Spring 2017 LOCALadk Magazine 49
LOCALadk
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taste. Patience is important in the process. A low, gentle steam-
ing will protect the flavor. I use a shallow pan to boil maple sap,
but for birch syrup I use a stock pot for most of the evaporation.
This allows me to control the temperature more effectively and
keep it below the boiling point.
However, this also makes it more difficult to tell when the birch
sap has reached the appropriate sugar content to be considered
syrup. With maple syrup, you know that the syrup is done based
on the boiling temperature. The increasing sugar content raises
the temperature at which it boils and you know the syrup is fin-
ished when it boils at seven degrees higher than water's boiling
point. With birch syrup, the best method to determine when the
syrup is ready is by measuring the density of the sap with a hy-
drometer. Finished syrup will measure 66 - 67 on the Brix scale.
A simple hydrometer can be purchased for under $20 and is well
worth the investment.
After you have finished boiling the sap, you should run the syrup
through a coffee filter to remove all sediment. It can be canned
for longer storage, or just refrigerated if it will be used within
the year. My five taps produced a little less than one quart of
syrup, so I just refrigerated it.
Birch syrup is not typically used as a table syrup, or served with
pancakes or waffles. For that, most people find maple syrup
more satisfying. Birch syrup is more often used in sauces, glaz-
es, and dressings. It makes a wonderful base for a marinade with
chicken, pork, or salmon. I have never been able to completely
recreate the magic of that dish I had at the restaurant. Some of
the credit for that must belong to the chef. Still, it has added a
unique slant to my cooking, with satisfying results, and a flavor
that many people have never tried.
Nancie Battaglia
