What's safe to use?

[ibby458]

AS posted in the WANTED section, I'm looking for plastic pails. I'm getting conflicting advice as to what's safe for a bucket. Some tell me anything that was holding food is OK. Others tell me pickle or sauerkraut buckets never clean up and contaminate sap. I've heard soap pails are fine from some people (You use soap to clean them, right?) - Others say it soaks into the plastic and never comes clean (Off tastes in the syrup)

So far - everyone thinks drywall mud buckets are fine. THey clean up good, too. It's just hard to find 50-100 of them.

Thanks for any and all guidence!

[maple flats]

I don't know about the safety of the mud buckets but If you contact a company that specializes in drywall work you should have no problem getting enough. Look in a local pennysaver or similar. In our area from time to time there is a listing for them @ $1 each and not sure if they include or even keep the tops. Where in northern nY are you? What county/ town/ village?

[davey]

I get empty glaze buckets from my local doughnut shop. They usually throw them away and are glad to get rid of them. they hold about 3 gallons.

[lew]

my wife used to work in a bakery at a large grocery store, like Tops or Price Chopper. The bakery dept. of these stores get rid of tons of 3 gallon pails.

[mountainvan]

I got buckets for sap from wal-mart and lowes last year, very cheap and I think fine for sap. If you want foolproof foodgrade go to yankeecontainer on the web. I use the 5 gal for syrup.

[ibby458]

Hi!

I'm in Potsdam, St. Lawrence Co. We haven't called the grocery stores yet. I think I'll just visit them and ask.

I get as many as Lowes and Walmart has, but they never have many, and don't restock often.

If anyone withing 100 miles has a bunch I can get quick, I'd be glad to pay a reasonable fee. I can always cover them with a chunk of plastic and a bungee cord.

Thanks!

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Pickle buckets are fine. I have some that have been used for 10 to 12 years from Chickfila and still smell likes pickles but never hurt anything and I store hot syrup in them too! :D

[mapleman3]

I've had pickle pails, the smell stayed for a year or two but never into the sap, and smell is gone now, I have alot of Mud pails with no ill effect, they clean up real easy.. those also are a few years old now. and still clean as ever

[andrew martin]

I bought a lot of buckets from Wal-Mart's bakery department this year for $1 each including lids. These are the five gallon buckets that hold icing. Where we live, I called up the bakery department and asked them to hold some buckets forme, which they were glad to do, and I went in several times a week to pick up my cache. I collected 5-8 buckets/week at an inexpensive price. These werte all food grade buckets. My syrup turned out great.

Andrew