Bath brooms are a primordially Russian invention, without which it is difficult to imagine going to the steam room. The broom makes the blood move faster, and the essential oils contained in the leaves prevent skin aging and improve metabolism. After such a procedure, a person feels a surge of strength, vigor and health. To prepare birch brooms, you need to familiarize yourself in advance with when and how best to do it.
Time of harvesting birch brooms
The first step is to know when to knit birch brooms. This is a very important point, because the tree sap that nourishes the leaves accumulates in large quantities only at a certain time. In Russia, this was done after Trinity. But since Russia is a large country with different climatic zones, the leaves ripen in different ways everywhere. It is necessary to use several methods to determine the readiness of a birch. Taste the leaf, if it tastes bitter - feel free to knit brooms. Pull on the edge of the birch leaf, if it comes off at the tip (and not with the leg), then it's time to cook the brooms.
Choose the location of the birch groves carefully. Never harvest brooms from a tree by the side of the road. It is desirable that the grove is located away from the roadway, on the edge of the forest. Choose branches with medium to small leaves. Such a broom will turn out to be thicker and more flexible, and the leaves will not fall off immediately, they will last a long time.
Preparation of bath brooms
Birch brooms are especially popular among sauna lovers. They are prized for the softness, flexibility, pliability and freshness of essential oils. Brooms are made from thin, flexible and straight branches. It is advisable that the leaves are not damaged. Select the 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 thinner ones on the sides. The thickness of the handle should be about 5 centimeters in diameter.
And now about drying birch brooms. Hang the brooms on a pole or rope, tied 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 on top of each other. Thanks to this, they will acquire an easy-to-use fan shape and will not dry out.
Rearrange 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, the broom is not falling apart? If necessary, pull on both ends of the rope, tie in a knot, the winding will be tight again. There is no limit to the inventiveness of the Russian people. Some people store 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 the broom out of the stack by the sticking handle.
