School sap collection

[surfin]

As a school project, a couple of our classes are attempting to collect sap and make syrup. We only have 10 trees tapped so collection is slow. How long can we keep the sap in a cool environment (a shed outside) before the sap spoils? Would it be best to freeze the the sap until we have enough to boil? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Bucket Head]

Think of the sap as if it were milk. How cool is the shed? Only as cold as it is outside, right? So if its as cold outside as your refrigerator, 36 degrees or so, it will keep for a few days. Temperatures above 40 are not good for keeping sap. How much sap do you have? Do you have the space to freeze it? If you do, I would freeze it so you have good sap for this project. I do know of folks keeping sap in coolers with those refreezable ice-packs to keep it cool until they could boil it. I guess you need to decide which way would work best for you, but the colder the better. Good luck with the project!

Steve