A real Russian bath must be with a broom. Brooms are knitted differently, so that everyone can choose according to their taste and color. They are harvested mainly from the branches of deciduous trees, as well as from medicinal herbs. When do you need to prepare brooms and how to knit and store them correctly?
It is necessary
- - secateurs or hatchet;
- - twine (twine);
- - awning for drying.
Instructions
Step 1
Harvest birch and oak brooms in the first half of summer. At this time, the leaf is already large and strong, but not yet hard. Also in early summer, the foliage of trees is rich in essential oil-bearing substances. For birch brooms, it is better to cut branches from the weeping forms of the tree. Their shoots are flexible, and the brooms are not brittle. Oak brooms can be harvested until August. Along with tree branches, various medicinal herbs (nettle, wormwood, yarrow, mint) can be added to the brooms.
Step 2
Do not break branches from lonely trees, near roads and railways. It is best to harvest in woodlands. Cut the branches in the morning after the dew has melted, when the leaf is still elastic, but already dry. The lower branches of the tree are best suited for brooms, so you do not need to cut the trunk completely. Choose those shoots that have not yet had time to woody.
Step 3
Leave the cut branches to wither. To do this, place them in the shade under the breeze for a couple of days. Sort them by thickness and length after drying. A branch for a good broom should be about 50 cm long.
Step 4
Peel the cut branches from the top of the leaves - this will be a handle. Start collecting from thick large branches, they will go to the middle. Apply smaller ones around - this will make the broom thicker. If you are making a broom with herbs, place them in the middle as well. Give the broom a slightly flattened shape, because the products collected by the "broom" dry worse and lose their useful properties. Tie the handle with tight twine (paper twine) in two places: close to the leaves and at the end. Chop off the emerging tails with a hatchet. You can neatly tie the handle with a tarp or bandage. Do not make the broom too thick, the hand will be very tired from such a "tool".
Step 5
The finished broom has a matte green leaf color and a pleasant smell. Hang brooms under a canopy (always in the shade) in a draft. Let them dry for about a week. After that, remove, tighten the handle with twine more tightly and put it on the shelves for storage.
