Just heard of it for the first time this morning. Small growing area.
It takes 100 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup, so it must be
expensive too. http://www.howderfamily.com/blog/birch-syrup/


--
A kitchen without a cook is just a room

sf wrote:
>
> Just heard of it for the first time this morning. Small growing area.
> It takes 100 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup, so it must be
> expensive too. http://www.howderfamily.com/blog/birch-syrup/


I wonder how that would taste? I do know that maple syrup takes about
45 gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup.

G.

On 1/17/2015 12:53 PM, sf wrote:
>
> Just heard of it for the first time this morning. Small growing area.
> It takes 100 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup, so it must be
> expensive too. http://www.howderfamily.com/blog/birch-syrup/
>
>
Interesting article. I wonder if anyone will send the blogger some
birch syrup to try?

Jill

I've heard of birch beer which is sorta like root beer.

On 2015-01-17 12:58 PM, Gary wrote:
> sf wrote:
>>
>> Just heard of it for the first time this morning. Small growing area.
>> It takes 100 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup, so it must be
>> expensive too. http://www.howderfamily.com/blog/birch-syrup/
>
>
> I wonder how that would taste? I do know that maple syrup takes about
> 45 gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup.
>
It is more of a savory concoction.

On 1/17/2015 1:21 PM, wrote:
> I've heard of birch beer which is sorta like root beer.
>

The flavoring for birch beer is extracted from the bark of the black
birch tree. I imagine the syrup is similar in flavor. While I'd like to
try it, I don't think it would be my favorite for pancakes.

My first experience with birch beer was at a big picnic where they had
it on tap. It was fairly comment at events like that. If I see a good
brand of birch beer soda, I'll buy a bottle once a year or so. It has a
nostalgic twist to it for me, childhood memories.

On 1/17/2015 11:53 AM, sf wrote:
>
> Just heard of it for the first time this morning. Small growing area.
> It takes 100 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup, so it must be
> expensive too. http://www.howderfamily.com/blog/birch-syrup/
>
>
Would that be what flavors birch beer? It's a carbonated beverage I
remember from childhood.

--
From somewhere very deep in the heart of Texas

On Sat, 17 Jan 2015 16:11:30 -0500, Ed Pawlowski > wrote:

> On 1/17/2015 1:21 PM, wrote:
> > I've heard of birch beer which is sorta like root beer.
> >
>
> The flavoring for birch beer is extracted from the bark of the black
> birch tree. I imagine the syrup is similar in flavor. While I'd like to
> try it, I don't think it would be my favorite for pancakes.
>
Someone who doesn't participate here described the syrup to me like
this: The taste has been likened to a cross between maple syrup and
molasses but that doesn't really define it well enough. It's great on
salmon and game meats, or as a substitute for balsamic glaze.



--
A kitchen without a cook is just a room

On Sat, 17 Jan 2015 15:33:18 -0600, Janet Wilder >
wrote:

> On 1/17/2015 11:53 AM, sf wrote:
> >
> > Just heard of it for the first time this morning. Small growing area.
> > It takes 100 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup, so it must be
> > expensive too. http://www.howderfamily.com/blog/birch-syrup/
> >
> >
> Would that be what flavors birch beer? It's a carbonated beverage I
> remember from childhood.

I have absolutely no idea. This thread is the first time I've heard
of birch beer too. We had Vernor's ginger ale.

--
A kitchen without a cook is just a room

On 1/18/2015 10:17 AM, sf wrote:
> On Sat, 17 Jan 2015 15:33:18 -0600, Janet Wilder >
> wrote:
>
>> On 1/17/2015 11:53 AM, sf wrote:
>>>
>>> Just heard of it for the first time this morning. Small growing area.
>>> It takes 100 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup, so it must be
>>> expensive too. http://www.howderfamily.com/blog/birch-syrup/
>>>
>>>
>> Would that be what flavors birch beer? It's a carbonated beverage I
>> remember from childhood.
>
> I have absolutely no idea. This thread is the first time I've heard
> of birch beer too. We had Vernor's ginger ale.
>

Maybe it is an east coast thing. It has waned over the past 50 years,
but it was very popular. It was also the beverage of choice at
community picnics or something at the firehouse type of events.

I notice these guys list it under the "antique" flavors
http://hosmersoda.com/our-sodas/

On Sat, 17 Jan 2015 09:53:03 -0800, sf > wrote:

>
>Just heard of it for the first time this morning. Small growing area.
>It takes 100 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup, so it must be
>expensive too. http://www.howderfamily.com/blog/birch-syrup/

I have a lot of Box Elder trees on my property. Around mid March last
year, I cut off a low branch that was hanging over the driveway. The
next day there was about 30 inch icicle hanging below the cut. Knowing
Box Elder is in the same family as Maple, I figured the sap was edible.
There was not enough to make syrup, but I stuck some of the icicle in my
mouth and found is was somewhat sweet tasting. So I took the rest of it
in the house and let it melt in a pitcher. Later I drank it. Not real
sweet, but worth the effort to drink!

I have since wondered how Box Elder syrup would be? I dont really have
the equipment to make syrup, or I may have tried it..... But buying
equipment to just experiment seems senseless, since I dont have any
actual maple trees. My other trees are Oak, Walnut, Locust and
Cottonwood.

The Box Elder trees are really a pain in the ass to have around, they
are known to just fall over in storms. Fortunately they saw up easily,
but I had to remove the ones close to buildings, after several fell on
buildings. The locust are very obnoxious with their thorns and are hard
to get rid of. If I could, I'd get rid of them before any of my other
trees. I dont mind the fuzz from the cottonwoods, and tolerate all the
walnuts (nuts) that I trip on in fall. They're just too much work to
get the edible part of the nut out.

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 17 Jan 2015 15:33:18 -0600, Janet Wilder >
> wrote:
>
>> On 1/17/2015 11:53 AM, sf wrote:
>> >
>> > Just heard of it for the first time this morning. Small growing area.
>> > It takes 100 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup, so it must be
>> > expensive too. http://www.howderfamily.com/blog/birch-syrup/
>> >
>> >
>> Would that be what flavors birch beer? It's a carbonated beverage I
>> remember from childhood.
>
> I have absolutely no idea. This thread is the first time I've heard
> of birch beer too. We had Vernor's ginger ale.

Birch Beer is popular in PA.

On 1/18/2015 8:01 PM, wrote:
> On Sat, 17 Jan 2015 09:53:03 -0800, sf > wrote:
>
>>
>> Just heard of it for the first time this morning. Small growing area.
>> It takes 100 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup, so it must be
>> expensive too. http://www.howderfamily.com/blog/birch-syrup/
>
> I have a lot of Box Elder trees on my property. Around mid March last
> year, I cut off a low branch that was hanging over the driveway. The
> next day there was about 30 inch icicle hanging below the cut. Knowing
> Box Elder is in the same family as Maple, I figured the sap was edible.
> There was not enough to make syrup, but I stuck some of the icicle in my
> mouth and found is was somewhat sweet tasting. So I took the rest of it
> in the house and let it melt in a pitcher. Later I drank it. Not real
> sweet, but worth the effort to drink!
>
> I have since wondered how Box Elder syrup would be? I dont really have
> the equipment to make syrup, or I may have tried it..... But buying
> equipment to just experiment seems senseless, since I dont have any
> actual maple trees. My other trees are Oak, Walnut, Locust and
> Cottonwood.
>
> The Box Elder trees are really a pain in the ass to have around, they
> are known to just fall over in storms. Fortunately they saw up easily,
> but I had to remove the ones close to buildings, after several fell on
> buildings. The locust are very obnoxious with their thorns and are hard
> to get rid of. If I could, I'd get rid of them before any of my other
> trees. I dont mind the fuzz from the cottonwoods, and tolerate all the
> walnuts (nuts) that I trip on in fall. They're just too much work to
> get the edible part of the nut out.
>
>

You must not own a pool if you don't mind cottonwood fluff. Either that
or the tree's much too far away... and there's only one....

On my property (central PA) there used to be a lot of cherry birches,
but over the years something (fungus I'd imagine) got most all of them.
As a kid I'd love to pick any leaf w/small branchlet attached & shave
back the thin brown covering with my fingernail to expose that delicious
scent. Half-way between wintergreen and root beer. Didn't take many more
years before I never heard of "birch beer" sodas again. )-;

On Sun, 18 Jan 2015 21:00:33 -0500, Nelly W >
wrote:
>>
>
>You must not own a pool if you don't mind cottonwood fluff. Either that
>or the tree's much too far away... and there's only one....
>
>On my property (central PA) there used to be a lot of cherry birches,
>but over the years something (fungus I'd imagine) got most all of them.
>As a kid I'd love to pick any leaf w/small branchlet attached & shave
>back the thin brown covering with my fingernail to expose that delicious
>scent. Half-way between wintergreen and root beer. Didn't take many more
>years before I never heard of "birch beer" sodas again. )-;

No pool, this is a farm. Most of those trees are further down on the
farm, but there are a few near the pony barn. Got a couple ponies
there, and when those trees shed, the ponies look like they are covered
with snow. Dont bother them, and dont bother me. I do have to clean
the barn's rain gutter afterwards, but I do that yearly anyhow, because
of the year before's fall leaves and twigs that get in the gutters.

After that cotton falls and we get strong winds, it's always fun to
watch it blow in every direction. Unlike the thorns on those locusts,
that cotton is harmless!

On 1/17/2015 12:53 PM, sf wrote:
>
> Just heard of it for the first time this morning. Small growing area.
> It takes 100 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup, so it must be
> expensive too. http://www.howderfamily.com/blog/birch-syrup/

I just heard that birch water is the new coconut water.

Watch out birches, they're coming for you.

nancy

> wrote:
> On Sat, 17 Jan 2015 09:53:03 -0800, sf > wrote:
>
>>
>> Just heard of it for the first time this morning. Small growing area.
>> It takes 100 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup, so it must be
>> expensive too. http://www.howderfamily.com/blog/birch-syrup/
>
> I have a lot of Box Elder trees on my property. Around mid March last
> year, I cut off a low branch that was hanging over the driveway. The
> next day there was about 30 inch icicle hanging below the cut. Knowing
> Box Elder is in the same family as Maple, I figured the sap was edible.
> There was not enough to make syrup, but I stuck some of the icicle in my
> mouth and found is was somewhat sweet tasting. So I took the rest of it
> in the house and let it melt in a pitcher. Later I drank it. Not real
> sweet, but worth the effort to drink!
>
> I have since wondered how Box Elder syrup would be? I dont really have
> the equipment to make syrup, or I may have tried it..... But buying
> equipment to just experiment seems senseless, since I dont have any
> actual maple trees. My other trees are Oak, Walnut, Locust and
> Cottonwood.
>
> The Box Elder trees are really a pain in the ass to have around, they
> are known to just fall over in storms. Fortunately they saw up easily,
> but I had to remove the ones close to buildings, after several fell on
> buildings. The locust are very obnoxious with their thorns and are hard
> to get rid of. If I could, I'd get rid of them before any of my other
> trees. I dont mind the fuzz from the cottonwoods, and tolerate all the
> walnuts (nuts) that I trip on in fall. They're just too much work to
> get the edible part of the nut out.

I've had box elder syrup. One of the naturalists at Springbrook Nature
Center in Fridley MN made it from his trees and served it at a kids'
event twenty-some years ago. He described it as "just like maple"
and I agree. I couldn't have told it apart from real maple syrup.
He may still be doing so, but the kids are long grown so I don't know.

Mike Beede

On Sun, 18 Jan 2015 19:01:02 -0600, wrote:

>On Sat, 17 Jan 2015 09:53:03 -0800, sf > wrote:
>
>>
>>Just heard of it for the first time this morning. Small growing area.
>>It takes 100 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup, so it must be
>>expensive too. http://www.howderfamily.com/blog/birch-syrup/
>
>I have a lot of Box Elder trees on my property. Around mid March last
>year, I cut off a low branch that was hanging over the driveway. The
>next day there was about 30 inch icicle hanging below the cut. Knowing
>Box Elder is in the same family as Maple, I figured the sap was edible.
>There was not enough to make syrup, but I stuck some of the icicle in my
>mouth and found is was somewhat sweet tasting. So I took the rest of it
>in the house and let it melt in a pitcher. Later I drank it. Not real
>sweet, but worth the effort to drink!
>
>I have since wondered how Box Elder syrup would be? I dont really have
>the equipment to make syrup, or I may have tried it..... But buying
>equipment to just experiment seems senseless, since I dont have any
>actual maple trees. My other trees are Oak, Walnut, Locust and
>Cottonwood.
>
>The Box Elder trees are really a pain in the ass to have around, they
>are known to just fall over in storms. Fortunately they saw up easily,
>but I had to remove the ones close to buildings, after several fell on
>buildings. The locust are very obnoxious with their thorns and are hard
>to get rid of. If I could, I'd get rid of them before any of my other
>trees. I dont mind the fuzz from the cottonwoods, and tolerate all the
>walnuts (nuts) that I trip on in fall. They're just too much work to
>get the edible part of the nut out.

Locust trees should be easy to get rid of, anyone who uses firewood
will be glad to have them... locust is one of the best trees for
firewood, makes great fence posts, also used for the cross members on
utility poles. Used as fence posts they'll last 40 years, then
flipped 180º will go another 40 years. Thing is once lucust is
established in a stand even after it's all cut it will come right back
as all their roots are interconnected. A plus is they rarely come
down in a wind storm. Locust is a legume.
http://www.permies.com/t/224/woodlan...g-safe-gardens
https://chimneysweeponline.com/howood.htm

On Sat, 17 Jan 2015 16:11:30 -0500, in rec.food.cooking, Ed Pawlowski
wrote:

>On 1/17/2015 1:21 PM, wrote:
>> I've heard of birch beer which is sorta like root beer.
>>
>
>The flavoring for birch beer is extracted from the bark of the black
>birch tree. I imagine the syrup is similar in flavor. While I'd like to
>try it, I don't think it would be my favorite for pancakes.
>
>My first experience with birch beer was at a big picnic where they had
>it on tap. It was fairly comment at events like that. If I see a good
>brand of birch beer soda, I'll buy a bottle once a year or so. It has a
>nostalgic twist to it for me, childhood memories.

See http://www.alaskabirchsyrup.com/albipr.html
They make a breakfast syrup which is delicious."Breakfast Syrup is an
all-natural product made on our homestead by concentrating birch sap to
45% sugars, then blending with pure ORGANIC evaporated cane juice. This
process results in a milder, somewhat sweeter syrup at a lower price,
while still offering the deliciously distinctive flavor of birch."

And their "birched honey" is fantastic. I must order some more. They ship
to the UK.
Doug

--
Doug Weller --
A Director and Moderator of The Hall of Ma'at http://www.hallofmaat.com
Doug's Archaeology Site: http://www.ramtops.co.uk
Amun - co-owner/co-moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Amun/