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How long can I store sap? Sap is a highly perishable product. This article explains what happens as it is stored, and how to avoid problems.
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How long can I store sap? Sap is a highly perishable product. This article explains what happens as it is stored, and how to avoid problems.
Because of the vertical orientation of the dominant anatomical feature of wood (vessels and fibers), sap within the stem of maple trees moves primarily in a vertical direction, either upward during as the tree is freezing/uptake phase or downward (mostly) during the thawing/exudation phase. When a tree is tapped, a zone of impermeable wood forms around the wood.
Maple producers using tubing often observe bubbles emerging from the tree within the spout or first few inches of tubing when the sap is running. If the spout is not seated properly, leaks may occur.T hese are most noticeable as rapidly moving streams of small or large bubbles. At other times, these are not leaks, however repeated or overly aggressive attempts at seating spouts to make the bubbles stop can create leaks that further attempts at spout seating will only make worse.
We occasionally hear the question: “Even if the season is late or short, shouldn’t there be the same amount of sap produced during the time that does run than there
would have been if it were longer season or happened at ‘the usual’ time?”
The University of Vermont Proctor Maple Research Center and the Cornell Maple Program Arnot Forest conducted a multi-year study examining several common sanitation strategies and assessing the effects on sap yield, attendant costs, and resulting net profits. The following graphs briefly summarize the results of this work.
These 9 variables are intended to help a potential commercial maple producer evaluate the relative merits of one or more selected woods for profitable maple production. A poor or medium rating does not mean that the woods should not be tapped but that production costs in money or labor will likely be higher or greater investments will be necessary to allow the sap collection to be established relative to other sites. Some problems may be avoided if the potential producer is a creative problem solver. Small-scale producers and hobby producers have less emphasis on financial return, so these variables are relevant but perhaps not weighted as heavily.
The advent of plastic tubing systems to collect sap has eliminated several problems associated with the traditional bucket system. However, plastic tubing systems also present some problems of their own. Sap quality problems arise if the lines sag and the sap lingers within the tubings or the large conduits. In addition, the warming effect of the sun increases the tem perature within the tubing to optimum levels for microbial growth and sap flow may decrease because of “organic buildup” on the internal tubing walls. This buildup is a result of the adhesion of microorganisms to the tubing walls.
The Arc-Barb Spout (UVM Patent Pending) is designed with a shortened barrel to allow improved sap flow from the shallower, more productive sapwood zones in maple stems.
The sugar maple tree (Acer saccharum) is most commonly used in maple sugaring, but all maples produce sap that can be converted to maple syrup. Though not as high in sugar content as the sugar maple, the sap of bigleaf maple trees (Acer macrophyllum) grown in the Pacific Northwest produces excellent syrup.
The sugar maple tree (Acer saccharum) is most commonly used in maple sugaring, but all maples produce sap that can be converted to maple syrup. Though not as high in sugar content as the sugar maple, the sap of bigleaf maple trees (Acer macrophyllum) grown in the Pacific Northwest produces excellent syrup.