What can I do with 60*F sap?
We are having a warm spell in central Ohio. I collected sap at 10pm last night, but it has been 55*F through the night. Today it will reach 62*F while I'm at work, and I can't collect again until 5pm.
I was told that I shouldn't keep it. However is there a chance it is salvageable? Is there a test I can do other than smell/cloudiness?
2021: 28 taps. 18"x36" flat pan and dual natural gas burners.
2020: 31 taps. 3 full size steam table pans on a custom 6x water heater natural gas burner setup.
2019: 31 taps on silvers. Back porch gas cook top with 2 full size steam table pans. An amazing 14.9 gallons in my backyard!
2018: 22 taps on 9 silvers. Propane turkey fryer and full size steam table pan on electric stove. I made 4.25 gallons in my backyard!
How much sap are you talking about? To much to put in a fridge/freezer? We keep a couple 1 gallon water jugs frozen for that reason. If we have a warm spell and don't have time to boil, we will tie the frozen jugs in the sap
Steve
2017
2x8 Mason drop tube evaporator
420 Taps
3 surflo pumps on 5/16
79 gallons of syrup made
2016
New kitchen addition to sap house
400 taps
52 gallons syrup made
Right now I have 25 gallons in a food safe trash can, stored in a dark room. I like the frozen jug idea, but I don't have any right now. I'm afraid my silver maples will bud next week, so this may be my last batch, I'd hate to dump it.
2021: 28 taps. 18"x36" flat pan and dual natural gas burners.
2020: 31 taps. 3 full size steam table pans on a custom 6x water heater natural gas burner setup.
2019: 31 taps on silvers. Back porch gas cook top with 2 full size steam table pans. An amazing 14.9 gallons in my backyard!
2018: 22 taps on 9 silvers. Propane turkey fryer and full size steam table pan on electric stove. I made 4.25 gallons in my backyard!
When in doubt dump it out ! I know it sucks I've been there myself. Last thing you want to do is get your family sick or worse a customer and having the liability that follows. You never know who will sue you for everything you've got! We live in a sue happy world today where people will sue you for something you say or even if you look at them the wrong way. Judging by your tap count it's probably just for yourself or family members but is a few gallons of sap worth the risk ?
2018 - ?? 2x5 lapierre raised flue evaporator
2017 - 150 taps mixed 2.5 x 4 evaporator
2016 - 230 taps taps mixed 2.5 x 4 evaporator
2015 - 115 taps mixed buckets, bags and, water jugs. 2.5 x 4 evaporator.
2014 - 55 taps mixed buckets, bags and, drop lines. 4 steam trays and a block arch. 3 gallons made tapped prematurely (lesson learned)
Yes, the syrup is just for family. I was just hoping that since I am really careful about collecting into buckets with lids, storing in clean buckets, and boiling in clean pans, that I wouldn't have bacteria.
I'm still learning. I just don't know how to tell if the sap is bad.
2021: 28 taps. 18"x36" flat pan and dual natural gas burners.
2020: 31 taps. 3 full size steam table pans on a custom 6x water heater natural gas burner setup.
2019: 31 taps on silvers. Back porch gas cook top with 2 full size steam table pans. An amazing 14.9 gallons in my backyard!
2018: 22 taps on 9 silvers. Propane turkey fryer and full size steam table pan on electric stove. I made 4.25 gallons in my backyard!
You will be able to tell when it goes bad by a yeasty smell. If it smells like a bakery, that's the smell of microbes eating the sugar. One thing that I have done in a similar situation is to get it all into the pans and bring it to a boil. Microbes are everywhere, and are unavoidable, but boiling kills them. This could buy you another day.
Clarity is all I have ever went by. If it starts getting cloudy then I toss it but you're talking less than 24hrs so I would think you should be ok.
I made some fantastic dark syrup from slightly cloudy sap. You won't get anybody sick, you're boiling it! I say go for it, especially since it may be your last sap, and it's for home use. If you are concerned, boil a gallon down inside and taste it. It may be lighter with a quick boil, but it should show any off flavors.
I would guess you are good to go.
John
2x8 Smokylake drop flue with AOF/ AUF
180 taps on sacks
75 on 3/16 tubing with shurflo
Eden Prairie, Minnesota
I have made a lot of good tasting syrup with slightly yellow and cloudy sap. Save it and boil it. It may make dark syrup with a bitter aftertaste but that taste goes away when you use that syrup for making baked beans. The taste is caused by the bacteria that will grow rapidly in the warm sap.
Russ
"Red Roof Maples" Where the term "boiling soda" was first introduced to the maple world!
1930 Ford Model AA Doodlebug tractor
A couple of Honda 4 wheelers
Four chainsaws and no chickens!
No such thing as sap without bacteria after it leaves the tree. Microbes are everywhere. That being said, even cloudy sap can make good syrup, however it will be darker and since microbes feed on the sugar, you will get less syrup. It's rare that the syrup is unusable.Originally Posted by jdircksen
Dave Klish, I recently ordered a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.
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