How to make bathhouse brooms from birch. When to prepare birch brooms for a bath: rules and features

Birch broom a constant attribute for a bathhouse for many centuries. This is the most common and proven solution. Harvesting birch brooms has long become a common practice for many bathhouse professionals. However, for some novice amateurs, the question is: when is this miracle prepared? what time and what deadlines, is still interesting and important.

When are birch brooms harvested?

It is impossible to answer this question unequivocally. Yes Yes exactly. If you want to know specific dates or numbers, from such and such a date to such, then this is not realistic. As a rule, according to the old tradition, it is recommended to start harvesting from the end of spring - beginning of summer, focusing on the Christian Trinity holiday. However, the date of this holiday is not constant and moves in different directions from year to year.

This should be the time of grass, the time of flowering. The best time collection is considered to be a period of one to two weeks approximately the first or better the second ten days of June, since by this time the leaves on the birch trees were already sufficiently formed and strengthened. At this time, the leaves contain the maximum amount of healing substances, located mainly in the buds, leaves and thin twigs. In addition, brooms cut at this time are flexible, durable, and hold leaves well.

But at the same time, it is necessary to make allowances for the latitude of the area where the brooms will need to be broken, and for what kind of summer it will be in this particular season, since the harvesting time also changes depending on this. The harvesting period lasts up to 10 days; further cutting and collecting is not recommended. Later, although it will be possible to steam with broken brooms, the healing effect will be weaker.

Collection Features: Important Details

Proper preparation, timely collection, and subsequent storage, in fact, is a whole unique science, the result of compliance with the requirements and principles of which is the desired result in the steam room. In this matter, every nuance is important.

It is better to cut birch on a dry day; it is preferable to do it during afternoon. Young plastic branches from not old birches, with bright fresh leaves, are more suitable for breaking, since they contain the necessary human body Components.
It is also undesirable to prepare brooms for future use for several years, since during storage, no matter what ideal conditions you store them in, their quality will still decrease. They cut and knit everything for one year!
What will happen to those specimens that are cut and tied earlier than necessary? On brooms harvested too early, the leaves are still weak and do not hold up well. But they give off a strong, pleasant smell in the bathhouse. It is useful to wash your hair with water from such brooms. These brooms are not prepared for future use, but only for a once-in-a-lifetime visit to the bathhouse. So this option is not excluded.
Until what date can you prepare? birch brooms? The deadline for harvesting birch brooms is end of July, his third decade. Later in August, the branches become coarser and catkins begin to appear on them. And the number of leaves damaged by pests increases. Such brooms are of little use for steaming.

Choose the right time to collect birch brooms for the bath and the best steam, health, aroma and pleasant impressions are guaranteed to you!

The Russian bathhouse, first built in Rus', is still being built to this day. Even in those days, it was considered a place where the spirit was purified. Many residents of suburban villages strive to build this extension on their site. What kind of bathhouse can you imagine without a broom? Few people know, but the blank bath brooms- this is an entire art in which many little details must be observed.

Features of the workpiece: every detail is important

To begin with, it is worth saying that this attribute is simply irreplaceable. As you know, the air temperature in the bathhouse is very high, and with the help of a broom you can control it. In addition, under the influence of steam, the skin begins to breathe, the pores open, and therefore it’s time to perform a massage using this bath attribute. for a bath, they proceed from the fact that this particular tree is capable of providing a restorative, disinfectant, diaphoretic and diuretic effect. However, you can use branches of any trees - it all depends on the preferences of each person. Linden, oak, coniferous, bird cherry and even eucalyptus broom - any of them can be safely used both in the bathhouse and in the sauna.

Many, when going for a bath, turn this process into a whole ritual. After all, the quality of the massage will depend on the right approach. Ideally, you should start harvesting in late spring - early summer; most often, villagers focus on It is believed that it is at this time that birch is best suited for making brooms. To prevent the product from quickly losing all its foliage, it is worth cutting off the branches in dry weather, after lunch, since at this time the branches will be dry.

When choosing only healthy trees that are located away from various enterprises. It is clear that infected branches are unlikely to bring any benefit. To make blanks, you should select young shoots, carefully cutting them with a knife or pruning shears. The length of the branches should be no more than 50 cm. Be sure to sort the branches, getting rid of the lower leaves and twigs. Branches collected in a bundle should not be pressed too hard with a rope - this will make them easier to store.

When birch brooms are prepared for a bathhouse, much attention is paid to the degree of drying. Under no circumstances should you dry them in the open sun. The most practical option is to store them hanging in a cool, dark place such as a shed. Brooms should not be close to each other, as this will interfere with their proper ventilation. This approach will allow you to preserve this important bath attribute not only aesthetically appearance, but also all its medicinal properties.

Before that, it is worth studying the features of their various types. For example, oak bundle has an antiseptic and anti-inflammatory effect, and linden bundle is useful for the prevention of respiratory diseases and colds. Juniper broom (by the way, quite rare) has a disinfectant and bactericidal effect, and bird cherry broom is incredibly fragrant. As you can see, there is plenty to choose from. The main thing is to skillfully use the gifts of nature so that the finished broom can benefit the body.

Is there a bathhouse without a broom? Preparing brooms for a bath is an extremely important process, because they are integral attributes of bath procedures. The leaves of properly prepared brooms contain a large number of biologically active substances, which in the bathhouse give their healing power to a person. Therefore, it is important for every bath lover to know not only the time for preparing brooms, but also the tree species themselves, their properties and benefits. One of the most popular trees for making brooms is birch.

Deadlines

Birch brooms begin to be harvested after June 10, in the second half of summer. Just at this time the birch tree begins to bloom. The harvesting of birch brooms is completed around August 3-4. Of course, you need to make allowances for a specific region and climate, since even in the same country, the timing of birch flowering differs sharply. A broom with birch earrings is not very suitable for use, although such brooms were also used before.

Selection and trimming rules

Branches should be cut only in dry weather. The air should be warm. If it’s raining or heavy dew outside, you shouldn’t cut the branches. During the further drying process, wet leaves will begin to darken, curl and fly off, so that such a broom will become unusable. When choosing branches, you need to give preference to those that grow low, close to the ground, since they are young and fresh.

The choice of wood also plays a huge role. Most the best option- young birch trees that have never bloomed yet, decorated with soft and delicate leaves. The tree should be smooth and slender, and the bark should be beautiful and free of growths. If a tree is sick, it is better to avoid it, since a broom from it will obviously not add health.

Birch trees that grow along a highway or road are also not suitable for preparing a broom, since they absorb all the harmful substances from Vehicle. The same applies to trees that grow near various factories and factories. Parks and green spaces near hospitals and cemeteries are also prohibited places. This applies to the preparation of not only birch brooms, but also oak, viburnum, and juniper specimens.

The best place to search is a forest, grove or river. Even if at first glance the tree seems quite suitable, this is not to say anything. You need to approach it and feel it. You can tear off a leaf and lick the outside of it. The rough surface of the leaf indicates that the broom will be hard and rough. But a velvety leaf is just what you need. It will make an excellent broom.

The branches will massage the body, so the touch should be gentle and soft. Therefore, rough branches will not work. The branches should be thin, elastic and flexible, the length should not exceed 60 cm.

True bath lovers never reuse brooms. It’s better to prepare them for future use so that you can use a new one every time. fresh broom giving strength and health.

Assembling a broom

Assembling a broom is also not an easy task. First you need to select the strongest branches that are characterized by elasticity, and lay them separately. This will be the base or skeleton of the broom. Then thinner and smaller branches begin to be laid near the skeleton, with the bends facing inward. The leaves should be facing the person collecting with their outer sides (they shine).

Particular attention is paid to the broom handle. The first thing you need to do is tie the broom with a rope (in no case with iron wire, as you can get burned and injure your skin). Branches 14-15 cm deep are cleared from the bottom of leaves and any growths so that they become smooth. The edges must be carefully trimmed using pruning shears.

Drying and storage rules

Data-lazy-type="image" data-src="https://remontcap.ru/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/vyazanie-venikov-dlya-bani.jpg" alt="Knitting brooms" width="333" height="250" srcset="" data-srcset="https://remontcap.ru/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/vyazanie-venikov-dlya-bani..jpg 300w, https://remontcap.ru/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/vyazanie-venikov-dlya-bani-174x131..jpg 70w" sizes="(max-width: 333px) 100vw, 333px">!}
It is important not only to prepare a broom, but also to dry and store it properly. Otherwise, it will lose its healing power. If it is not possible to prepare a lot of birch brooms in order to use a new one each time, you need to wrap the brooms that are available before drying soft cloth. Then a broom dried in this way will be enough for 3 times.

The use of a birch broom in a bathhouse is a wonderful remedy for pain in joints and muscles, which helps to quickly and painlessly recover from a variety of physical activity. Not a single healing Russian bath is complete without a birch broom. This tradition came to us from distant ancestors, who were famous for their strength of body and strength of spirit. Let's try to figure out when it is necessary to cut birch brooms and prepare them.

The healing properties of birch brooms

One of the important medicinal properties Birch broom has a beneficial effect on the bronchi. The plant contains substances that help their expansion, as a result of which ventilation of the lungs improves and sputum begins to drain much more easily. That is why many doctors recommend heavy smokers, asthmatics and people prone to allergic reactions, use such birch products.

Birch leaves contain vitamins A, C, a large amount of tannins, essential oils and other useful components. So that they are fully preserved and to the maximum showed their useful qualities, you need to know the rules for harvesting birch leaves for a bath and the timing of collecting branches.

When should bath brooms be made?

For a long time, these bath products were prepared one or two weeks after the Holy Trinity, which is celebrated in June. But due to the different climate in the regions of our country, you should not rely on this folk custom, because in many areas the birch tree does not have time to bloom before Trinity, so such brooms for a bath will be of little use.

So when is the best time to collect birch branches? The most suitable time for harvesting is the period when the leaves are as strong as possible and there are no earrings yet. You should choose a day with dry weather, and you should go out for these purposes in the morning. Traditionally, weeping birch, which has long, flexible and strong branches, is used for bath brooms. When choosing them, you need to pay attention that the leaves are tender and velvety, and with inside were not rough.

In addition, collecting branches in June is considered correct due to the fact that at this time the leaves reach a fairly large size and contain required level essential oil glands. Young large shoots are highly elastic, so whipping with such a broom is well tolerated by bathhouse visitors.

How to properly harvest birch branches?

Branches should be cut with a sharp knife. To make it more convenient, you need to climb a tree and bend it down, after which you tie it to a neighboring tree and collect the required number of branches. Since weeping birch is very flexible and durable, you should not be afraid to perform such manipulations.

It is not recommended to immediately tie the cut branches very tightly. They must be hung on a strong rope under a canopy in such a way that the sun's rays did not reach, but there was a draft. After a week, the branches dry out and can be placed tightly on racks in a dry room, which should be well ventilated.

You can dry them on the roof of the barn. This should be done in the following sequence:

meadow hay is spread on the roof;
Birch branches are laid out on it with small gaps;
a layer of hay is placed on top of the branches;
The branches are turned over daily or once every 2–3 days.

This is done within one month. Typically, dried pieces are tied in pairs to a rope and in this position stored in the attic or in a pile of hay. In an apartment, a balcony or mezzanine is suitable for these purposes, and the brooms are pre-wrapped in paper bags.

Choosing the time to collect branches

The broom’s indicators, such as:

quality;
life time;
aroma;
softness.

For example, if the branches were collected too early, then subsequent steaming makes the broom short-lived, flimsy and slippery. A properly prepared product will “hold the sheet” for a very long time. It is best to choose dry weather for collection., since foliage moistened by rainwater or dew will curl, darken, fly around and collapse during drying. If it rained the day before, you need to wait a few days and only then start harvesting. Branches should be collected in an environmentally friendly place, away from roads and other pollutants.

Knitting a birch broom for a bath with your own hands

Before you start knitting a broom, you need to lay out the dried birch branches on burlap and leave them for several days. In this case, they are better suited for harvesting. Define optimal size products, but here everything is individual, since some bathhouse attendants prefer massive brooms, while others prefer small ones. The place that will serve as a handle should be cleared of leaves and twigs, and in general, approximately a third of the total length of the broom should be cleaned.

After this, the cleaned branches are collected together, giving the product a flattened shape. The frame is created from the thickest branches, which are placed inside the future broom. Thin pieces are laid out around the frame with a bend inward. The leaves should be directed in one direction, and the branches should be fanned out. Thanks to this, the broom seems to “hug” the body of the steamer. One such thick product is usually enough for 2–3 visits to the bathhouse, after which it becomes unusable and crumbles.

They begin to make a handle. Pre-cleaned branches are collected and wrapped with twine so that they are held together very tightly. A strip of fabric is wrapped around the end of the handle, since without it you can rub your hands to blisters.

When collecting a birch broom, you can add some fragrant herbs to its composition. For example, good fit:

chamomile;
thyme;
mint.

The product should not be made too heavy, it should be light and comfortable.

How to store birch brooms?

After the products have been prepared, it is necessary to ensure their proper storage. The room for these purposes should be cool and well ventilated. Otherwise, the foliage will turn yellow and discolored, losing freshness and aroma.

It is best to store brooms in hay. In this case, the foliage will be even more saturated with useful elements and its aroma will improve significantly. In an apartment, you can use paper or plastic bags, as well as vacuum packaging, for storage.

Typical mistakes when preparing brooms for a bath

It’s not surprising if, after repeated use, the bath broom begins to crumble. But a situation may occur when the foliage instantly flies off after the first use. This eloquently indicates a violation of the rules for preparing birch products. So what mistakes can occur in the process of preparing a broom for a bath?

Wrong time for collecting birch branches. The broom will definitely fly around if the birch branches are collected too early or too late. The best period is June-July, when the foliage is quite dense and strong. At the end of July, the birch tree begins to prepare for autumn, which negatively affects the quality characteristics of the foliage.
Improper drying of brooms. There are often cases when bath attendants, in their desire to prepare as many brooms as possible in a short period of time, begin to dry the preparations directly in the sun. Of course, because of this, the products dry out very quickly, but the leaves will fall off after the first contact with hot water. It should be remembered that the broom must dry on its own without the help of sunlight.
Collecting branches after the rain. Doing this is strictly prohibited.

As practice shows, the procurement of products should be done with a small margin. But you shouldn’t be too zealous either, because it’s more pleasant to use a fresh and fragrant broom every time.

Thus, you should definitely adhere to the timing of harvesting birch branches for the broom so that it does not fall apart at the first use. It is also necessary to prepare them correctly and then you can fully enjoy the process of whipping in the bathhouse with such a healing broom.

Preparing brooms for a bathhouse is a rather complex process, requiring the person preparing it to have extensive erudition and knowledge of the national culture. This is due to the fact that deciduous trees, which have clear timing of leaf growth, undergo a number of physiological transformations during the warm season, which affect the state of their foliage.

About national traditions and scientific nuances of preparing bath brooms in the field of botany - in the text presented below.

Since the time of the baptism of Rus', brooms have been prepared from the holiday of the Trinity. Trinity falls on the 50th day after Easter, and since it is not a fixed date, but a date that migrates from year to year, it falls during the summer period from mid to late June. The week before Trinity, according to the popular calendar, is Semik or Green Week, the last Sunday of which coincides with the harvest festival of the ancient Slavs, the period when grain began to ear and “the nightingale began to sing, having drunk the dew from the birch leaves.”

This period of summer is the grass growing and flowering period for plants.

In addition to the birch broom, bathing procedures also use oak brooms, brooms made from nettles, cherry and currant species. They bring their indescribable aroma to the process, but are much less strong and durable than birch ones.

Determining the degree of maturity of a birch leaf

You need to choose a tall “weeping tree” with long branches falling to the ground or a very young tree that has never bloomed.

The leaf is tasted, and if it has two-sided velvety and tenderness, the long and straight branches are cut off.

Rules for harvesting birch brooms

Following the example of others medicinal herbs, the harvesting of birch brooms is carried out in clear, dry weather during early morning, after the dew has disappeared.

It is necessary to protect the plants by cutting off only branches from the lower tier and leaving the middle and high parts of the crown intact. Branches that are ideal for a bath grow low from the ground and are no more than two years old. They are cut with pruning shears.
For harvesting brooms, only flexible young branches of the tree are selected. After cutting the required number of branches, they are dried in a dark place for an hour.

To avoid leaf shedding due to overheating, when transporting the branches, they are lightly packed, leaving the opportunity for fresh air to circulate between the branches.

The tied broom is placed under a small press to give it shape, and then hung in a cool, ventilated room for a couple of days.

This is the time and process of harvesting birch brooms.