Sap Temperature?

[D and D Sugar Camp]

The sap I couldn't fit in my small walk in cooler is at 60° it has been in my garage out of any direct sunlight, but is a little cloudier than other sap we have boiled before . Is 60° to warm?

[happy thoughts]

Probably if it's been kept at that temp for more than a little while. You should treat sap like milk and expect it to spoil faster hanging out on the counter instead of kept cold in the fridge.

Can you still boil it and make good syrup? Maybe. It depends on what microorganisms are growing in there. You could get anything from dark syrup with no off flavors to ropy looking snot. I'd probably keep that sap separate from the good stuff if you're tempted to give it a try. The older it is and the longer it's been kept at warm temps the more likely something is growing in there that could ruin the quality of the syrup. Will it kill you? probably not but you may not want to enter it in the county fair.

ETA- forgot to add that the general rule of thumb for food safety is to keep cold foods at 40F or under to slow microbial growth.

[D and D Sugar Camp]

Probably going to dump it. Thanks for the input. Quality is everything to us. We still have around 80 gallons of sap in our walk in cooler.