The first winter we lived in NE Missouri, I was treated to a beverage that I had never tasted before: tree sap. Our neighbors routinely tapped their black walnut trees, not to make black walnut syrup, but to drink the clear, slightly sweet tree sap as a spring tonic.
Since that day, I’ve drank many a quart of tree sap, and indeed, my body seems to crave the slightly sweet, mineral-rich beverage come late winter. Sap is an excellent alternative to sodas
Why Drink Tap?
- Sap is an ultra-seasonal and ultra-local, 100% natural healthy beverage
- Sap flows out of the tree pure and cold; a perfect refreshment
- Sap is loaded with minerals, nutrients, enzymes, antioxidants, phenolic compounds and more
- Several cultures worldwide drink sap as a spring tonic, and research has found that birch sap in particular may have medicinal properties
- Sap is practically free for the tapping. With a very minimal investment, you can harvest your own sap from backyard trees
While maple sap may have the highest percentage of sugars, other trees such as birches and walnuts may also be tapped to collect sap. I find the black walnut sap to be only just slightly sweet, with a flavor that is unlike any other beverage I’ve tasted.
How to collect sap
Sap for drinking is collected exactly how you would collect sap for making syrup. But because sap is not boiled down like syrup, extra care should be taken in how you collect and handle sap. Use a clean, sterilized tap and food grade bucket, and keep the sap cool until you drink it to avoid bacterial contamination.
How to Drink Tree Sap
Sap has a light, sweet flavor, and is delicious on its own, straight from the tree! But to sass it up a bit, consider the following uses:
- Sweetened lightly with fruit juice
- Carbonated with a Soda Stream or similar home carbonation device
- Added to smoothies
- Boiled to make tea
- Used in place of water in recipes and baked goods
- In place of coconut water or electrolyte drinks for an awesome post-workout pick me up
If you only have a few tappable trees in your yard, or you don’t have the time to invest in boiling down syrup, try collecting and drinking sap as a spring tonic. And let me know how you like it!
Wow, thank you for this article, I got some maple sap from a local farmer who was making syrup.
Very refreshing! I’ll plan on doing this every spring!
Yes, it’s so tasty! We’ve been collecting some for the past few weeks, and making our morning coffee/tea with it!
Tolkien could have been thinking of spring sap when he described the Ent-draught. The invigorating properties, the elusive taste, the feeling of growing -!
We use maple sap to make tea (Earl Grey is our favourite) and to reconstitute frozen juice. Best frozen orange juice ever. I will definitely try black walnut sap. The nuts from our trees are not palatable, and all we’ve ever used them for is (when old and culled) some pretty amazing furniture. That will surprise someone in 80 years finding drilling scars in their precious walnut wood, oops.
That all sounds delicious!
I saved your link last year and this week is my first time trying out the sap from a boxelder tree on our property. Tastes like water with a slight woodsy, sweet flavor. I’ve collected almost a quart each day from one tapping and it’s surprising how my body craves it! It seems to satisfy my thirst even better than water from a deep well.
Oh, that’s so great! I’m glad you were able to give it a try! And, really, the sap is like water from a deep well, as it draws up minerals through the tree’s roots. So delicious!
Please help. I live in north north new jersey
Where can I buy black walnut tree sap. Untouched or processed and pure.
Thanks so much
Jim
I don’t know of a place where you can buy sap, but if you have access to black walnut trees, then try tapping one yourself!
I wish this post was 6+ years in the future, that’s when we will be debt free, and when we are starting to build our home. I will have to try out drinking sap, I plan on attempting syrup eventually!
Let me know how you like it! And that is great that you have such a solid plan to get out of debt and build a home!
I wish we could tap maples here in south Georgia. How lovely it would be! 🙂 Dandelions will soon be ready to give forth their own Spring tonic.
Ah yes, the trade off of living in a warm place! But dandelions will be such a wonderful welcome to spring!
I’ve not tried drinking black walnut sap, yet, but you’ve convinced me to try it. We have only one black walnut tree that yields worthless nuts, but maybe the sap is redeemable. i’ll let you know….
It is a very unique flavor. I hope you like it!
I have just recently (March 2021) taped 4 Black Walnut Trees here in Northwest Tennessee. I have been averaging a gallon of water from them every day. I have been drinking it and liking it. I am hoping it will be of good health benefits to me. The other day, my children told me that it was dangerous to drink Black Walnut Water/Sap. I have been looking on the internet to find out if it could be dangerous. There were a few websites saying that it was toxic. Is it safe to continue drinking this Black Walnut Tree Water/Sap? Sincerely, David
We always enjoyed drinking black walnut sap. Your kids are probably referring to the chemical juglone that is present in black walnut trees. People regularly eat black walnuts, and use black walnut syrup…the sap is much more dilute than the syrup, and I’ve never experienced any ill effects. I usually recommend everything in moderation, but if you have nut sensitivities, I’d avoid black walnut sap and other products.