If the Season is now mild, about the end of the Month the Sap in the
Birch-Tree will begin to be very fluent. And so in the Choice of Fish to be
seasonable, we must have regard to the Temper of the Air; for if the Air be
mild and gentle, sooner or later all parts of the Creation are govern'd by
it: but when I direct for this Month or another any thing to be done, I
suppose the Temper of the Air to be what it is for the generality; but the
Birch-Tree Sap we will suppose begins now to flow, and then we are to take
the opportunity of making Wine of it. The best Receipt I have met with for
making this Wine, is the following.
To make Birch-Wine. From Lady _W._
When the Sap of the Birch-Tree will run, cut a large Notch in the Bark of
the Trunk of the Tree, in such a place as one may conveniently place a
Vessel to receive the Sap; which Will flow at the Incision very
plentifully, without doing any harm to the Tree. If the Trees are pretty
large, you may expect about a Gallon of Liquor from each of them, which
must be order'd in the following manner. Take five Gallons of the Liquor,
to which put five Pounds of Powder-Sugar, and two Pounds of Raisins of the
Sun stoned; to this, put the Peel of one large Lemon, and about forty large
fresh Cloves: boil all these together, taking off the Scum carefully as it
rises; then pour it off into some Vessel to cool, and as soon as it is cool
enough to put Yeast to it, work it as you would do Ale for two days, and
then tunn it, taking care not to stop the Vessel till it has done Working,
and in a Month's time it will be ready to bottle.
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