Buckets spoiling?

[Mikeh]

First time poster, second year tapping. I have 5 gallon yellow buckets to collect sap during the week and I'm boiling on the weekends (since my trees are 100 miles from my job/house). It's supposed to get into the low 50s later this week. How worried should I be about the sap spoiling? How can I tell if it's spoiled and does anyone have any suggestions to keep it from going bad? There's not enough snow to pile around the buckets and I have them on the N side of the trees to hide from the sun.

I love this forum, there are so many wonderful people with lots of helpful info!

[Kev]

if its bad when you get there, you will know it. if its a little cloudy you can boil it. if it looks like someone traded your sap for a lot of pee. just give it back to the trees. (pour it out)
with daytime temps in the 50's, it just does not last long at all.(but I try to never wait 24 hours to boil sap in cold weather) But then What do I know I hardly qualify as a competent filter washer. let alone a qualified sugar maker....:D

[BryanEx]

You are going to have a challenge with the warmer temps and no snow storing for a week. My suggestion is to number your buckets in order of collection and then do your best to keep them out of any sun. When you boil on the weekend start with the highest number (freshest sap) and work back in order, checking each one before adding it to your batch. As soon as you start to question sap quality split your batch... don't add the older sap to your good batch already on the go. My rule of thumb is if I can't see the bottom of the pail I toss it but you may want to try it anyway... it will just be super dark syrup. If it smells at all or just doesn't seem right feed the trees with it.

[Mikeh]

Thanks guys, Just knowing it will smell or be yellow gives me some peace of mind to know if I should dump it or not. Now I wish I didn't have yellow buckes :lol:

I only have 5 pails so I'm half way tempted to make some styrofoam boxes to set over them to insulate them. I know that's kind of extreme but it might just be worth it.

[Kev]

Thanks guys, Just knowing it will smell or be yellow gives me some peace of mind to know if I should dump it or not. Now I wish I didn't have yellow buckes :lol:

I only have 5 pails so I'm half way tempted to make some styrofoam boxes to set over them to insulate them. I know that's kind of extreme but it might just be worth it.

I will now admit i laughed out loud when I read you were using yellow buckets:lol:
whats funny too: I cover one of my storage barrels with an old road sign. the other day I went to pump it into the head tank. I usually lift it off and lean it against the barrel. for some reason I must have flipped it so instead of the aluminum side towards the barrel I had the yellow stop ahead side towards the barrell. it was reflecting light back through the white barrell and made the sap look yellowish. so instead of pumping it into the head tank, I think it is gone and start pumping out to the yard. Grabbed a barrell to be ready to pump off the truck and set the sign by it and low and behold the the sap I was pumping into the yard was fine,just 20 gal less than I had a few min before:cry: it was also the first run that made 50 to 1 this season I had started outrunning at around 80
just pour it into a different bucket at each location (even if its a yellow one :D) and look at the sap between the buckets as you pour. and Bryans advice is very sound about your batches ect.
the styofoam should help buy you some time

[treeman57]

So one of my buckets the sap was yellow in color. Just from running today is that sap bad? It rained today does that have anything to do with it?

[CBOYER]

rain water on bark follow spout and goes in bucket. try to taste it, you will spit it fast:o

[TF Maple]

So one of my buckets the sap was yellow in color. Just from running today is that sap bad? It rained today does that have anything to do with it?

Anything, whether water or sap, that runs down the bark of the tree will turn yellow.

[Mikeh]

Ok, here's an update. This week we had one day at 53 degrees and another at 51. It didn't get below 20 any night during the week. Headed to my land after work last night, crossed my fingers and checked the pails. They were all clear and odorless. Yay!

My upgrade this week was to put 1/2" thick foil sided styrofoam cut down to 2'x2' on top of each pail, offset to the south, to shade them if it gets warm. Held down with a chunk of firewood. Bring on the 60s :)

[Kev]

Ok, here's an update. This week we had one day at 53 degrees and another at 51. It didn't get below 20 any night during the week. Headed to my land after work last night, crossed my fingers and checked the pails. They were all clear and odorless. Yay!

My upgrade this week was to put 1/2" thick foil sided styrofoam cut down to 2'x2' on top of each pail, offset to the south, to shade them if it gets warm. Held down with a chunk of firewood. Bring on the 60s :)

Glad to hear it!
cleaning up after the season here:cry:

[BryanEx]

Bring on the 60s :)
You will find it becomes harder to store sap as the season progresses. The sap you collect will already have a slight to medium cloud to it and that compounds at an exponential rate during storage. Just keep checking your pails before adding them to your existing batch.

- Bryan

[CBOYER]

No problem whit spoiling the sap here, have problem to empty the buckets as i dont collect yesterday, big ice block in buckets this morning. Still having 30"-36" of snow on ground here...