When brooms are prepared for a bath of what date. How to knit brooms for a bath? Recommendations from experienced attendants

How nice, and most importantly, useful to take a steam bath with a birch broom! After this procedure, it is so easy to breathe! However, it is worth remembering that its benefits directly depend on the quality of the broom. Therefore, it is so important to know when they are harvesting birch brooms. And how to do it right.

The most suitable tree for harvesting a broom, because it is tall, and its branches are flexible and do not break. Most useful brooms made from young trees that have not yet bloomed. When birch brooms are harvested, they look at the leaves - they should be tender, velvety, rough only at the top. Brooms from the branches of birches growing on the banks of water bodies are ideal.

How to properly prepare birch brooms? First loosely tie the branches and hang the bundles under a drafty canopy. Direct sunlight should not fall on them. So they should hang for a week and dry well. After that, they are tied, now tightly, and folded on a flat surface in a dry, ventilated place. If you immediately tie the branches tightly, the leaves in the center will lose their color - they will “burn out”. Such brooms do not have a characteristic aroma, and their benefits are much less.

When harvested, give them the shape of a fan or broom. The first option is preferable. To form a fan-shaped broom, it is in fresh put on the floor and turn over every day until completely dry.

If all the conditions are met when birch brooms are harvested, then they will look like this: all leaves are the same color (opaque and green), the broom smells of birch oil, and the smell increases sharply when steaming.

When should birch brooms be harvested? This is usually done at the beginning of summer - the leaves have already grown and filled with strength, but the essential oils from the leaves and branches have not yet evaporated. Young shoots are elastic, and it is pleasant to bathe them. From ancient times, brooms were prepared for the feast of the Holy Trinity, that is, on the 49th day after Easter - this is approximately the middle of June. If it rains these days, you can wait a few days. Branches are harvested before lunch, but the dew should disappear.

Before knitting a broom, the place where the handle will be is cleared of knots and foliage. Thicker branches are laid inward, and thinner ones around. This will provide the broom with density, as a result of which it can be used several times.

In the villages, brooms are often stored directly in the birch branches, and the harvested birch branches are sometimes formed into one large sheaf, from which, as needed, the required number of branches is separated.

Birch broom is a faithful helper for muscle and joint pain after heavy exertion: it soothes, cleanses and heals the skin. The main feature of birch brooms is that they contribute to the discharge of sputum due to the expansion of the bronchi. By improving lung ventilation, it helps asthmatics and smokers. There are many in birch leaves essential oils and tannins, as well as vitamins C and A. You can wash your hair with an infusion of a broom - you will no longer be tormented by dandruff, and the hair roots will become stronger.

Harvest birch brooms correctly and take a steam bath for health!

Going to a Russian bath and not taking a broom with you means deliberately depriving yourself of a unique therapeutic massage. Biting touches of a broom increase blood circulation, contribute to the full opening of skin pores, cleanse the body of toxins. Moreover, phytoncides evaporating from leaves and branches destroy pathogenic bacteria, which means that a sick person, having taken a steam bath, has every chance of recovering. The healing power of the “broom” massage in the Russian steam room is enormous! And in order to try it on yourself, the first thing you have to do is acquire its main attribute - a broom. Of course, you can buy it in the store, but real bath attendants prefer to knit bath brooms with their own hands. So, now you will learn this too.

What broom is better for a bath?

First you need to decide from which tree you will cut the branches for the broom. In other words, which broom is better for a bath - oak, birch or even juniper? All of them are good, but it is still worth choosing based on what kind of healing effect you want to get.

For example, oak brooms for a bath are good for owners of oily skin, as they contribute to its good cleansing and relieving inflammation. Birch brooms eliminate muscle and joint pains, juniper brooms have a bactericidal property, therefore they are useful for those suffering from colds.

Preparation of branches for a broom and knitting

Now, after you have decided on the material for making your broom, it's time to go for the branches. They should be cut from the tree in dry weather, preferably in the morning, after the dew has dried. As a rule, this is done on Trinity, that is, from the end of May to the end of June.

The branches are selected flexible, not dry, it is possible with branches - so the broom will turn out to be more fluffy.

Bringing home a bunch of cut branches, start knitting. For this:

1. Go through the branches and prepare them

To begin with, review all the branches again - you may have missed some “marriage”. Put aside everything that is too lignified, “liquid”, as such material is not suitable for a broom. Leave only densely leafy branches of approximately the same length, within 40-70 cm (it is brooms of this length that are recognized as the most convenient).

On the remaining branches from below, cut off all the leaves so that there is a bare trunk for the broom handle. For each person, the optimal length of the handle is different - on average, two palm widths. Naturally, picking off the leaves, focus on your palm.

2. Fold the branches into a bundle

It is also necessary to place the branches in the broom correctly, both the shape of the product and the convenience of further use will depend on this. Large and thick branches are placed in the center of the beam, and thinner ones are placed around, forming a "fan". How many branches should be placed in a broom? Here it is worth focusing on your own tastes regarding the density of this bath attribute, as well as the size of the handle. Its diameter should be approximately 3-5 cm.

3. Tie branches

When knitting brooms for a bath, they try not to use synthetic and potentially hazardous materials. It would seem that it is very convenient to bandage the broom handle with metal wire. However, this is absolutely impossible to do: in the conditions high temperatures the steam room will heat up the metal and will mercilessly burn your hands. Therefore, for knitting branches, natural dense twine, hemp rope or medical bandage are usually used.

The branches collected in a bundle are tied up twice: the first knot is made on the upper border of the butt, the second - not reaching 3-4 cm to the bottom edge.

Now we can say with confidence that a bath with a broom is provided for you. The prepared broom can be used immediately, fresh, or dried. For example, hanging in the attic on a rope in pairs or laying in a haystack.

How to steam a broom for a bath correctly?

Brooms can be steamed in different ways, usually depending on how dry they have been.

A broom made from fresh branches does not need steaming. As a rule, it is enough to hold it for a couple of minutes in warm water so that it reaches the desired condition. Such a broom cannot be dipped into boiling water, as the leaves will quickly boil, stick to the skin and burn it.

Unlike fresh ones, dried brooms must be steamed before use. Some of the many ways this can be done are shown in the following video:

And you can do it this way: a well-dried broom is first dipped in warm water, and then in hot water for 10-15 minutes. In order to better steam the broom, you can cover the basin with water with a lid. Here it is important not to overdo it and not dip the broom into boiling water, otherwise all the leaves from it will fly around after a couple of visits to the steam room.

With an overdried broom, they act differently. To begin with, it is dipped in hot water for a minute, and then placed on the hot stones of the heater. At the same time, a healing herbal aroma will spread throughout the steam room, and the broom will become soft. If after this procedure it still remains dry, repeat the cycle of actions again.

A very simple method can be applied if there is time before going to the bath - at least half a day. First, a dry broom is poured over cold water(it’s easy to do just under the tap or in the shower), then hot, after that they dip it in warm water and again in hot water. Next, the broom is hidden in a plastic bag, where it will be saturated with moisture until going to the bath.

Properly prepared and steamed broom is not a disposable "massage". As a rule, one broom is enough for 3-4 visits to the bath.

The first step is to know when to knit birch brooms. This is very important point, because the tree saps that nourish the leaves accumulate in in large numbers only at a certain time. In Russia, this was done after the Trinity. But since Russia is a large country with different climatic zones, the leaves ripen differently everywhere. It is necessary to use several methods for determining the readiness of birch. Taste the leaf, if it is bitter - feel free to knit brooms. Pull on the edge of the birch leaf, if it came off at the tip (and not with the stem), then it's time to prepare the brooms.

Carefully choose the location of birch groves. In no case do not harvest brooms from a tree by the side of the road. It is desirable that the grove is located away from the roadway, located on the edge of the forest. Choose branches with medium and small leaves. Such a broom will turn out to be thicker and more flexible, and the leaves will not immediately fall off, they will last a long time.

Preparation of bath brooms

Birch brooms are especially popular among sauna lovers. They are valued for the softness, flexibility, suppleness and freshness of essential oils. Brooms are made from thin, flexible and straight branches. It is desirable that the leaves are not damaged. Select side branches and carefully cut them (50-60 centimeters long). Tie the cut branches into a bundle with twine, put the thicker ones inside, the thin ones on the sides. The thickness of the handle in diameter should be about 5 centimeters.

And now about drying birch brooms. Hang the brooms on a pole or rope, tying them in pairs. Never dry them in the sun. Hang brooms in the attic or under a canopy in the shade. Can be dried on a shaded balcony (not glazed, otherwise the leaves will curl up and quickly crumble when used). Store dried brooms lying down, stacked on top of each other. Thanks to this, they will acquire a fan shape that is convenient to use and will not dry out.

Change the brooms from time to time. This must be done so that the lower branches are not covered with mold. Check the handles - are they loose, is the broom falling apart? If necessary, pull both ends of the rope, tie in a knot, the winding will be tight again. There is no limit to the ingenuity of the Russian people. Some people keep brooms in a haystack. They are simply placed in the hay with the handle facing out. And when they go to the bathhouse, they simply pull a broom out of the haystack by the protruding handle.

From letters to the editor:

I really like to take a bath. Several trips to the steam room - and you seem to be a few years younger, you feel light and strong. I always buy birch brooms from an old woman near the bathhouse. And then I thought: maybe I should try to prepare brooms for the winter myself. When and how do they do it?

birch brooms, perhaps the most popular among Russian vapers. Our birch grows everywhere, it is not very difficult to find and harvest it. Besides, we all know about healing properties birch leaves. They help to cure respiratory diseases, such as bronchitis. In addition, the substances contained in the leaves have a calming effect on the body, have a beneficial effect on the skin, and alleviate the symptoms of sciatica.

For preparations of brooms you need to choose a time when the leaves are fully formed. You can’t cut branches with very young leaves and leaves that complete the growing season - after drying, they will not stay on the branches, and in the bath you will very quickly find yourself in your hands not a birch broom, but a golik (a broom with bare branches).

One experienced steamer somehow revealed to me the secret of a reliable and fragrant broom - it must be harvested from the end of June to St. Peter's Day (approximately until mid-July). Brooms stored earlier and much later than this period will crumble.

It is also important to take into account environmental requirements: the place of harvesting should be away from dusty roads and industrial enterprises. It is necessary to protect trees, therefore, if you are harvesting branches from young birch trees, never cut off the crown and upper branches, store lower branches without harming the plant. It's even better if you find a mature weeping birch tree with branches close to the ground. The best brooms are from birches, which have a smooth upper surface of the leaves.

My wife and I harvested brooms in a low-lying place located not far from our site, lushly overgrown with willow, birch and aspen. In the first ten days of July, after breakfast and before the onset of heat, we went to this spontaneous forest, alas, now demolished for unknown needs. There they cut the lower branches of young birch trees, carried them, tied in an armful, to their house. And already there - away from mosquitoes and horseflies, sitting comfortably on the benches, they formed and tied brooms. The branches were picked up one to the other, creating a lush, evenly filled with foliage, broom 50-60 cm long. The thickness of the broom handle was made such that it was comfortable to hold it in the hands - and not too thin, but not thick either. Then I securely very tightly tied the rods of the handle in two places with twine. This had to be done because, having dried, the wood would “sit down” a little and the strapping would loosen. Therefore, he connected very diligently.

We tied the prepared brooms in pairs, and I took them to the attic of our garden house, where the wire was stretched. I hung them there not very tightly, so that they would dry better. A small window was made in the attic, which provided ventilation, but it was still always gloomy there, which is necessary so that the brooms do not fade, losing color. The roof heated well, the brooms dried well and retained their bright green color. In the bath, they steamed out and emitted a wonderful birch aroma. Steaming them was a pleasure.

Some vapers prefer oak brooms. Oak leaves from a properly prepared broom also have medicinal properties. They are recommended for excessive sweating, people with oily skin help to reduce arterial pressure. However, I think you should not get carried away with one type of broom, it is better to alternate them. And even better - to prepare combined brooms, combining birch branches, several branches of oak, linden, eucalyptus in one, if you managed to get it. Then the impact on the body will be combined.

You just need to remember that brooms are prepared from oak branches later. The fact is that this plant usually begins to dissolve its foliage later than all other neighbors. Therefore, they gain full strength later. Oak brooms are usually stored in the second half of July - the first half of August. When harvesting, one must be very careful about the plant itself - do not cause much damage to it, because oaks grow very slowly, and you can not meet them so often.

Sometimes you can see sellers of juniper brooms near the baths. I don’t know where the police are looking - these are relic plants, there are fewer and fewer of them in our forests. Perhaps now you can more often see juniper in gardens. By buying these brooms, you encourage forest poachers.

Stock up on brooms, take care of your health, just try to cause minimal harm to nature. Remember that life does not end with us, your children and grandchildren are growing up, leave them the joy of a sauna steam room.

E. Valentinov

Photo by Olga Rubtsova

It is the weather that influences the formation of birch foliage. This factor should be taken into account in the first place. Branches for a bath broom must be selected flexible and thin, and most importantly - elastic. Otherwise, the broom in the steam room will either break or whip painfully over the body and cause discomfort instead of pleasure. The leaves on them should be bright green, still quite light. The color indicates the age of the leaves, they should be fresh, not old.

Attendants are advised to determine the suitability of birch leaves for a broom not only by color, but also by taste. A good, correct leaf should not be bitter. If so, don't fret. You just have to wait a little more.

The most important thing is that the foliage is young, but already gaining summer energy. There is a lot of juice in such leaves, so a birch broom is well suited for giving them a massage in the bath, patting a person on the back with not strong, but frequent movements. A broom tied at this time will last a long time. If you pick branches with already mature leaves, they will fall off very quickly, and you will have to buy a new broom.

There are other types of brooms - oak, fir, eucalyptus. However, birch is the most common tree in Russia. Therefore, birch brooms are so loved in Russian baths.

Good broom - good day

It is not only the time of year that matters, but also the time of day when you cut branches. It is best to do this in the afternoon, in the late afternoon. Morning dew on the leaves causes them to darken. And it is even better to choose a day not rainy, dry. Properly plucked branches can be dried. You can't just do it in the sun. Drying should occur naturally in a closed area.