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Traditional bucket spouts with hooks. They both work great for buckets or bags. The stainless spouts are easier to clean and more durable, but the nylon ones work just fine too! 4/10 STAINLESS SOLD OUT
2-Gallon heavy-gauge zip style sap bags. These work well for gathering sap and keeping rain and snow out!
We have a limited supply of small equipment in stock for backyard syrup making.
These items are pickup only in Talkeetna, Alaska.
Contact us for more details.
As winter comes to a close and the temperatures warm up, you’ll start to see some greening buds on your birch trees. You should have your taps in, especially Willow, Talkeetna, and other areas with snow cover. Once the buds burst, the sap will get cloudy and sap flow will diminish; meaning it’s time to quit! Until next year …
You can start tapping birch trees 8” in diameter or larger around Mid-April. Be sure your tree looks healthy and avoid any trees that have been exposed to pesticides.
You can get a good idea if they are healthy but looking for ones with a good full crown. If there are lots of deadwood in the crown or fungus growth on the trunk, you could have a very old and less then healthy tree. If you tapped in and got brown wood instead of white you could be in a dead part of the tree. Look for an area of the tree to tap that looks full or prominent, like a vein. It will often have a healthy branch above it.
EXPERT’S TIP: Tapping the tree on the side with full sun exposure might help get them running sooner. But be careful, this will also cause the sap turn earlier. I like to tap the east or north side of the tree to keep the sap out of the sun and fresher. I have learned to “read the trees” after 30 years; you may not get it right the first time!
When tapping the trees, use a 7/16” drill bit, to correspond to the size of the spout used. Drill approx. 1 ½” into the tree at a very slight upward angle, quick in and out. South-facing will start running earlier, but north-facing will be better for preserving the sap. Make sure the wood you drill into is white, not brown. Use a stick to clear out any shavings.
Before installing spouts, sterilize them in rubbing alcohol. Tap the spouts gently into the tree with a hammer. The spout needs to be tight enough to hold the weight of your container or sap bag full of sap, but not so tight as to split the wood around the hole.
Expect the sap to run from 14 to 21 days. On average each tree can yield you an average of ¾ to 1 gallon of sap per day. Beware, some trees are gushers!
It’s a spring tonic – rejuvenating and hydrating! Sap is very perishable, but will keep in your refrigerator for several days, and in your freezer forever 🙂
Check out our FAQ section below for tips and tricks from the Alaska Birch Syrup experts!
EXPERT’S TIP: We highly recommend using a drill stop on the bit so you can be precise in your tapping depth. It’s not essential, especially if you are just tapping few trees. You can always mark the bit with a permanent marker or electrical tape. We recommend drilling no deeper than 1.5 inches.
EXPERT’S TIP: Use duct tape to reinforce the hole; keep the bag zipped closed and collect once a day – twice if you have a gusher!! No need to remove the bag – just unzip one end, and swivel it on the spout into your collection pail. Zip it back up to keep out rain and debris.
EXPERT TIP: It takes approximately 110 gallons of birch sap to make one gallon of birch syrup! Do not try to take this sap all the way to the syrup stage each day. There will not be enough sap left in the pan.
EXPERT’S TIP: If you don’t want to take your sap all the way to syrup, you can make a delicious beverage by boiling it down to about 1/3 of it’s original volume. Follow the “Daily Steps” but stop when you get a gallon down to about 1/3 of a gallon.
At this point the sugar content will be about 3% and the sap will be slightly sweet and birchy with a beautiful light amber color. You can take it further if you want it sweeter! It is delicious cold and even carbonated – a natural birch soda! Drink it hot, or use it to brew your favorite tea. Steep it with chaga! It’s so versatile. You can also pour it hot into canning jars and seal. I have had it last over a year this way. Just be sure everything is sterile. Enjoy this gift from the birch trees!
We have three delicious flavors of birch water available if you want to give this a taste before you try it. It is wild-harvested, high in minerals, and has no added sweetener. We make three flavors: Lingonberry, Blueberry Lime, Chaga Lemon.
For these steps, you’ll need a candy thermometer, all your concentrated sap, and a pan or pot. Check out of the FAQ section below for guidance on picking the right size pot.
With the sap running season over, it’s time to pull the spouts and clean the hole by spraying with water or alcohol. There is no need to plug the hole! Studies actually show it impedes the tree’s natural ability to heal itself.
In future years, choose another area of the tree to drill a new hole. Spiral successive holes up and around the tree at about 4” intervals.
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GOOD LUCK!!
Questions? Need supplies? Contact us at Kahiltna Birchworks 907-373-1309
We have curbside pick up at our facility near Palmer and Wasilla and a self-serve station at our Talkeetna “Birchworld” facility. Or email for details: ted@hfbirch.com
Don’t worry, you did not do anything wrong! Trees do run at different times, depending on their exposure. If there is still lots of snow in your area that can also delay the sap. Tapping the side of the tree in full sun exposure might get them running sooner but won’t last as long before the sap starts to turn. I like to tap the east or north side of the tree to keep the sap out of the sun and fresher.
It takes 100+ gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup at 67% sugar.
The sap has a sugar content of 0.8 – 1.3%. The sweetest sap comes in the first week of harvest, and will make the lightest, sweetest syrup. Use only early sap for drinking.
Sap typically runs for 14 to 21 days once you tap the tree. When the leaves on the trees start to appear, the sugar is gone from the sap and the season is over.
When it comes time to take all your concentrated sap and turn it into syrup, you need to make sure you pick the right size pot. The size pot will all depend on how much-concentrated sap you have. You NEVER want the liquid to go below 2” deep. If you don’t have much-concentrated sap, you may need to use a smaller pot.
Hot syrup is very thin, so it will be hard to tell if it is the desired thickness until it cools. If you want the syrup thicker, you can heat it again to about 180° and stir constantly. Be aware that re-heating will darken your syrup. As long as steam is rising, you are eliminating more water. If available, you can use the Brix scale on a hydrometer or refractometer to check the density of the syrup.
If the sap has frozen in the pail, pour off what is still liquid and discard the ice. Nature has concentrated the sap for you! The sugars do not freeze and are suspended in the liquid. The ice is primarily water.
EXPERTS TIP! If you have freezer space, you can partially freeze the sap on your own. It will save you fuel costs, time, and energy!
Delicious birch syrup can be made by setting the pan of sap on the wood stove and letting it slowly evaporate. It will certainly take longer, but you will not be consuming additional fuel, and your home will fill with the wonderfully sweet smell of birch syrup.
I don’t recommend doing this in large quantities indoors, and you might not want to do this if you have wallpaper ;).
