The broom is an integral attribute of the Russian bath. Most steam bath fans believe that the best brooms come from soft, flexible birch branches.
It is no coincidence that from time immemorial, the most common in Russia was just a birch
broom for a bath. But everyone has different preferences. Many people like to bathe with oak or linden products. Which one is better? Disputes are ongoing to this day ...
Harvesting birch bath brooms
The procurement process itself is not too complicated. But in order for the cooked broom to be suitable for the steam room, certain rules must be observed. Harvesting birch brooms for a bath traditionally falls on Trinity. But not everywhere birch "ripens" everywhere, and not all types of wood are suitable for brooms. A tall tree with long, thin, straight branches is chosen - a weeping birch.
To know for sure whether the branches of this birch are suitable or not, you need to try the leaf with your tongue: if the leaf is rough, the tree does not fit. The leaf should be velvety, tender. In addition, the taste of the sheet speaks about the time of harvesting. As soon as it ceases to be sweetish and begins to be bitter, then the harvesting time has come. Birch trees, from the branches and leaves of which brooms will be made, should not grow near roads, near enterprises or in the city center. It should be an ecologically clean area outside the city limits - clearings, edges, glades. Harvesting birch brooms for the bath is carried out in the early morning hours after the dew. This should be a careful cutting of excess branches. Mostly young, flexible, well-bent branches with small leaves are used.
Cut raw materials must be dried in the shade for an hour.
How to knit a broom
Bent branches at the base are cleaned of leaves and knots and tied with twine. Thick branches are placed in the middle, and around are thin. The broom is thick. The handle is made 15-20 centimeters long. Knitted brooms are placed under oppression to acquire a flat fan shape until completely dry. Then the broom is suspended in a ventilated area for a couple of days. It is best to store the brooms in the refrigerator, but if this is not possible, then in a well-ventilated cool room: attic, garage, on the balcony - for two years. Harvesting of birch bath brooms is completed. Now is the time to go to the bathhouse. But you need to take a dry product with you, and not just just cooked.
Steamed broom
Take a dry birch broom in a bath in order to steam. By the way, fresh brooms do not steam, because they become sour, becoming heavy, they can burn the skin. Dry brooms are steamed: they are lowered for 5 minutes into a basin with cold, warm and, finally, hot water. The basin with hot water and a broom should be covered so that it is steamed. When you smell the aroma of essential oils from a broom, it can be removed. He is ready to work on your body, massaging it and improving blood circulation, cleansing the respiratory system, making breathing easier for asthmatics and smokers, and cleansing the skin well. It remains to wish good health and a light steam with a birch broom!