Well we expected to collect sap this morning and the temperature changed our plans. 21 degrees in the St. Croix Valley and the sap is frozen solid. Looks like it will stay cold and cloudy the rest of the day, so hopefully tomorrow. This brings us to the topic of ice in the buckets. Do we save it or toss it. If there is ice floating in a chunk on top of the liquid sap, toss the ice block and save the sap. The sugar will “fractionate” to the liquid phase and the ice is basically sugar free. I did not believe this at first years ago until I actually saved all the ice, melted it in my shop and then measured the liquid with a lab grade refractometer. There was little to no sugar in that melted ice so give the ice a toss.
Weather still looks promising for this Sunday with a warm up to the high thirties and and low forties so keep watching the buckets for sap. We have had late starting runs this past couple of days because of the colder mornings so its possible we will get a sap run today starting late. With a high of 33 and clouds, its not too likely, but mother nature likes to mess with experienced syrup makers.
Have a great weekend,
Don