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Discover Delicious Wild Birch Sap

Introduction to Birch Tapping is a self-paced course that takes you from the woods to the kitchen, teaching you about the life cycle of the birch tree, how to tap it for sap and turn it into delicious, home-made beverages.

Complete with short videos, written material and Zoom calls, this course will take you on a journey to discover the exciting world of birch sap.

Expert forager and author Miles Irving will guide you through the process of tapping trees sustainably, collecting sap, and making sumptuous birch syrup, fermented birch drinks, and varied flavoured beverages.

 

What's covered in the course

- Methods to tap birch sap
- How to select birch trees to tap
- The kit you will need to tap sap
- The science behind sap rising
- How to get more yield from your trees
- The many different uses of birch:

     - preserving birch sap
     - fermenting birch sap
     - flavouring the sap with wild plants
     - making birch syrup




This course is seasonal and contains scheduled Zoom calls, so the registration will end on Sunday 6th March 2022 12pm (noon GMT).

Dates: Monday 28th February 2022 - Sunday 10th April 2022

Cost: £130

No longer accepting registrations

‘Miles is a true expert who shares with deep insight the uses of wild ingredients in the old world and on the modern table. His passion and knowledge are as boundless as the landscape and edible opportunities that surround him. He is quite literally outstanding in his field.’ – Valentine Warner, chef, writer and occasional broadcaster.

‘The foraging walk with Miles opened my eyes to the extraordinary variety of delicious plants growing in the countryside, in parks, in cracks in the pavement – foraging really is for everyone.’ – Xanthe Clay, food writer for the Sunday Telegraph

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FAQs

How will I learn?

Introduction to Birch Sap is a self-paced course with 3 scheduled Zoom group calls with Miles over the course of 7 weeks.
 

  • You will have lifetime access to more than 10 videos which guide you through all the steps of birch sap tapping.
     

  • Written materials by Miles Irving to supplement your learning journey and to develop a deeper understanding of the birch tree lifecycle.
     

  • Access to a members-only discussion forum where you can post questions which Miles will respond to and share your progress if you would like to. It is a place to talk everything birch sap-related.

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  • You can watch the videos and read the supplementary on any device, at your own pace and convenience.
     

  • You will have access to all future course upgrades, new uploads, and Zoom calls (if you want to take part again next year, you can!)

Who is this course for?

The course is for the beginner birch sap tapper that wants to learn the 'how' and 'why' of collecting sap in a simple and fun way. It is also for the experienced harvester looking to branch out into other tasty applications of birch sap.

What will I need?

About Course Leader Miles Irving

  • Access to some birch trees (we'll help you locate some around you, don't worry)
     

  • A birch sap tapping kit (we've made a whole video about each bit you'll need and will provide further guidance on our first Zoom call)
     

  • Enthusiasm (that one's a given!)

What is the schedule?

Monday 28th
February 2022

Course opens

Wednesday 9th March 2022, 7pm GMT:
Zoom call #1

Wednesday 23rd March 2022, 7pm GMT:
Zoom call #2

Wednesday 6th April 2022, 7pm GMT:
Zoom call #3

Locate your trees

Start tapping

Use your sap

Start watching videos

Self-paced:

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Miles Irving is an internationally renowned wild foods expert, author and public speaker.

He has worked with some of the world’s best chefs and has been a pioneer in Europe’s Wild Food Renaissance.

In 2003, he founded Forager Ltd. Based in Kent, UK, he now acts as its CEO. The widely-respected enterprise has become the country’s best known wild food purveyor holding fast to its founding values of harvesting the highest quality wild produce always sustainably harvested with deep environmental consciousness.

He has since worked with many of the world’s top chefs such as Rene Redzepi, Alex Atala, Heston Blumenthal and Magnus Nilsson in what the industry calls the Wild Food Renaissance.

Through reconnecting to the land by gathering, preparing and cooking with wild food we can once again feel at home in our landscapes, communities and our own bodies.

Miles Irving's Kent Foraging Courses have been featured in:

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Miles has taught foraging at the following events:

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No longer accepting registrations

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