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View Full Version : How long can raw sap be stored before cooking down?


LedgeRock
02-18-2012, 09:28 AM
What is the shelf life for raw sap. Or how long can I store it (to accumulate more for a full day(s) of cooking) before cooking. If the weather is below freezing at night and upper 30's to low 40's in the day (typicaly surgarin weather). I store my sap in a 35 gallon holding tank that sits in the bed of my kawasaki mule. Keep it in the garage (out of the warm sun). Is a week about the limit?

Thanks for the replies!
sbingham
02-18-2012, 09:41 AM
I will typically cook on the weekends, everything I gather during the week goes into plastic barrels in my garage {no direct sunlight} and have had no problems at all.
The only time I have had any problems is late in the year when temps are getting warmer, if I am still collecting I try to cook small batches a couple evenings.
ckkrotz
02-18-2012, 09:44 AM
We did weekend boils last year and that was fine... they say the grade might be darker, but we still had some pretty light syrup.
My questions about this topic is can you freeze the sap (we have only like 5 gallons today) and keep it an extra week? I think we have room in our freezer for the five gallons, and don't really want to dump it...
happy thoughts
02-18-2012, 10:02 AM
yes, you can freeze sap. You can even freeze syrup.
sapbrush
02-18-2012, 10:15 AM
the best way to store syrup when done is in the freezer
Murphy's Law
02-18-2012, 04:15 PM
yes, you can freeze sap. You can even freeze syrup.


the best way to store syrup when done is in the freezer

This is good information for guys like me who only have a few trees to tap. I have 9 buckets out now and sometimes not enough sap to process until weekends.
Birdland Sugarbush
02-19-2012, 07:58 PM
If it's going to be warm during the day, I'll freeze some sap in food grade containers (yogurt containers or larger). I can pop the frozen sap into my container –*I use 55 gallon drums –*and it helps to keep it fresh.

I like the yogurt containers because I can pop out the frozen sap and use the container to freeze more. 1 gallon jugs work well also.

Unfortunately, I can't bury any of my barrels in the snow this year...