Sap Storage Question

[hangman]

'Sap Storage'
I'm a first time backyarder. (20 buckets)
I have a plastic rain barrel (It from Jacks composting in VT)
Its made from recycled material.
It one of those red terra cotta colored that are sold to collect rain water for irrigation.
Would this be okay fro sap storage?
I'm concerned that it may effect the taste and or odor of the syrup.
Any suggestion would be appreciated

Thanks…

[sweetwoodmaple]

Be wary of recycled plastic. Whatever was in the plastic's "previous life" can leech into the sap.

Stick with HDPE or PP (like your aquafina bottled water).

Brian

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Go to Walmart and by the Rubbermaid containers with lids on them. They work great, are cheap, easy to clean, easy to access and stack inside of each other after the season for storage.

I bought a 32 gallon one last year for 7 taps I wanted on pipeline due to steepness of hill and it worked awesome and I am using it in another location this year and it is working awesome. It is dark blue, but the sap always looks so fresh.

Costs about $ 8. :D

[Jay]

Rubbermaid here too, I have 5 38 gallon for storage. They work great and like WVM said only 8.00 or so you cant go wrong.

[christwo]

In the past I have used pickel/pepper barrels that they ship over from Greece, which after 2 years seem to loose their smell. This year I got 2 coke syrup barrels (white). Bleached both. One still has a potent syrup smell, won't use that one, but the other one is odor free. That is my outside storage bucket (65gals). However with this years extremely cold temps that barrel froze up solid. I might try moving the storage inside the shack next year.

??'s about those Rubbermaids. Are they tall like a regualr barrel or are they short and square like a tub My Walmart doesn't have anything like that. Any model # or the like?

[sweetwoodmaple]

Seems to be tricky to get the ones without wheels. I got 30 gallons ones a few years back, but they aren't sold anymore.

Rubbermaid sells a slightly large one without wheels, but they are now difficult to get. Most are now either LDPE or recycled plastic.

You might want to consider the large craft or storage totes that are PP (Polypropylene). They are easier to get ice out of than barrels. 8O

I had two barrels freeze as well, a real pain. :cry:

[caseman]

Try the 55gal. rubbermaid grey trash cans. They're food grade plastic

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I use the 32 gallons that are retangular shaped with snap tight lids. You can stack one inside the other at the end of the season. They are around $ 8.00 at Walmart.

Be careful with what you use. The rubbermaid have a very slick finish, so I don't have any problem with bacteria building up and the sap it always excellent quality even with the one I have being very dark in color.

As far as the syrup barrel with odor, use it, it won't affect anything and shouldn't leave any flavor in the sap. Try it once and let the sap set in it for 24 hours. Then take out a small cup and get a few feet away from the barrel and taste it. If it has a slightly taste to it, then boil off the sap and don't use it again. I think you won't find any off flavor at all! :D

[Backyarder]

I also use the Rubbermaid 32 gallon cans that you can get at Walmart (although I buy them at Home Depot now b/c we don't shop at Walmart - for a variety of reasons). Never had a problem with off-flavor sap and have stored for over a week at times (with ice in them, of course).

Last year I also started using the 60-gallon blue food-grade plastic barrels that a friend got for me from a local packing plant. They work great, and don't add any off-flavor, but the drawback is the amount of time you will spend cleaning used ones. Mine were formerly used to ship sausage casings, and I had to quadruple clean them, twice with soap and very hot water, twice with bleach. Then, I left them sit with soapy water for about 24-48 hours. After triple rinsing, they were entirely clean and have never leached any off-flavors. They also work great if you manually collect sap because they are incredibly thick and strong and hold a large capacity. I strap them to a round-bale spear on the tractor and head out to collect.

I think you can buy them used from some Maple Supply places, but I would recommend asking around b/c mine came free once I inquired. Apparently they just get thrown out after use.

Good luck.

Chip

Backyarder
50 taps
Southwestern Pennsylvania

[sweetwoodmaple]

I picked up two 275 gallon pallet totes from a place in Somerset PA that had liquid candy (sour apple and blueberry flavor). They were $50 each. They have lots available, only used once.

These are great for convenience cause they have their own metal pallet and ball valve with 2" npt fitting.

The down side is cleaning. You just can't get every last bit of stuff out, similar to barrels. Though, they do have a 6" opening at the top. This allows you to get a pressure sprayer or mop in to do some heavy duty cleaning.

Brian

[MaineMapleDave]

Check restaurant supply places as well. One near me had a really slick food-grade Rubbermaid plastic can. Basically a 60-gallon trash can (complete with snap-on lid), but it was intended for food service applications like holding 30 heads of chopped lettuce.

Had a little stand with casters, built in drain faucet at the bottom. Slick. Was only about $30-$40.

{Kicking myself for not getting it.....}

And in the for what it's worth department, I checked a couple of other plastic containers I had at home last night. Both bought at a restaurant supply store. Both specifically intended for storage of food products. Neither had any mention of "food grade" plastic on them. So, food-grade plastic may not always say "food grade."