[Sca-cooks] Alexey's answer to Brandu (birch sap)

[Jeff Gedney]

>    Interesting. I thought that it might be referring to using chunks of
>    the root rather than draining off some of the sap. Isn't that what is
>    done with sassafras? But it also talks about the sap drying and then
>    they can't have it. Would a drier wood make using root chunks more
>    difficult or impossible? Anyone made sassafras tea? Are there
>    limitations
>    in making that on not being able to do this in the summer?

Well I made some sassafras this last weekend with the Scouts. (impressed the
heck out of them... "mr Gedney, why are you pulling up sassafras trees? your
gonna do WHAT? can I have some?" - I had an impromptu class of about 15
scouts)

It was good, and the black birch roots I added were pungeant and sweet.

IIRC, the tree stores the sugar in the root in the fall, and then in spring
the sap carries the sugar upward to fuel the new buds and growth until the
the leaves are producing regularly. So sugar would be present in the roots
in fall and winter, and _leaving_ the root in spring, the sap becoming more
diluted and less sugary as the spring goes on. This is why the Maple
Sugarers try to get their taps in as early as possible, when daily thaws
allow for sap flow, later in the season the sugar concentration is much
lower. Also after the buds have opened all the way, there is much less sap
flowing, as it is not needed to elevate cell turgidity in the leaf growing
process, so it does indeed appear to "dry up".

Since spring is the only time listed, I have to think that this refers to
the running sap. It does not "run from the root" any other time of the year.
Perhaps they tap at or just above the root?

I still think that this refers to tapping birch trees for sap.


>    Thank you, Brandu. I appreciate seeing this. If you have more time, I
>    would love to have more of these tidbits for my fd-Russia-msg file.
>

I'll be happy to send some to you, but I dont think that they are within the
perview of this list. so I'll do it off line


Brandu