Guess why I’m excited to have ice in my sap bucket?

Last Updated on February 20, 2021 by Michelle

Why do I throw away the ice in my sap buckets? Read on for the full scoop.

Before we dive into this important (sometimes controversial) topic, I wanted to ask if you’d please consider helping me support sugarmaking education worldwide with every purchase of the SoulyRested Swag. You’ll find the latest designs right here (like the one I’m wearing here) .

Weather for a Sugarmaker, Not a Farmer

It’s been a great week in our neck of the woods. Well, not as far as farming goes. When I started writing this, there was still about a half a foot of snow on the ground and under that there was a layer of slippery ice. So maneuvering to get to the chicken coop and the cow stable twice a day, down a slope, was no easy task. Thankfully we have a water pump by the cows’ stable, and their hay supply is in the stall next to them. Then we keep the chicken’s food in a storage bin in the coop. So there’s no need to try to cart water or food down the slippery slope. Just ourselves, trying to stay in one piece.

Mind you temps did warm up a few days this last week to even give us a tease of springtime…. so much so that we saw the bare ground in many places… before another snow storm swooped in. But I’m not complaining. I’ll take a few more weeks of long winter nights by the fire, now that I have my list I shared last week of 9 Perfect Things To Do On A Long Winter Evening, especially if that evening includes the soothing sounds of the RO filter humming along and filtering our sap. (Yeah, I realize most of the world is moving into spring, so you may want to just pin that inspiring list for next winter.)

But the best part of the week? Finally, temps have started to rise, and it’s perfect weather for sap to slowly start to dance through the trees in our sugarbush.

Working Towards Our Dreams

My favorite sugarmaker and I were out repairing lines and adding new ones last weekend. Honestly, there aren’t too many things I’d rather do.

After a long cold winter that you think may never reveal green grass again, what a joy to hike up the woods with your favorite guy and work towards a few sweet dreams of…

… rows of amber syrup in our root cellar

… jars of maple switchel in our fridge, and

… amazing maple cream churning in my kitchen aid.

We’ve upsized our operation again this year. Honestly, I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to convince my husband to NOT upsize at least a little every year. Once you get the hang of the cycle of sugaring, you’re addicted and need more.

Our first year? 12 taps. Year two? 24 taps. Year three (aka this year)? Drumroll please… Or at least envision me tapping some twigs on a sap bucket lid… 75 taps and counting.

Why I’m Excited to Have Ice in my Sap Buckets

As we add taps (and work!), I’ve recently learned a little tip that is saving us a little effort and a little money with our syrup-making efforts.

Every day as I do my rounds to collect the sap, I’m excited when I discover a nice, smooth, solid chunk of ice floating on top of a bucket here and there.

“Why?” you might ask. Because, believe it or not, that block of ice saves us some time and effort. You see, the ice acts as a natural reverse osmosis (RO) filter. I wrote here about our homemade RO filter and exactly how you can make one.

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Read all about how we saved hundreds in our backyard sugaring operation last year when we built this homemade filter for our sap.

Or you might like to read about the step-by-step process of how our family makes backyard maple syrup.

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Frozen Sap is a Natural Filter

It turns out that when the sap freezes, it’s a natural filter–yep, ice acts as a poor man’s RO filter. Because pure water freezes before sugar water.

If the ice is solid and smooth, floating on top, it’s all water. Or close to it. Yes, it does have a minute amount of sugar content but, in my opinion, it’s just not worth the energy to filter or boil it.

When I was curious if this theory is legit, I melted a piece of ice I took off the top of the sap. It had a sugar content of less than half of one percent. The sap in the same bucket was 3% sugar. Mind you, if I find a slushy chunk in my sap , I keep it. But solid, smooth floating ice chunks get tossed. So do the solid rings of ice that form around the inside of the bucket. They easily slide right out, leaving a higher concentration of sugar in the remaining sap.

Not convinced? Cause, yes, I know sugar water DOES freeze solid… I think Chris Kelsey, a backyard sugar maker in Connecticut, said it well when we were having a heated discussion about this topic over in my facebook group, Maple Syrup Making:  “Sap Ice is mostly water. So throw it out if you’re short on time or money. If you have the extra fuel and prefer to have a few extra beers by the fire then leave it.”

Want to Know More about Making Maple Syrup?

Go here for step-by-step directions on how to make syrup, or take a listen to the podcast episode I recorded all about the 8 Steps From Sap to Syrup. (Or go here for a link to listen on your favorite podcast player.)

And grab a copy of my book, Sweet Maple, or my course, Making Maple Sugar, if you want to know every detail about all things maple. Remember to snag the $155 worth of bonuses that come with Sweet Maple (see the list of bonuses here) & take advantage of the $53 worth of special bonuses that come with my maple sugar course as well. (See that list here.).

If you liked this post, you’ll definitely want to read these: 

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Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
    let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.

Psalm 96: 12