Are the words birch with the same root. Products from birch bark: dishes, souvenirs, gifts

natural material birch bark is common for making souvenirs, gifts, dishes. They are not only nice to receive as a gift, but also interesting to make yourself. This process is not easy: only very patient and careful craftsmen can create products from birch bark.

What is this material?

Birch bark is the top layer that is easily torn off with a sharp knife. The most flexible and convenient for work is birch bark, taken from a tree with a diameter of 30 cm in the first month of summer. Strips of various shapes and lengths are placed in a dry, non-solar place so that natural drying occurs. After 3 weeks, the material is ready for processing. In case of drying and fragility, the strips must be moistened with water.

How to work with birch bark?

To work with birch bark you will need: a sharp knife, scissors, a needle and thread, an awl, wire. The material can be painted in various colors, this is true for souvenirs and children's crafts. Birch bark can be dyed both in advance, in a solution of paint and water, and to decorate an already finished product. When saving natural look birch bark products look more interesting and more expensive, the material is covered with a colorless varnish, sometimes painted.

Working with birch bark is not easy, for a good result you will need a lot of patience and effort. It is better to start creating with simple and necessary things at home: vases, planters, etc. Having quickly created the first product, you will want to proceed to more complex options.

DIY crafts from birch bark

The most popular product made of birch bark is a flower pot, it fits well into any interior and is a necessary item. It is assembled very simply: the pot is wrapped in a layer, the excess parts are cut off, the connection is made with glue. For strong bonding, the birch bark should be tied. Such a planter does not need additional decor, but if you wish, you can paint it or glue butterflies, rhinestones, flowers ...

Thin birch bark rings can be turned into earrings, and a chain of rings into a necklace. Such birch bark crafts will please your mother or girlfriend. Even kids can do the job.

Pictures from birch bark in the form of appliqué have a special look, they can be hung on the wall or presented to loved ones. Such creativity requires the investment of all soul and love. To create paintings from birch bark, it must be put in boiling water, allowed to dry, stratified, and dried under pressure. Birch bark has many shades, so you can make a panel of small pieces from it without paint. For the brightness of the picture, you can use a background of other materials, branches, leaves, birch earrings.

More complex work under the power of older students. Birch bark is woven from thin ribbons. Such a lacy container will allow the bread not to become damp. To create a bread box or candy box, you first need to cross and glue two strips, then weave the remaining ribbons around the center.

Souvenir products from birch bark

Professional birch bark products are widely distributed at craft fairs. They are bought as souvenirs and gifts. Therefore, the manufacture of such products is not only a pleasant process, but also a profitable activity.

Birch bark boxes of various sizes can be used to store jewelry, documents, sweets, herbs, etc. Folk painting makes the dressing even more interesting and individual. The material allows you to create a product of any desired shape, a huge variety of souvenirs allows you to choose an option for every taste.

Birch bark souvenirs are popular not only among the Russian population, but also abroad. They are brought as a gift and in memory of the country of white birches and brown bears. It is good that memory occupies a worthy place in life, and you can learn how to create souvenirs and not forget about the very recent past.

DIY boxes

To create a birch bark box, steamed, not yet dried ribbons are best suited. They are easy to work with: flexible and obedient. Work goes in the following order:

1) The ribbons are cut in the same size, equal to the perimeter of the box.

2) First, 4 ribbons are intertwined.

3) Then 1 more tape is added on each side, a large square of small, 4 × 4 cells is obtained. Thus, the base is woven to the required size.

4) To get the corner of the box, you need a square block the size of the base. It is placed at an angle of 45 about to all sides, like a rhombus.

5) Then the ribbons are pressed against the block and intertwined around the perimeter in a checkerboard pattern to the required height.

6) To form the upper edge, a wire is needed, from which a hoop of any desired shape is made, the size of the bottom of the box.

7) Ribbons are attached to the hoop: they go around it and go to the side, under the nearest cells. For reliability, the tips can be smeared with glue.

8) The lid is made in the same way. To keep it better, you can make it a little larger. Or weave and glue the inner rim for the box.

By changing the shape of the block, you can weave any basket. The work will require a lot of patience at first, but the process of creation always has a positive effect on both children and adults.

DIY painting

To create a picture of birch bark, you must sequentially perform the following work:

1) First, a sketch is selected, it can be drawn by hand or taken from any source.

2) Then the format of the picture is chosen depending on the capabilities of the artist: someone will translate the finished picture, someone will draw it himself.

3) The cardboard base of the desired size is cut out.

4) The horizon line is determined - it is laid out from thin birch bark. Further, after each layer, the product is pressed.

5) The sky is laid out of small pieces of birch bark in light gray, white shades.

6) The earth is depicted from dried moss or dark pieces of birch bark.

7) Then, on the resulting background, they begin to lay out the plot: first, secondary objects, and lastly, the main ones.

8) After a 20-minute press, the picture is inserted into a frame with glass, in this form it will retain its worthy appearance for a long time.

DIY bread box

Birch bark bread box will keep bread fresh longer than plastic one, there is no dampness in them, bad smell. There are also advantages over wooden ones: it does not absorb odors, does not rot, does not grow moldy.

You can weave it with your own hands, in the same sequence as the box, but this is a more time-consuming process. And the bread box requires greater tightness for the safety of the product. Therefore, it is better to buy it. You can buy a bread box without decor and decorate it yourself, you can choose the option with the design you like, there are a great many of them.

Products from birch bark have been valued since ancient times. Now they are relevant not only as but also as environmentally friendly kitchen utensils.

differs from all other tree plantations in the whiteness of the trunk. Whiteness, which, as it turned out, is a powerful protector of this beloved tree from destruction by various bacteria, fungi, viruses, bugs, ants, and other insects - lovers of this wood, which is probably very sweet for them, and also from the harmful radiation of solar radiation and others negative influences external environment. This whiteness has attracted people from time immemorial, it is inherent only in the upper layer of the bark, which exfoliates quite easily and quickly. This layer is called birch bark, and if we plunge into the history of our ancestors, we will remember not only Novgorod birch bark tablets, but also bast shoes, shoe insoles, birch bark flour, and tar. Bast shoes, home-made shoes woven from birch bark, have been widely used in peasant villages since ancient times. Subsequently, when it came into use leather shoes, birch bark once again served people well, but in a new capacity, like a shoe insole. Note that the soldiers of the tsarist army never suffered from fungal diseases, despite the fact that constant drill and long campaigns did not give respite to the soldiers' legs. By the way, birch bark insoles would not be superfluous in our time.

Birch bark attracted the attention of folk healers, and in their ancient records, among the recommendations on how and with what to treat skin diseases, purulent wounds and cuts, you can find that the most effective method, this is a powder of crushed birch bark. This remedy was recommended for the treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, it was advised to chew it to strengthen teeth and gums, and to improve digestion, birch bark was crushed and added to flour, from which bread was subsequently baked. Preparing a room for a woman in labor, a few drops of birch tar were dripped onto hot coal to disinfect the room. Birch tar is the result of dry distillation of birch bark, a thick oily liquid with a specific odor and unique bactericidal properties, but more on that below.

During the war, birch bark was burned, and bandages were sterilized with smoke after washing, it also has bactericidal properties.

Lichen, inflammatory and infectious skin diseases are treated with birch bark by Tibetan monks and Yakuts. Nanais, in addition to skin diseases, also treat tuberculosis and stomach ulcers with this remedy.

As you can see, her bark has attracted the attention of people for a long time. To date, it is already known that such antiseptic and bactericidal properties are imparted to birch bark by the triterpene alcohol betunol or betulin included in its composition. This substance, which gives whiteness to birch bark, is 30% of the amount of all useful substances, and these are glycosides, betulosides, saponins, gaultherins, bitterness, tannins and essential oil. By the way, the essential oil, which is also found in, spreading around the trees at their locations, especially in birch groves, destroys about 400 types of pathogenic bacteria around it and has a calming effect on nervous system, remember how pleasant it is to wander in birch groves.

Betulin is also called birch camphor, and as a result of a deeper study of the properties of this substance, which continues to this day, betulin began to be called "white gold" in scientific circles.

The first documented description of a white powder isolated from birch bark was made in 1788 by Toviy Lovits, a student and associate of M.V. Lomonosov. It was he who began to use it to treat burns and cuts. And only half a century later, another chemist called this powder betulin.

At the end of the 19th century, betulin began to be used in practice for the disinfection of wounds and cuts; as an antiseptic, it was applied to bactericidal patches. But at the beginning of the twentieth century, its anti-rachitis property was discovered, and in 1994, the antiviral property of this substance and, in particular, that it counteracts the human immunodeficiency virus. These properties are also inherent in extracts prepared from the upper layer of birch bark, that is, from birch bark.

A natural, rather cheap, easily obtained substance from birch bark is a powder of white, sometimes beige color. It consists of 80% betulin, with a high melting point up to 260 degrees Celsius. This powder has become the object of careful research by physicians, biologists, and pharmacists in almost 40 countries around the world. Initial results have shown that this agent does not cause side effects, and in addition to antiseptic and wound healing properties, betulin exhibits antiviral, hepatoprotective, choleretic, antioxidant, immunostimulating, antitumor properties. Interest in this substance has not yet subsided, research continues, and this makes it possible to learn more and more new facets of this unique natural substance.

Let's start with the fact that the discovered hepatoprotective properties help doctors with the help of betulin, in combination with traditional methods, treat all varieties of acute and chronic liver diseases. And the antiviral properties of this unique substance make it possible to add to the list of diseases that are treated faster and more efficiently with its participation. viral hepatitis all three known types A, B and C. The use of betulin accelerates the recovery time and the recovery period for lost health and physical strength affected by these diseases.

Traditional medicine suggests preparing decoctions of birch bark for treatment, however
self-treatment of severe forms of liver disease with the help of decoctions prepared at home, of course, will not give a 100% guarantee positive result. However, today there are already a number of medicines, biologically active food supplements, and doctors often use birch bark extract, but such treatment should take place under their supervision and in strict accordance with the recommendations. Moreover, these decoctions will help restore strength to people who have undergone radiation and chemotherapy sessions during oncological diseases, they are effective as a prophylactic for alcoholic liver damage, after complex operations performed under general anesthesia, in the presence of severe injuries and burns.

Decoctions of birch bark, thanks to betulin, exhibit a pronounced choleretic property. And this improves the digestion process, and as mentioned above, our ancestors added chopped birch bark to flour, while pursuing just such goals. And, by the way, the fact that decoctions from birch bark can treat stomach ulcers, as the Nanais do, has been confirmed, and official medicine uses betulin in complex treatment this disease. Studies have shown that betulin has a positive effect on the mucous membrane when it is damaged and at the same time inhibits the activity of gastric juice, reducing the level of hydrochloric acid.

Given the specific effect of this, as it turns out, a unique substance on the liver that can directly eliminate the cause of the disease, birch bark decoctions are recommended for the prevention of the formation of gallstones and the occurrence of cholecystitis, a disease that is quite common now. But for overweight people, betulin is, as the Chinese noted in one of their popular newspapers, "a unique way to lose weight while lying on the bed." This unique substance, being in the body, changes the fat burning pattern that is familiar to our understanding, which has a strong effect on the metabolic process and prevents obesity.

In addition, betulin has a rather strong effect on the level of cholesterol in the body. Firstly, betulin by its presence inhibits its synthesis by the liver, prevents the complete absorption of cholesterol by the intestines. And secondly, by improving the outflow of bile, it promotes the rapid removal of cholesterol along with bile acids, and practically normalizes its level in the body. Therefore, the use of decoctions from birch bark is the prevention of atherosclerosis, hypertension, heart attacks and strokes.

The influence of betulin does not end with the suppression of the harmful effects of cholesterol, it has the ability to reduce vascular permeability and at the same time strengthen capillaries.

The anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties of betulin are manifested in the fact that
it actively stimulates the body's internal reserves to fight irritants that cause inflammation. Therefore, decoctions of birch bark in tandem with traditional forms of treatment accelerate the healing process during colds, exacerbation of inflammatory processes in rheumatic diseases joints. By the way, various diseases of the throat, tonsillitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, inflammation of the oral mucosa are quite effectively treated with decoctions of birch bark in the form of a rinse. Rheumatism, gout, pain in the muscles or joints, skin diseases are recommended to be treated by applying decoctions externally, adding to the bathroom or in the form of lotions or compresses. Decoctions are prepared for external use as follows: one tablespoon of chopped birch bark is poured with a glass of boiling water, then the solution is infused to an acceptable temperature, filtered and used to wash wounds and compresses. If there is a need for a larger amount of solution, for example, to add to the bathroom, or to prepare baths for steaming the legs, then the same proportion is maintained, only five tablespoons of raw materials are needed for one liter of boiling water. As for the internal intake, here one teaspoon of chopped birch bark is poured with a glass of boiling water, simmered for 5 minutes on low heat, infused to an acceptable temperature and consumed one glass 3 times a day after meals. By the way, this infusion helps with diarrhea and colitis.

Regarding the strong antiviral effect of this substance on the body, here scientists found that betulin promotes the synthesis of interferon, a substance that the cells of the body secrete in response to the invasion of the virus to fight it. With reduced immunity, and this happens to us quite often for various reasons, the synthesis of interferon is significantly reduced, and the use antiviral drugs and immunomodulators is limited due to their toxicity and the appearance of side effects after long-term use. Interferon preparations also showed their inefficiency due to the negative consequences of their influence on the body. Betulin, on the other hand, is able to regulate the level of interferon synthesis, and this makes it possible to use it in the treatment of influenza A viruses, bird flu, herpes simplex virus, viral diarrhea, and mucosal diseases. The external use of decoctions of birch bark as an antiviral agent is relevant in the presence of warts, because the nature of their occurrence is viral.

The antitumor property of betulin was discovered and, what is very important, studies confirmed its positive effect in the complex treatment of fibroids (skin cancer) and brain tumors.

Antioxidant properties, which are one of the factors in the prevention of cancer, at the same time slow down the aging process of the body. And in recent times it began to be often used in cosmetics, because betulin, in comparison with ascorbic acid, stimulates the synthesis of collagen in the skin much more powerfully, and this largely eliminates its flabbiness and counteracts the formation of wrinkles.

In addition to all of the above, betulin is an emulsifying agent, and in many countries of the world it is added to food products such as butter, mayonnaise, bakery, meat, sausages, chocolates. And it should be noted that this additive is absolutely harmless, even after heat treatment, and given its antioxidant properties, the shelf life of such products is much longer. Even in the old days they knew about it, because the peasants kept bread in birch bark tueskas.

Alexander Vasilievich Vishnevsky, a military surgeon practicing in Russian and Soviet times, created in 1927 a unique ointment for the treatment of purulent wounds, boils and cuts, later named after him. To this day, it is very popular among doctors, and in its composition the main ingredient is birch tar. In addition, tar is part of other ointments intended for the treatment of skin diseases, as well as for the treatment of rheumatism and gout, as an anti-inflammatory and analgesic. But for the care of problem skin and for the prevention of various skin diseases, there is tar soap. Birch tar is also used to treat serious skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.

A well-known American chemist, University of Minnesota professor Robert Carlson, expressed his opinion, calling betulin "a first-class thing" that works too well because it is "synthesized by nature, not in a laboratory." Here she is, as you can see her white trunk is not only beauty, it is a storehouse of our health. However, do not rush to the birch grove for birch bark, because even the smallest mutilations of the bark of these trees, due to the tendency of wood to quickly rot, threaten the life of the whole tree. Yes, and the value of birch bark increases with the age of the birch, so treat this tree with love.

Health and well-being to you.

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Birch bark is the upper, elastic layer of birch bark.

Due to its amazing qualities (such as strength, flexibility, resistance to decay), birch bark has long been considered an excellent material for the manufacture of various dishes - traditional tues, in which dairy products do not deteriorate even in the heat, salt shakers, baskets, purses, etc.

birch bark

Birch bark is harvested in May - June, during the sap flow, when it is elastic, easily removed from the tree trunk, well accepts embossing and engraving. The birch bark must be smooth, even, free of defects (swollen knots, cuts, cracks), horizontal stripes characteristic of birch should not be round.

To harvest birch bark, you will need a saw, an ax, a pommel or wire, a knife (Fig. 1). It is convenient to peel off a birch bark cylinder from the trunk with a spear. For this purpose, you can also adapt a piece of thick steel wire, bending it from one end in the form of a handle. With a knife, horizontal cuts are made on the trunk when harvesting staples, vertical and horizontal - when removing the layered birch bark, spiral around the trunk - to get a birch bark tape (bast).

Rice. 1. A tool for working with birch bark.

For skolotnya, the birch bark is removed from the trunk as a whole. They do it like this. A straight trunk with a smooth bark is sawn into separate pieces 40-50 cm long. Then a pommel is pushed under a layer of birch bark and carefully advanced around the trunk. Feeling that the birch bark has peeled off from it, with light blows they knock out the trunk from the knocked together.

Yakut knife, blade 145 mm, birch bark handle + horn.

You can not saw the trunk, but make ring (horizontal) cuts on it, 40-50 cm apart from each other. (The length of the cut should be 1.5-2 times its diameter.) pommelka and peel off a birch bark cylinder from the trunk, as described above. First, the smallest skoloten is removed, at the end - the largest, inserting them one into the other, like nesting dolls. So they store skolotni in a cool, dry place.

A tape 3-4 cm wide is torn off from the trunk in a spiral, gradually separating it from it with the blunt side of the knife. Then they are wound into a roll, stored, like skolotni, in a cool, dry place.

For harvesting layered birch bark on the trunk at a distance of 30-35 cm from each other, two horizontal cuts are made and connected with one horizontal one, after which a layer of birch bark is peeled off with a pommel. The prepared layers are stacked between two boards and pressed down with a load. Before weaving, a layer of birch bark is cut into strips of the required width, they are cleaned of dirt and moss, and divided in layers to the desired thickness.

Weaving from birch bark

In weaving from birch bark, one type of weaving is used, similar to plain weaving, when the warp threads alternate through one with the weft threads. With this alternation of birch bark ribbons, a checkered pattern is obtained, similar to a checkerboard pattern. Depending on the location of the cells, the pattern is straight and oblique. In a straight pattern, the rows of squares-cells are strictly horizontal and vertical, in an oblique pattern they are located at an angle of 45°.

It is much easier to weave with a straight cage, so we recommend that you first master this process by trying to weave a salty bird (Fig. 2) or a box with a lid.

Rice. 2. Salty weaving:
1 - release of the tail section; 2 - plexus of the body; 3 - outflow of the front part; 4 - neck extension; 5 - finished salt shaker.

For salting, it is necessary to prepare birch bark ribbons 1.5 cm wide, 0.8 - 1 mm thick, including: two axial ribbons 35 cm long, two long - 41-42 cm, six longitudinal lateral - 26 cm, eight transverse - 20 see In addition: tape 0.7-0.8 cm wide, 12 cm long; wooden chock for the lid 6x6x2 cm; three or four pinches (cut along the length into 1/3 sticks from branches) 1.2-2 cm thick, 6-10 cm long.

Start with the release of the tail section. In the middle of the long axial tape, a short one is applied so that it is 11-12 cm from the intersection to one of the ends. Near the intersection, a second long tape is applied across this segment across it, lowering its ends down. These three parallel strips (the remaining end of the short tape and the two ends of the second, long one) are intertwined with three longitudinal tapes. The resulting corner is temporarily fixed with a pair of pins, clamping the interlaced ribbons with splits. Taking four short transverse ribbons, they braid the body of the salt pans. The ends are not fixed yet and proceed to create the front of the salt pan. Raise the three protruding bands of the bottom up, intertwine them with three longitudinal bands, fasten and cut off their ends.

The neck is woven from the ends of the axial and long tapes protruding upwards, which are brought up from under the hangers. First, the ends of one pair of racks are tucked under the hangers - two loops are obtained. They pass a narrow tape and connect it into a ring around the opening of the neck. At the same time, the loops are tightened for the protruding ends of the first pair of axle struts. The cut ends of the second pair of racks are folded inward from the bottom of the resulting ring. To seal the neck, it must be wrapped again with tape, the end of which is fixed in a loop.

The weaving of the outer layer begins with the axial and long tapes. Then longitudinal (top to bottom) and, finally, transverse (from the neck to the tail) ribbons are woven.

The lid is cut out of wood: the diameter of the lower part is 1.5 cm; top in the form of a hoopoe head.

To weave a box with a lid (Fig. 3), it is necessary to prepare birch bark ribbons 2 cm wide, 0.8-1 mm thick: 8 ribbons 40-45 cm long, 8 - 52-55 cm long. Ribbons are stripped to 0.3-0 .4 mm and sharpen.

Rice. 3. A box made of birch bark.

Start from the bottom. A pair of long axial tapes in the middle is intertwined with another pair. Four short side ribbons are tied to them on the sides. The result is a wicker base with a side of 8 cm. A template is placed on it so that the ribbons are located along the diagonals of its square end. Then two short side ribbons coming out from under each corner of the template are intertwined, fixing the corners. Weaving continues upward, weaving walls up to 9-9.5 cm high (3-3.5 cells). Then the template is taken out and the shoulders are woven. To do this, one end of the short side tape is slipped under the other, which, in turn, is thrown over the first one to the other side, lowered to the adjacent wall and fixed by stretching it through the transverse tape. Do the same with the other hangers.

The neck is woven from the remaining eight ends of the ribbons to a height of 3.5 cm (or 1-1.5 cells) from the level of the shoulders. To fix the cut of the neck, a pair of intersecting ribbons parallel to the wall of the box are bent diagonally resulting from their intersection of the square, which is why the dark side of the birch bark ribbon is brought out. The ends are folded under the nearest transverse tapes. Pulling up the ribbons and tightening the weave, they successively bend all the remaining pairs and form a cut of the neck. To seal the body of the box, it must be braided with a second layer.

The weaving of the outer layer begins with the shoulders, which are reinforced with ribbons 35 cm long. The transverse ribbon is slightly raised with a hook, the pointed end of the ribbon is inserted into the gap formed and it is pulled through. In the same way, a tape is drawn around the entire body of the box, dragging it under all the transverse tapes. In this case, it is necessary to ensure that the tapes of the second layer of braid are outward on the inside of the bark. Having duplicated the ribbons braiding the hangers, the four remaining strips that go to the neck of the box are strengthened. The beginning and end of each duplicate tape is tucked under the transverse tape at the base of the neck.

Making a tuesa from birch bark

Tues - traditional product made of birch bark, is a round birch bark box with a tight lid, durable, sterile, waterproof. Mushrooms are salted in it, sauerkraut is sour, honey, sour cream, berries are kept, and nothing spoils in the tues. Its device resembles a thermos; a small insulating layer of air remains between the inner and outer walls, due to which the contents of the container are always cold.

Rice. 4. Tues from layered birch bark:
1 - skoloten, 2 - sheathing; 3 - cover.

We offer one of the most common ways to make a tuesa (Fig. 4). In it, the inside is seamless, and the edges of the outer are connected in a lock.

Materials: skoloten, plastic birch bark, strips of birch bark for belts, strips-linings in folds, planks of wood for making the bottom and lid, willow rod for the handle.

The outer surface of the birch bark is cleaned of thickening, exfoliated pieces of bark. On the skolotne from above and below, excess layers are removed by 3-6 cm. Then prepare the skin. A layered birch bark (with the outer side inward) is wrapped around the cleavage so that its edges are 4-7 cm on top of each other. Draw a line along the edges with an awl and cut the floor on one edge round holes, and on the other - cloves. This method of fastening is called a lock (or lock).

The sheathing is put on the skoloten. In this case, the end protruding from below should be larger than the upper one. Bringing the water to a boil in a saucepan, lower the upper protruding end of the skewers there and steam it. After a few minutes, when it becomes soft and elastic, turn it outward, and it tightly wraps around the skin. For greater strength, a narrow strip of birch bark 4-5 mm wide or a willow twig is inserted into the resulting side. The same is done with the lower part of the tues.

The bottom and lid are best made from coniferous wood - they do not leak and store liquids longer. On boards with a thickness of 15-20 mm, circles are drawn with a compass and circles are cut out on them: the lid is corresponding to the inner diameter of the tues, and the bottom is with an allowance of 2-4 mm. The bottom is inserted into the again steamed lower edge of the tuesa. To increase the strength, a belt is also put on it - a strip of birch bark 2.5-5 cm wide, fastened into a lock. Two through holes with a diameter of 6-8 mm are cut out in the lid with a semicircular chisel. A curved handle is inserted into these holes and fixed by cutting out the ends of the handle with inside covers the round holes and inserting a short stick into them.

Modern Yakut craftsmen make products from birch bark also in combination with willow and horsehair. In the manufacture of a tuesa or a box, first freely sliding wide birch bark rings are put on the skoloten and they are fixed on it with the help of hoops from a willow rod, divided in two along the length. These hoops are skillfully braided with black or dark brown horsehair crosswise, and they form an original ornament on the convex surface of the rim. The bottom and lid are also made of birch bark and willow and braided with horsehair.

Birch bark is an environmentally friendly material, which can already be considered a huge advantage. In addition, it has some unique properties that other natural materials do not have.

1. It is hygroscopic and perfectly absorbs moisture. That is why sugar and salt in birch bark containers always remain dry and do not fall into lumps even at high humidity.
2. Birch bark has bactericidal properties. Our ancestors were well aware of this, so they used containers made of this material to store perishable products. For example, a birch bark tues often served as a storehouse for fish and dairy products, and in bread bins made of birch bark, bread can lie for a very long time without drying out or becoming moldy.

Crafts made from birch bark are very easy to use: they are light and at the same time quite strong, keep their shape well.

Dishes from this natural material attractive from an aesthetic point of view, besides, it can be performed in different ways. Some masters adhere to ancient traditions and create objects strictly in accordance with museum samples, while others come up with unusual things that can easily fit into almost any modern interior. Crafts made from birch bark keep a delicate aroma for a long time, reminiscent of summer trees covered with greenery. And they retain heat even in cold rooms and are very pleasant to the touch.

How to wash birch bark?

It is widely believed that items made from birch bark can be washed, but you should not do this often, otherwise they may deteriorate. This is absolutely not true. Suffice it to recall the famous birch bark letters that have lain in the ground for more than one hundred years: if the bark was afraid of moisture, then they would not have survived to this day.

As mentioned earlier, birch bark is hygroscopic and is not at all afraid of moisture. Dishes made from this material can be washed and even need to be done as needed! Products from birch bark can be washed not only by hand, but also in the dishwasher along with ordinary dishes (but only if there are no metal parts inside, such as wire for fixing the handle). Washing in the dishwasher will not hurt at all, moreover, the product will be washed better. For example, a lot of crumbs accumulate between the strips of birch bark in a wicker bread pan over time - they are almost impossible to remove during hand washing, and Dishwasher will do a great job with this.

After washing in hot water crafts made from birch bark acquire special softness and elasticity, but do not change their shape and after complete drying become dense again. It must be remembered that birch bark loves moisture, and objects made from it must be periodically wiped with a damp cloth. Otherwise, especially if the air in the room is very dry, they can become brittle and simply crumble.

If such things are properly cared for, they will always have an attractive appearance and will last a long time.