Got it right - I think!

[Rick_Seebeck]

The homemade evaporator is ready to go and I have dry wood! Next dilema...

I collected 12 gallons of sap last night but probably can' boil it until this weekend. I keep it stored in clean rubbermaid tub with a lid and buried in a snow bank. It keeps it just above freezing. How long can I store it this way?

[RileySugarbush]

Kept cold and out of the sun, it will easily keep for several days and stay nice and clear. If you run out of snow to chill it, freeze a couple gallons and throw it in. Even if you have to wait longer and it gets a little cloudy, it will make tasty syrup, but a little dark.

[mikeb]

My sap storage is similar to yours. I threw a bunch of snow on the north side of my barn and dug some 'caves' into it to fit my storage bins. I threw a tarp over the whole thing to keep the rain off it. It works really well and keeps the sap right around 32 degrees, even on cold nights or warm days. I've kept sap up to a week this way, with no signs of spoilage.

[tyrod2]

How cloudy can sap get and still be alright to cook?Today It looked clear down in the woods but when I got back to the suger house I could barley see the bottom of my hauling tank. It did not have a odor.

[RileySugarbush]

If you don't have any better sap, go ahead and give it a try. As long as it isn't buddy (I really hate that smell and taste and won't touch it) it may make some dark and strong tasting syrup. One year a friend here cooked some very cloudy sap that measured more than 4%. I think the density came from the bacteria, because the yield was no where near what that would give, and the amount of solids, I won't call it nitre, was huge. Still can taste ok, though. The boiling will sterilize it and if it tastes good why not? You may want to drain most of your sweet sap from the pans just in case.

[SapSuckers]

i have always been told by an old sugarmaker that sap keeps very similar to milk. If you keep that in mind it should give you a good idea on how long it can keep if cold and dark.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

It probably got a little cloudy from being sloshed around so much in the tank being hauled back. The bacterial will sometimes settle to the bottom of the tank and being pumped into another tank and then sloshed around while hauling, it will stir it up and give it a cloudy appearance. Boil it, still likely make good syrup.

[tessiersfarm]

I work all week and can only boil on weekends and my sap seems to keep well enough. I try to keep some frozen sap in the barrels if possible.

[Rick_Seebeck]

I boiled all my sap this weekend. I had saved it up all week because of work. It kept great in the snow bank and was crystal clear. I boiled 71 gallons.