Kvass from birch sap: 10 recipes

Since ancient times in Rus', kvass has been the most beloved and traditional drink. It was served both in the royal chambers and in black peasant huts. For some reason, many people believe that the basis of kvass can only be different grain crops, but this is not so. Kvass can also be prepared from a variety of fruit, vegetable and berry juices.Moreover, it is not difficult to prepare kvass from birch sap at home, and this drink will turn out to be not only impeccably tasty, but also incredibly healthy.

What are the benefits of kvass made with birch sap?

Many people know about the benefits of birch sap, even firsthand. But kvass, prepared using the right technologies, not only preserves, but also increases the beneficial properties of birch sap. Just like sauerkraut turns out to be even healthier than its fresh version.

It is not without reason that birch sap appears in early spring, when the body, depleted of vitamin deficiency and endless depression after a long winter, especially needs reinforcement and restoration of strength. Birch kvass, which can be obtained from fresh sap in just a couple of days, contains especially many B vitamins, organic acids and various microelements. All these substances in the most easily accessible form for the human body, when consumed, immediately rush to the rescue and make it easier to live through the most difficult period of the year, when there is still a minimal amount of fresh herbs and vegetables on the table, and even more so fruits. Therefore, the most important healing function of this drink is the fight against vitamin deficiency and spring weakness of the body.

Regular consumption of birch kvass can improve the condition of the immune system and gradually cleanse the human body of toxins. Moreover, it has a diuretic effect and helps remove stones from the kidneys and bladder.

But the special value of birch kvass is that when suitable conditions are created, it can be stored for a long time (unlike sap) and, naturally, retain all its healing properties. Therefore, its beneficial effects can be extended for several months. In addition, in the summer heat, this drink will help quench your thirst and refresh you better than many others that use artificial colors and preservatives.

A contraindication to the use of birch kvass is the presence of an allergy or individual intolerance to birch pollen.

Calorie content of kvass from birch sap

Birch kvass is not a very high-calorie drink. Its calorie content is no more than 30 kcal per 100 g of product. And the sugar content in its natural form is from 2 to 4%.

Is birch sap that has begun to ferment healthy?

Birch sap can be stored fresh without changing its characteristics for a very short time - from two to five days, even in the refrigerator. After this time, it first begins to become cloudy and then ferment on its own. This property is used to prepare a tasty drink without any additional additives. Therefore, birch sap, which has begun to sour on its own, can be used to make kvass, and it also has all of the above beneficial properties.

But if traces of mold appear on the juice, then in this case the benefits of the drink are very doubtful, it is best to part with it.

How to make kvass from birch sap

There are an infinite number of recipes and methods for making kvass from birch sap. But no matter what recipe is chosen for making kvass at home, it is best to collect birch sap for it yourself.As a last resort, use the help of residents of nearby rural settlements. The juice that is sold in stores does not always contain what is declared on its labels. And the benefits of such a drink can be very doubtful.

It is recommended to strain birch sap collected with your own hands or obtained by other means through a colander lined with several layers of gauze. After all, during the collection process, all kinds of insects and various natural debris can get into the container.

Often the juice is collected and sold in plastic bottles. At home, it is better to use enamel or glass containers to produce kvass. But to store kvass from birch sap, it is permissible to use plastic bottles, since it is very convenient to release excess air from them, which has an adverse effect on the storage of the drink.

To further enhance the beneficial properties of kvass, honey, bee bread, pollen and various medicinal herbs are used in various recipes as additives: oregano, mint, St. John's wort, thyme and others.

Sugar consumption for kvass from birch sap

Quite often, when making kvass from birch sap, granulated sugar is not added at all. After all, juice also contains sugar, and this is often enough. The sugar content in birch sap can vary and depends on many factors: ambient temperature, where the birch grows (on a hill or in a lowland), soil composition, the flow of a nearby river or stream, and the presence of nearby groundwater. Moreover, many recommend adding sugar to taste in a ready-made drink, since its excessive amount contributes to a more intense fermentation process.

On average, if there is a lack of sugar content in birch sap, it is customary to add from one teaspoon to one tablespoon of sand to a three-liter jar.

How long should kvass be infused with birch sap?

The time for infusing kvass with birch sap depends, first of all, on the use of additional ingredients. If wine yeast, and even more so baker’s yeast, is used in production, then within 6-8 hours the drink will be able to acquire the necessary taste.

When using so-called “wild” yeast, found on the surface of various dried fruits, the fermentation process can last from 12 to 48 hours or even more. A lot depends on the temperature here. The higher it is, the faster this process occurs. At a temperature of + 25-27 ° C, birch kvass can be considered ready after 12-14 hours.

It is also necessary to understand that the longer the kvass is infused in a warm place, the more sugar will be processed into alcohol. Accordingly, when infused for more than three days, the strength of the resulting drink will be significantly higher than after 12 hours. Without additional sugar additions to the juice, it can be a maximum of 3%. Adding sugar (and yeast) further increases the possible strength of the resulting birch kvass.

How to find out when kvass from birch sap is ready

The readiness of kvass obtained from birch sap is most often determined by taste. If the taste feels sour and slightly effervescent, then it can be considered ready. If you want these qualities to intensify, then the drink can be allowed to brew for some more time in a relatively warm room and in an unclogged container.

Is it possible to make kvass from acidified birch sap?

The acidified sap from birch is actually ready-made kvass, which begins to ferment in a completely natural way. If the degree of its fermentation is quite satisfactory, then you can simply tightly seal the vessels with it and move it to a cold place. If you want to make the taste of kvass brighter and richer, you can use one of the recipes described below.

How to ferment birch sap with dried fruits

The simplest and healthiest way to make kvass from birch sap, the recipe for which has been preserved since ancient times, involves adding dried fruits. In the modern world, raisins are most often used for these purposes. But tasty and healthy kvass from birch sap can be obtained without raisins. Indeed, in ancient times in Rus', vineyards were not held in high esteem. But apples, pears, cherries and plums grew everywhere. It was the dried, unwashed cherries that most often served as an ideal starter for birch sap.

So, you will need:

• 5 liters of strained birch sap;
• 300 g dried cherries;
• 400 g dried apples;
• 400 g dried pears;
• 200 g prunes.

The components and proportions of dried fruits can be slightly changed if one or another ingredient is not available. For example, add dried apricots, dates or figs instead of pears or prunes. The taste of the drink will, of course, change, but not much. The main thing is to maintain the general proportions of the components.

And most importantly, you don’t have to worry about the purity of the collected and dried fruits; they can be collected directly from the tree and dried in an electric dryer.

Manufacturing:

1. If dried fruits are very dirty, you can wash them in warm water.But at least it’s better not to touch cherries or the purest variety of fruit, so as not to wash off the “wild” yeast from their surface.
2. Prepare an enamel pan of suitable volume, pour birch sap into it and add all the ingredients specified in the recipe.
3. Cover the pan with gauze to prevent dust and insects from entering and place in a warm place (+ 20-27 ° C) for 3-4 days.
4. Every day, the future kvass must be stirred, and at the same time its condition must be assessed.
5. Then the kvass is filtered through cheesecloth and bottled, not reaching the neck 5 cm.
6. Cover tightly with lids and place in a cool place.

Recipe for kvass from birch sap without yeast

Most often, kvass from birch sap without yeast is prepared with the addition of raisins. As mentioned above, natural “wild” yeast lives on its surface, which is responsible for the fermentation process. You can use other dried fruits for these purposes, as in the recipe described above. But, there is another interesting recipe for making kvass from birch sap in PET bottles of 5 liters.

You will need:

• 10 liters of birch sap;
• 500 g granulated sugar;
• peeled zest (yellow layer only) from one lemon;
• 2 bottles of 5 liters.

Manufacturing:

1. In an enamel bucket, granulated sugar is completely dissolved in 10 liters of birch sap.
2. Then the juice is poured through gauze into 5-liter bottles so that there is still free space at the top of at least 5-7 cm in height.
3. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the zest from the lemon and cut it into small pieces.
4. Add a few pieces of zest to each bottle.
5. If possible, bleed the air from the bottles and immediately screw them on tightly with the caps.
6. The bottles are immediately placed in a cool place, preferably in a cellar or basement.

In just a month, a unique effervescent kvass will be ready, which will pleasantly refresh you in hot weather.

Delicious kvass made from birch sap on yeast with the addition of orange

The use of yeast significantly speeds up the process of making kvass from birch sap. The finished drink can be enjoyed within 6-8 hours after its preparation. It is only advisable to use special wine yeast for these purposes, which can be found on sale. Baker's yeast and alcohol yeast, of course, are also suitable, but they can spoil the natural taste of the finished kvass and make it look like mash.

You will need:

• 2.5 liters of birch sap;
• 1 large orange;
• 250 g sugar;
• 10 g wine yeast;
• lemon balm, mint - to taste.

Manufacturing:

1. The orange is washed well with a brush in running water.
2. Cut into thin half rings along with the peel, while removing the seeds from it.
3. Place the chopped pieces in a jar for fermentation.
4. Yeast is ground with sugar and added to the same jar.
5. Aromatic herbs are also added there.
6. Pour birch sap over everything, cover with a clean natural cloth and place in a warm place for 1-3 days. The fermentation period depends on the temperature at which the process occurs.

Recipe for birch kvass with rice

To prepare kvass from birch sap with rice you will need:

• 5 liters of birch sap;
• 1 tsp. rice;
• 200 g sugar;
• 5 g wine yeast.

Manufacturing:

1. All components are thoroughly mixed in a suitable container.
2. Cover with gauze or cotton cloth.
3. Stir in a warm, dark place for 5-6 days.

After a week, the finished drink is tightly closed and moved to the cold.

Recipe for kvass from birch sap with kvass wort

Wort is a ready-made infusion or decoction of grains and malt, which is intended for the preparation of kvass drinks. You can make it yourself by sprouting cereals, adding a variety of baked crackers, fruits, berries, vegetables to them and leaving them for a while. But most often the wort for making kvass is bought ready-made in a store.

Even a beginner in cooking can cope with preparing birch kvass according to this recipe in the presence of kvass wort.

You will need:

• 2.5 liters of birch sap;
• 3 tbsp. l. kvass wort;
• 1 cup granulated sugar;
• 1 tsp. wine yeast.

Manufacturing:

1. Birch sap is slightly heated (to a temperature of no more than + 50 ° C) so that sugar can easily dissolve in it.
2. Add all the sugar to the warm juice and stir thoroughly until dissolved.
3. Cool the drink to room temperature, add wort and yeast, and stir again.
4. Cover the opening of the jar with gauze and place it in a warm place for 2 days.
5. Then they are moved to a cool place for another 2 days.
   Comment! At this moment you can already try kvass.
6. Then the finished drink is filtered, bottled and, tightly corked, stored in the cold.

Kvass on birch sap with burnt sugar

Burnt sugar is added to birch sap instead of regular sugar so that the drink can acquire a rich dark shade and a unique aroma.

1. To make burnt sugar, pour it into a dry frying pan or heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat until it turns slightly brown.
   
2. Then add a little birch sap into the same container and stir until completely dissolved.
3. The resulting starter is added to the main container with birch sap and, after allowing it to stand warm for literally a day, it is placed in a cool place.
4. When the fizzing in the container is over, the kvass can be poured into bottles, capped tightly and stored.

How to make kvass on birch sap with lemon and honey

A very tasty and incredibly healthy drink is obtained from birch sap with the addition of honey and lemons.

You will need:

• 10 liters of birch sap;
• 200 g liquid honey;
• 2-3 medium-sized lemons;
• 20 g wine yeast.

Manufacturing:

1. Yeast is mixed with slightly heated (to a temperature of + 35-40 ° C) honey.
2. Zest the lemons and squeeze out the juice.
3. In one container, mix yeast with honey, lemon zest with juice and birch sap.
4. Stir, cover with gauze and leave for a couple of days in a warm room.
5. After which it is filtered, poured into tightly closed bottles and transferred to the cold.

Making kvass from birch sap with candies

When making birch kvass, if you add 1 caramel like Mint, Barberry or Duchess to 3 liters of sap, the resulting drink will be enriched with the taste and aroma of childhood candies. Otherwise, the technology does not differ from the traditional one. You can use yeast, or you can add caramel to the kvass recipe without yeast.

Kvass from birch sap on wheat

There are a considerable number of recipes for making kvass from birch sap with malt. Actually, in the composition of kvass wort, malt occupies the main place among other components.

But malt can also be made at home. After all, this is nothing more than sprouted grains of wheat, rye, or barley. The easiest way to obtain and germinate wheat grains.

You will need:

• 10 liters of birch sap;
• 100 g wheat grains;
• 200 g sugar;
• 10 g wine yeast.

Manufacturing:

1. Wheat grains are washed and filled with hot water. Leave for 12 hours until completely cooled.
2. Then rinse thoroughly under running cold water.
3. Cover with a lid and leave in a warm place for germination.
4. It is advisable to wash the grains every 12 hours.
   
5. When the first sprouts appear, they are crushed using a blender. The resulting mixture is an analogue of malt.
6. It is mixed with sugar, yeast, and filled with birch sap.
7. Cover with gauze and place in a warm place without light for 1-2 days.
8. Next, the kvass from birch sap can be drunk, or it can be bottled and stored for a long time.

How to make intoxicating kvass from birch sap

The number of degrees in birch kvass can be increased by adding more sugar and yeast, as well as by keeping the drink warm for a longer time.

But it can be made even simpler. 250 g of any beer is poured into a three-liter jar, and the remaining space is filled with birch sap, leaving 5-6 cm at the top near the neck. The jar is closed with a lid and placed in a cool place for 2 weeks. After which the drink can be safely consumed. It is then stored in the same way as regular kvass.

Carbonated kvass made from birch sap

Kvass from birch sap is carbonated when using any of the above recipes. If you want to increase the degree of carbonation, you can only add more sugar than the recipe calls for. With prolonged aging, the amount of gases in the drink also increases.

Reasons for possible failures

Since birch sap is an exclusively natural product, when preparing kvass from it, possible failures and even spoilage of the drink cannot be ruled out.

Why did birch sap become like jelly?

In approximately half of the cases, when fermented birch kvass is preserved, the drink develops a peculiar jelly consistency. On the one hand, this practically does not affect the taste of kvass, on the other hand, drinking such a drink is unpleasant and, possibly, unhealthy.

It is difficult to pinpoint the exact reason why this happens. Sometimes from failure to maintain sufficient cleanliness in the manufacture of the product. Sometimes low-quality additive products have an effect, because at present it is difficult to imagine any industrially manufactured product, including even bread and grain products, without treatment with chemicals.

There is an interesting folk method that helps to some extent protect kvass from the appearance of mucus. A fresh sprig of common hazel (hazel) 5-7 cm long is placed in each bottle into which kvass is poured for storage. This sprig can help preserve kvass from spoilage.

If the kvass has already acquired the consistency of liquid jelly, then you can try again to seal the container for its storage as tightly as possible.

Why is kvass made from birch sap moldy?

Mold can appear due to the fact that the caps on the bottles were not tightly closed, and from too warm temperatures during storage, and from exposure to light, and due to the addition of components that have ever been subjected to chemical treatment (raisins, crackers from low-quality grain).

However, many people do not pay much attention to the small thin white film on the surface of kvass.After all, when fermenting cucumbers or tomatoes, it also often appears on the surface of the workpiece. They simply carefully remove it, additionally filter the drink and drink it without hesitation. Here everyone decides for himself how much he can put his health at risk.

Terms and rules for storing kvass with birch sap

The most important thing is that kvass should be stored as hermetically sealed as possible. Kvass from birch sap can be stored in almost any container: glass or plastic bottles, jars and even a flask. The main thing is that the cookware has a very tight-fitting lid. In the old days, bottles of kvass were even sealed with melted wax or sealing wax, just to prevent air from getting inside.

Storage temperature should be low, preferably from 0 to + 10 °C. Under these conditions, the fermentation process is inhibited and kvass is better preserved. Of course, the room where kvass is stored must be closed to sunlight.

Under such conditions, the maximum shelf life of the healing drink is 6 months. Some people store it longer, but here a lot depends on the composition of the juice itself and on the presence of certain additional ingredients. It is better not to take unnecessary risks and observe the specified storage periods. Most often, after 6 months, birch kvass turns into vinegar.

Conclusion

Making kvass from birch sap at home is not as difficult as it might seem to an ignorant person. Sometimes it is enough to use the simplest and most accessible ingredients. And if you want variety, you can use more complex recipes described in this article.

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