Freezing sap

[packrat]

Has anybody checked if it is feasible to throw away the ice in the bags of sap or am I just throwing away syrup? I am sure someone has figured this out so I dont have to reinvent the wheel. Thanks Harold

[SDdave]

Throw the ice and don't look back. If your bags/buckets are partially frozen then toss it. If your vessels are fully frozen then wait for some thawing.

If you really want the science behind it...water that has a solution of sugar will have a lowered freezing point then pure water. When you have sap in a bucket near the freezing point the solution will concentrate and the "purer" water will freeze. Don't recall the exact name of this process, but it is essentially nature's RO. The ice will have a fraction of sugar left over though, but that is up to the producer to deem a viable option.

Hope that helps.

SDdave

[Austin351]

Has anybody checked if it is feasible to throw away the ice in the bags of sap or am I just throwing away syrup? I am sure someone has figured this out so I dont have to reinvent the wheel. Thanks Harold

I just did a test yesterday, one gallon of sap which 3/4 was a frozen block. The liquid tested over 9% sugar, when I thawed and tested the ice it was 0.6% sugar. The pics are over on the Tapping _ Minnesota 2018 / 2018 page.

[Cedar Eater]

Don't recall the exact name of this process, but it is essentially nature's RO.

Cold distillation is the name I've usually heard it called.

[bigschuss]

Has anybody checked if it is feasible to throw away the ice in the bags of sap or am I just throwing away syrup? I am sure someone has figured this out so I dont have to reinvent the wheel. Thanks Harold

There are probably 120 threads about this on this forum. Pitching the ice is generally considered to be a time saver.

[Russell Lampron]

If you're boiling without an RO toss it and don't give it a second thought. If you do have an RO and a way to easily collect it get it into your storage tank to help keep the sap fresh.