Making Birch Syrup - Turning sap into syrup

We have been patiently waiting since our move to Alaska to try out birch sap and syrup. The spring weather has finally been warm enough for the sap to be running so we tapped some trees!
Our first attempt resulted in accidental caramel and we don't recommend trying it. As it was our first time making syrup we learned a lot and will definitely try this again next year. Hopefully with slightly better success.
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[@KevinChristiansen-i2q]

Great video Cody and Lori

[@DimensionalHorse]

Home Free Alaska just released a new video today & she (Tina) is making sourdough starter out of the"water" that comes out of the trees. That sap has lots of minerals & electrolytes which is very good for u 😊 Great video!

[@bonneymoseley1159]

I saw that too! Very interesting!

[@jamesseltenreich652]

I tapped my trees on the 15th of April here in willow, I got a couple hundred gallons of sap, ended up with approximately 3 gallons of syrup, super good I just need a bigger boiling pot, I had one tree giving up 15 gallons a day of sap, I’ll get everything together for next year’s syrup making, good luck your willow Friend 🙏❤️

[@shirleyharvey7376]

Beautiful baby girl. She’s sure growing💕

[@yoop177]

"Drinking outa a puddle "😂😂😂😂 Tks for sharing your experiment with us. I use candy thermometer to watch the temp with maple syrup. Maybee that can help with the birtch??

[@ilzitek2419]

You are so lucky to have so many birch trees. We have none where we are.

[@peterklein3734]

Very interesting on the birch syrup! My season here in WI this year started very early in Feb and ended mid March due to the El Niño winter. Our operation is small as well with small batches. You may find it helpful to get a good cooking thermometer. I recommend cooking the sap to about 7-8 degrees F above the boiling point of water for your location and altitude. That should give you the proper density and hopefully a good syrup. Only maples in this neck of the woods but I wouldn't mind trying birch syrup at some point. Keep trying and don't give up. I have been making (maple) syrup for 30 years and learn something new every year. All the best!

[@charlenegrady8781]

Eric and Ariel Illia from Simply Alaska make a great syrup from the sap. Maybe ask them they are up there in Alaska. Good luck✌️🇺🇸❤️

[@jasondavis1816]

Great job love the video

[@BrakesBake]

Don’t give up I hope you will try again for the syrup.

[@rougefox9233]

On Jonna Jinton's channel from Sweden, she just uses a plastic bending straw to poke in the hole then ties a container to the tree trunk underneath the straw. Save you some money on tapping supplies as they can be pricey.😅 Could it be that you didnt like the taste of the syrup because possibly smoke from the camp fire changed the taste?..

[@toniapplebee5856]

Apparently the water is amazing in sourdough starters.

[@judithtripp821]

Wish you all the best! Bye bye!

[@DebbieDee-lx6uk]

Enjoyed your video, thanks for sharing 👍 ❤

[@judyeuller7602]

Are we going to get to see Rowan up close?

[@LivingthedreamDIY]

Love the channel the dream

[@dawnadouglas2480]

Birch vinegar is delicious!

[@bobflores]

Looked like you gave it a good try, but if you don't like it, you don't like it. The Wiki page mentions that birch syrup isn't often used like maple syrup. It's used more in making sauces to pair with pork or salmon dishes. I've never had it so don't listen to me. Thanks for the video.

[@sarahschlosser1203]

Never know till you try

[@grizzlyacreshomestead]

Your syrup is too dark... aka caramelized... your temperatures are too high. Final colour should be no darker than honey colored. Could also try to use birch sap to Make a white wine..... needs to be well aged before it tastes good.... over a year for sure. Also need to add sugar to the sap if you want a regular wine type alcohol content.

[@paulslocomb6805]

I've been waiting for you to fix up your tractor and put it to work getting the road free from the mud and rutts

[@maryhall6584]

I've read that the water is full of magnesium and vitamins and a great detox. Glad to see a little bit of the beautiful new baby Rowan. Love your adventures. Keep it up, sorry the live didn't work.

[@grizzlyacreshomestead]

Lower temps to make it lighter in color...... do NOT boil the water. The flavor is wintergreen

[@Volusia1]

You two don’t hide the face of “nasty tasting” very well!😂😂

[@lesmontgomery7002]

There is a birch syrup tasting place on the way to Talkeetna. I tried theirs, and they were delicious. But different seasons give different taste.

[@mariezafonte6473]

Good try but your faces tell what you really think it tastes like. You need to get a candy thermometer to monitor the temps next time. Watch Simple Living Alaska,Eric and Ariel make the birch syrup. The pancakes look delicious!! The baby is getting so big already. Have a good week.

[@rosesrambler]

I’m not familiar with birch syrup but I would say from the colour of the syrup you have, you may have over cooked it again.

[@butchbinion1560]

Thanks, you have to try new things. ✌🏻👊🏼

[@johnpearce3011]

Sorry,leave the cooking to your wonderful WIFE.

[@BKAD623-hz7ln]

Pancakes looked awesome✌️

[@lucyl2770]

I know “Off Grid with Jay and Jen” have a video regarding setting out the buckets, gather the water/sap, and boiling it down to make syrup. It’s very good and goes into detail. They’ve done it for years, but it’s a rather slow system but well worth the work and wait. I’m sorry about the scorching - that would ruin anything!!

[@marciabullock5913]

Maybe add some maple extract to the next batch??

[@nittygritty9418]

The looks on your faces says it all. LOL

[@babsoneverything3060]

Fun experiment. Loved the looks on your faces. 😅

[@KrissBartlett]

at the end when boiling you have to heat it to a certian degrees im told

[@jamesseltenreich652]

Get a candy thermometer and a hydrometer don’t let it get above 220 degrees mine turned our great but the finish is critical not to get it to hot it will get a smoky taste if your not careful

[@carolyngregory9354]

You never know until you try. Try, try again. I would love to see Rowan up close. She looks adorable.

[@aday1637]

HEADLINE: Alaskan family rushed to the hospital with birch poisoning. The couple were overwhelmed with the substance they collected from nearby trees. Honestly, though, I thought you had to collect this when it was still freezing outside just as it began to warm up. After that I was told it would take on a weird flavor. Maybe try earlier next year and see what happens. It would be a nice source for sweet flavor.

[@waderue]

well there is this one I used to watch on KZbin and they old cast iron stove they cut the top and used hotel pans big square deep pans, then they would boil their sap to make syrup

[@ReneeOh]

Maybe try adding vanilla extract or other flavoring?

[@suseyq4559]

Great video guys! I buy my birch syrup from Alaska Salt Company in Homer, AK. They sell out pretty quickly. The flavor is different, like a cross between coffee and maple syrup.

[@bonneymoseley1159]

Love your cookware! Love the setup. Absolutely hilarious watching you and Lori tasting the burnt birch water. See you Thursday!

[@WhiteBreadThunder-op6in]

For Just making small amounts, a crock pot works great and no overheating. Keep adding sap along the way.

[@devilschild]

You're young. You'll learn. See you in the next one.

[@farnorthhome]

I wouldn’t use cast iron to boil them down, try stainless steel next time

[@dianehill6612]

You need to make your videos longer.

[@DVolvoguy777-x7o]

I wonder how nutritious birch syrup is?🤔

[@nicolerennerjarvis1478]

Is that what they use to make birch beer?

[@desrotiny9066]

Get yourself a set of lathe chisels

[@OffgridAlaskaliving]

Do you mind sharing your pancake recipe?

[@remotelifealaska]

2 cups flour 1/4 cup sugar 4 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1 3/4 cups milk 1/4 cup oil 2 tsp Vanilla 1 egg Note: we don’t follow the measurements exactly and sometimes substitute milk for water and oil for melted butter depending on the day and what we have on hand.

[@OffgridAlaskaliving]

Thank you!

[@mortenmyhrmoen7592]

🇳🇴👍👍👌

[@brendaogara2543]

Your house is not safe for that banal , before you know it , the baby will want to crawl around . When are you planning on working on the house . It’s a disgrace I’d be ashamed to do a video and show my house if it look like that.

[@remotelifealaska]

We are pretty proud of our house we built from scratch on raw land off grid in remote Alaska. Of course there is much to do yet. Millions of people have grown up in far worse, and we can’t think of a better place to be.

[@brendaogara2543]

@@remotelifealaska you did really well at the house. I’m not saying that but as a mother with children I know what they get into and they’ll be a handful so I would suggest that you start working on the inside a little bit to make it safer for the baby because the baby will be crawling before you know itand you guys did a great job

[@yoop177]

Whatever. Zip the lips miss perfect

[@maryhall6584]

I think Lori and Cody have done amazing, at this point they have to work on the outdoor projects to ensure they have a great garden, wood storage , a well, protection for the expensive equipment. They will ensure that their beautiful daughter is safe. I'm sure your grandparents or great grandparents lived with unfinished spaces. They made an amazing choice to live a simple life and not worry about all the wants of life. Keep it up Lori and Cody

[@brendaogara2543]

Yeah my grandparents and great grandparents you’re right but they also didn’t have wires so they didn’t have electricity and there was a lot. My grandmother sibling got scolded and she died so there was that but you just didn’t hear of it. I think it’s your house but I’m telling you that Baby will be getting into everything and it’s better to do it while the babies not going around crawling and pulling on things and putting things in his mouth. It’s just better to do it now try to kind of childproof your house, and I think your house is lovely and I know it’s gonna take time had all winter to do something inside

[@Fuzion587]

You need to tap maple trees. Never heard of anyone tapping birch trees.

[@remotelifealaska]

Tapping birch is common in Alaska. There also are no maple trees native to Alaska except for in South East by Juneau.

[@Fuzion587]

⁠@@remotelifealaskaoh dang. Never knew that. No shortage here in Wisconsin. Ha

[@yoop177]

It's more common than you think. Pple tap birtch here in U.P of Michigan