thought that the season is over when all the snow has melted. The bucket w.lid blocks the UV-rays & the snow collected around keeps it better preserved, (good if you need bigger amount at once.) Around that kind of conditions birches should be ”juicier” too, and you don’t need to damage so many trees. I wonder would chaga begun to grow from the hole, if i’d put a plug of chaga in that hole… 🤔 gotta try next time.

[@BenOrford]

Well I think it must be very specific to your country and climate we would be lucky to get any when the snow was around. But that all makes sense to keep it cool and covered. Interesting about the chaga though that might be a good idea, 👍 cheers Ben

[@Aethalops]

Well, no, I didn't enjoy that as much as you did, because I didn't get any of the sap! But it was entertaining and educational, and much appreciated. Cheers!

[@colinrowe7615]

Birch sap wine is so good 👍

[@pngo1818]

It was so calming to watch you both. Thank you for sharing 💜

[@BenOrford]

Thanks a lot glad you enjoyed it. Nature is always so good to calm you down. Such great medicine to go with the flow of the seasons 👍

[@KeyserTheRedBeard]

most excellent upload Ben & Lois Orford. I shattered that thumbs up on your video. Keep on up the quality work.

[@Prashant.Khapane]

this is brilliant. In particular the second method is gentler. Thanks for sharing.

[@choerm]

'A surprisingly high quality video! Very informative, thanks!

[@ReasonAboveEverything]

Love this kind of videos.

[@Elephant_Juice74]

Behold the power of the birch tree!

[@morsmb1]

Love it! And i love my knife from you guys

[@remihudson1237]

thankyou! will try this myself. also thankyou for showing how to minimize harm to the tree!!!

[@oiputthatback7361]

Collected our first birch sap,today collected around 150 mls , refreshing taste. I like the idea of the bottle , we use a heavy duty freezer , taped on the end of a branch .

[@Bigjohn9181]

I've learnt something new today thanks for the info 💙😎👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@trumpsahead]

Very informative. I hope I have occasion to tap a birch tree. Good video, a "must watch" for survivalists. ciao.

[@skeletonmage8597]

Thanks for the information on this I love do bushcraft and other stuff.

[@Yonggbaek]

You've earned my sub! Amazing information and you've made it very interesting.

[@BenOrford]

Well thanks a lot that’s great news. So pleased you enjoyed it. cheers Ben

[@raulbarboza9856]

Wow! Thanks for sharing.

[@peacefulscrimp5183]

Great video 👍

[@Yianniagapimou]

Awesome! Thank you. God bless you.

[@JesusSaves86AB]

Good stuff for surviving winter.

[@ivannasha5556]

It's always nice to learn about things you can eat in the wild. I had no clue you could drink that. Even though they're freaking everywhere here.

[@BenOrford]

Great glad you learnt a new resource in the wilds 👍

[@Wodens-Wolf]

Loved the video guys. Also subscribed.

[@BenOrford]

Fantastic so pleased you like the videos. Many thanks for the sub 👍

[@paulhaywood5197]

Like it, proper bushcraft

[@meganlucas5640]

That was great! thank you so much.

[@BenOrford]

Well so pleased you found it useful 👍

[@jerrybootneck1736]

You forgot to mention just how cold the sap is when you drink it. Good video.

[@JohnnyPrepBushcraft]

Working a treat this year

[@outdoors2476]

Thanks for sharing....staring at some silver birch out the window as I type. Cheers

[@oliviaescobar8909]

Oh blown away with this . I can't wait to try it😊 Mother Earth🙏

[@TheGeenat]

Awesome. Thank you

[@tanakeilidh384]

Thank you!

[@aloneinforest]

Good video👍

[@lanejohnj1]

Really enjoyed watching this amazing video Ben & Lois good to see you both again. Do you do a home delivery service? If so can I order two pints please😃

[@w_0rldontiktok71]

I love the video

[@kenhorn6489]

thank you very much

[@welshhomestead]

Really useful - thank you!

[@BenOrford]

Glad you found it useful. Hope you managed to get some birch sap soon now the days are getting longer 👍

[@welshhomestead]

@@BenOrford thank you - do I need to do something to recap the hole in the tree or did I miss that in the video? thanks again

[@BenOrford]

@@welshhomestead yes if you watch the end we show you how to plug the hole safely and prevent the tree from getting infected cheers Ben

[@michaelarmbruster586]

Hope i can remember come march

[@markbaigent8373]

Hi both, I am really enjoying these videos thanks

[@theyard6958]

look at those wonderful nettles under the tree. I would be more interested in those young shoots. Yummmm!

[@Forever.memeworld]

I had no idea until by accident heard of this . I have 3 river birch but for the first time at the beginning of the year I gave them bayer feed and protect because the June bugs were eating away the leaves . I love them for their beauty and I live in a subdivision ( more about looks than nourishing) . Also use fertilizers for lawn care . I guess I will not be drinking their sap 😢

[@brentmichael1975]

Thank you for this video. I had no idea you could drink this. I was wondering if you ever fermented it before and if so what did it taste like?

[@nicktozie6685]

Holy cow I want some

[@henryc7548]

Oy! You got a license for that stabby-wabby

[@barrybaker5502]

Great video thank you , how would you be going about healing sealing up the other tree that you used the branch . Its been good to see you both making video again .

[@stefanforrer2573]

pine resin is good way to seal up the "wound" aswell

[@barrybaker5502]

Stefan yeah thanks for that .

[@chrisbamborough222]

Its good for you, i wonder if a Chemist could break down the sugars and minerals content to compare it to other sources of sustenance in the wild just for interest of the food value.

[@DragoonGlass]

You two have got cool lives. Also, wut dat knife soooooooonnnnn

[@artisansportsman8950]

Very interesting and informative video, isa= there any real health benefits of drinking sap out of interest .

[@susanbailey36]

My daughter who was adopted from Ukraine remembers birch tapping as a child.

[@Hootyhoo-jq9vq]

Wonderful video. May I ask the brand of knife you used in this video?. Its quite lovely and the shape appeals to me.

[@BenOrford]

Thanks alot glad you enjoyed the video. This is one of our Woodlander 4” classic knives. They are available on our store. Let me know if you would like one. Many thanks cheers Ben benandloisorford.com/

[@bardothodol4472]

after the collection you should cover the hole with moss or wax to avoid any chance of damage

[@alexandrebeaudry1038]

I collect maple tap in automn. Do you know if it possible with birch tree and when is the right time for it. For birch tree in Canada, the right time to collect birch is just after maple season

[@Levi-he6nj]

My old neighbor got one Tree and it's really Thick and Big. I'm little afraid to hurt it, but I'll ask them and hopefully everything goes well

[@louisevad6091]

I check the with a 1/16 " drill bit

[@Kakakakakakakakakakakaka684]

Could you use some sort of pump or vacuum to increase the speed of extraction?

[@full_metal2452]

Does River Birch have the same uses as White Birch? How about sugar maple vs silver maple.

[@eric6249]

Cool

[@ironhorse19]

What is the latest you can take the sap. Many thanks

[@LikeSoArt]

Great video. I just have one question: are those trees too thin for that? A lot of people are saying they need to be at least 30cm. Never tried it myself self though so I don’t know

[@claudetteb5019]

I have tapped maple trees but have no idea about birch tapping. Thanks for the idea. I also have a white birch on the property Im moving to in a week, and was seeking quotes to have it removed as it is obstructing the view of the house. Can you do a video on the hazard of having birch in close proximity of the house. Appreciate.Thank you.

[@BenOrford]

Great stuff glad you enjoyed the video. Sure no problem we have started to harvest ours that have got a bit too tall close to the house. But the great thing is that regrow so a sustainable useable resource for Spoon carving and other craft work. I’ll try and get a video of taking one down for you. cheers Ben

[@ShayanKhan-do4fx]

So nice im learning english here lol😎

[@richa1147]

are all birch varieties safe to tap in southern UK?

[@Fatevad]

do you boil it to make some syrup?

[@magoomchhugh]

Great info there thanks I'd Tie the bottle to the tree though 👍

[@-AnyWho]

i wish i knew about this when i had a birch in backyard ... unfortunately i took it down cuz it was a older, smaller birch varity that was too close to the shed so i removed it to clean up yard a bit. but regretted it years later when i realized the birches they sell in nurseries now grow much bigger than the type i had, in fact, most people cut the tops off at a certain point to control the height in suburbs. i really dont know what type of birch it was but it never got so high as to worry about it being to high. trunk wasnt as pure white as the ones nowadays but it was still a birch. and the key point about it is that it did not grow extremmely high up. had i known when i took it down i would have made sure to get some seeds from it ... oh well, live and learn i guess ...

[@donnastumme1729]

How long do you leave the hose tap inside the tree drawing sap out before you close the hole letting the tree heal and recover up the tap hole?

[@roko567]

i tend to do that first of all with a *NOYF*

[@francescataurus2992]

❤️Bees love this stuff, and use it to make honey 🍯

[@alfenito]

It has been shown that tapping the main trunk of the tree leads to fungal infection and death of the tree in roughly 10years. Much better to cut off a large twig and bend it into a bottle or can. The yield is the same.

[@clems6989]

Sobits basically water siaked thru the tree. So can you just make birch tea ?

[@wendyfoster9232]

i have found several silver birches near me and i pulled off some really thick black bark from the lower part of the tree and i was wondering if this is edible as i have been also have been using the bark of the oak tree for medicinal purposes.......looking at the silver birches in this video they dont have all that black thick bark on them - i live in the uk, do the trees differ all over the world..............whilst continuing to watch your video - as you cut into the birch..............well the trees i found had no silver bark at the lower part and someone said that this was becuase it could be tissue damage on the tree..........hmmm i am very curious as i do not want to hurt the tree when taking off the bark......i hope that makes sense

[@whitewidow358]

looks potentially like Nettle sprouting at the base of that first tree?

[@BenOrford]

Yes another fantastic crop of wild food and fibres too 👍

[@davidwilkinson3209]

plugging a birch with willow or hazel?

[@mikemiller3074]

WHAT KIND OF KNIFE ARE YOU USING

[@BoxingIQ165]

What does it taste like?

[@andyharpist2938]

Ben: "Im going to drive it IN" Mr. Birch Tree "No. I'd rather you didn't....Ouch! Ow ow ow!"

[@jtb9751]

Does this hurt the tree

[@swervedriver5260]

Thanks for the info. However you didn't show how the branch to Billy can worked out.

[@bromisovalum8417]

can you still do it in mid april?

[@aetreus88]

how long can it go unrefrigerated

[@shepardw4981]

Does the tree not just gel up and stop the sap leaking from the cut branch

[@BenOrford]

It can do if it’s small enough but helps if it’s a bigger hole to plug it. Hope that helps cheers Ben

[@mehdirezaei1721]

سلام روزتون خوش ایشون راهنمایی کامل وبیمنت وصمیمی د رفع اشکالات هنر چاقوسازی هستند

[@russellpurdham]

👍

[@liam7342]

Are there other uk trees that this can be done with

[@BenOrford]

In theory all none toxic can be tapped but lots don’t tell any amount. The only other tree I have had success with was sycamore which as a maple family is probably more true to maples sap used for syrup.

[@deansing2405]

does this harm the tree?

[@rinnin]

There is a discussion on the Bush craft forums to say that this does harm the tree. Causes bacterial and fungal infections which eventually rot the tree from the inside. 😢

[@chippysteve4524]

Good point! Sap is the blood of a tree which is stored in the roots over winter to avoid frost damage and released into the branches in spring. Even without the potential risk of bacterial/fungal infection;you are still stealing from the tree's hard won reserves of energy and nutrients that are required to get the growing seasons off to a good start. Anyone who thinks this doesn't harm the tree should donate 1 pint of blood and then try to go for a run! Tapping tree sap in spring is a method of last resort only to be used in a survival situation. Eat a freaking apple instead of being a parasite FFS! :-)

[@TheGeenat]

@@chippysteve4524 I’m going to tap trees for a fucking living now. Thanks for your insight.

[@frederickmerle6412]

His is an increasingly trendy hypothesis. I have tapped trees decades ago that are still healthy and alive. Perhaps the real issue is what tools are used and more importantly not using a live/healthy bit of branch to create the plug, preferably from the same tree?

[@granmabern5283]

Frederick Merle here in Quebec we tap maple trees and the same tree is tapped every year for generations so I call b.s. on chippy the suicidal lefty. The tree has to be at least ten inches in diameter so it can heal itself.

[@kadu3502]

As a child, I did this a lot. But we never drank the sap, it wasn't sweet enough. Should have known how to make syrup! Is there xylitol in the syrup, (or in the bark only)🤔🤔🤔

[@fishingadventures1815]

Secateurs, leaf cups and what else ...

[@moosey62]

Good job it didn't rain..

[@Medietos]

Please say WHEN exactly, how to tell, whatever latitude one is on. And how deep to drill, - and whether a drill is needed. Could one use a knife, even though harder to get the pipe to sit securely? Thanks! I wonder why you didn't saw that plug off directly but later? And can inform that the Birch is extra good for life-energy, since it's for the kidney system, which produces life-energy.

[@lxmzhg]

Instead of a drill, you could use a blacksmith curved chisel, semi-circular chisel, or round chisel, whereby you could gouge out the hole you need. Or you could take a steel pipe of the appropriate diameter, & file one end to sharpen it so it could be used as a "punch" which you hammer into the tree, removing a little bit of wood at a time. After you've removed sufficient wood to the depth required, you could then leave the pipe in the tree & use it as the tap, to which you attach plastic tubing to drain the sap into a bottle/bucket.

[@raiitm]

Can we have this in India pls..