The season for tapping birch sap is very short, but we were in Lithuania when it happened.
I don’t think I had ever seen the sap of a tree before – not in its watery-state, at least. In California, we have eucalyptus trees that ooze crystals of red amber and make the sidewalk sticky, so I suppose I imagined that all trees have a thick-bodied circulatory system – that maple trees are filled with syrup – but apparently this is not the case!
Birch sap, I have learned, tastes (to me) like a very green version of those new flavored-water energy drinks with no calories that come in hi-tech bottles. Here is some real information about it. So, even if you are a city slicker like I am, if you happen to have a birch tree in your back yard, it might be a fun project for early spring…
Here is my husband inspecting the sap bucket, and a quick watercolor of the glass mason jar after it had been filled. Happy memories.
Have a great week!
