Awww the wonderful Birch tree. Lots of good things come from the birch. But I have a recipe for Birch Saft or concentrated birch juice,, and tea. The Birch is one of the wonders that help with aches and pains, joints and soreness. It has natural asprin in its oils of the leaves. Its also a diuretic, blood purifier, eases lower intestinal pain, and well just tastes really good too! First recipe is an easy one and will give you all the benifits as above. Birch leaves water honey or sugar take birch leaves and crumble fresh or dried, to release the oils, and add to water. boil a few minutes, strain into a cup, add honey or sugar and enjoy a nice hot tea. You can add cinnamon, lemon or orange peal, blueberries, what ever your heart desires for any combination if you want even more of something different. --------------------- Birch Saft Collect a large bowl full of tender young leaves. Compacted in that bowl. 2 1/2 cups of sugar or more for taste or 6 dl. water 1/2 t. baking soda (optional) Take the leaves and crush to release oils. I use a rolling pin and board, just lay out and roll over a stack of leaves,, or use your hands and crumble. In a large pot, place your leaves in it, and add just enough water to about 1/3 of the leaves are covered. Place a lid on just until it starts to boil. Take the lid off and now start to stir, mash down, beat it up, take out frustations if you have to,, but its not nessacary to get violent! When the liquid start to look like a pale green/yellow, let it boil for an additional 15 minutes. Now take off the stove, and pour off your liquid to a smaller pot, add the sugar and cook again until the liquid has decreased by 1/4 to 1/2. take off the stove and wait until completely cool, then add 1/2 t. baking soda if you choose to. Now the mixture is ready to be bottled or jarred. depends on what you have available. Make sure they are sterile, then pour the saft into the bottles and seal. When you are ready for a drink, just use a few teaspoons or more if you want a stronger taste added to a cup of water and you have a very natural drink of the Viking era. This too can be served cold or warm, with what ever added to it for an additional flavor, altho if you plan to do that I would advise while hot or warm (just nuke for a minute or so)... then let cool for a cold drink.
I'm soooo glad that I have two birch trees in my garden!! :-D They are just coming into leaf now so I should be able to try these recipes out by the week-end. Beng an organic gardener I know there is nothing on the leaves that will do any harm which is a plus too. I will give them a wash and pat them dry with paper towels though just in case there are insects or bird poo on them. Thanks for the recipes Biita and keep them coming. :-D
I don't think Birch trees grow this far south so using the fresh leaves is out, but I think a trip to our favorite herb shop this weekend to pick up some dried birch leaves is in order. Should I look for birch bark too?
You can use birch bark too, and that also has all the same benifits as the leaves. I don't know what kinds of leaves are available to you Toni, but if you look up maybe the ones you have to see if ediable or not, this recipe is just a basic saft recipe,, the main ingredient can be use with black and red currents, raspberry, blackberry leaves. Also instead of leaves use the berries themselves,, just follow to the end, and that is Norwegian Kool-aid,,lol. Eileen i sure will be posting more,, I have seen a few things ready to be picked here.
I was planning on making some of the 'kool-aid' from blueberries, I have bags of them in the freezer from our picking trip last summer. I am hoping to have some berries on the Elderberry bush this year too. The birch saft sounds like something Randy and I both need to try. I can keep the dried leaves on hand to make a cup of tea when it is needed.
*pottering back outside to bring in birch leaves while the water boils up* Edit: I've made the tea and drunk it too, with honey. I used a big cup: It tastes very good, so whoever has the chance to try it, should. I'd like to put some mint in, for the fresher taste, but they're not out of the ground yet.
