Can a Filter-Canner be used to finish Maple Syrup?

[Ausable]

Recently - My Wife and Son bought me a Leader stainless filter-canner (I Think) at an Estate Sale. It has a stand and three propane gas burner tubes located under the tank. A filter frame sits on the tank and a cover over that. The tank also has a drawoff valve which would be great for puting my syrup into bottles. Looked it up on the Leader site and the Finisher and Filter-Canner are a lot alike. Could I finish my syrup on this and then bottle it - or would I be making to much nitre. Or should I continue to finish my syrup in my steam table pan on a turkey fryer burner and then when syrup place it in the Filter-Canner. This Old-Backyarder keeps getting bigger and it is fun - but a little scarry...lol....Any advice - would really be appreciated - Thanks -------Mike-----

[500592]

I think the only way to finish and bottle in it would be to drain it when done clean it the filter it and bottle

[Ausable]

I think the only way to finish and bottle in it would be to drain it when done clean it the filter it and bottle

Thanks for the reply. I was afraid that would be the case. thanks for the advice-----Mike-----

[Russell Lampron]

Recently - My Wife and Son bought me a Leader stainless filter-canner (I Think) at an Estate Sale. It has a stand and three propane gas burner tubes located under the tank. A filter frame sits on the tank and a cover over that. The tank also has a drawoff valve which would be great for puting my syrup into bottles. Looked it up on the Leader site and the Finisher and Filter-Canner are a lot alike. Could I finish my syrup on this and then bottle it - or would I be making to much nitre. Or should I continue to finish my syrup in my steam table pan on a turkey fryer burner and then when syrup place it in the Filter-Canner. This Old-Backyarder keeps getting bigger and it is fun - but a little scarry...lol....Any advice - would really be appreciated - Thanks -------Mike-----

You could always have a second pan made that would fit over the burners to use as a finishing pan. Then you would only need to pour the hot syrup into the filter/canner and bottle. I used the burners out of an old Weber gas grill and had WF Mason make me a finishing pan. I pump the syrup from that through my filter press and into the canner to bottle.

[Ausable]

Russell - Thanks for the idea - I was using a Steam table pan with a valve in the lower-center-end to finish syrup on and used a turkey fryer burner for the heat source - and this worked ok as I could draw off to test the syrup. I have to clean this Filter-Canner rig up and see what kind of heat I get out of the three burner tubes. Also - see how the Steam table pan fits on the Filter-canner frame......Would be best not to finish syrup in the filter canner as I think about it - but - two seperate pans would be the way to go - again thanks -----Mike----

[MapleME]

This is what I do... I use my filter canner for my finisher too. BUT since I do syrup in batches each weekend, it works well. I finish it in the unit and pour it off in to stainless pails. Quickly clean the inside of the pan out with hot water and put the flat filter on top. Just pour it in...and it saves from having an additional piece of equipment.

MapleMe

[Ausable]

Howdy MapleME --- Sounds like another good idea --- I have several stainless pots and lids from my batch boiling days so that would be a good option for me. Usually when I drawoff from the evaporator my almost syrup is pretty close and wouldn't take long to finish it in the canner and drain it into the pots and clean up the canner. I'm planning to put Maple Syrup into bottles for the first time in 2012 so the canner should work out for that.. thanks again ----Mike---


This is what I do... I use my filter canner for my finisher too. BUT since I do syrup in batches each weekend, it works well. I finish it in the unit and pour it off in to stainless pails. Quickly clean the inside of the pan out with hot water and put the flat filter on top. Just pour it in...and it saves from having an additional piece of equipment.

MapleMe

[MapleME]

Mike, I think you will find that its a pretty good system. I have a WFMason unit that is 12/16 or something like that. It really works great. It was a HUGE improvement going to flat filters from the cones. Just remember, put 5 or 6 pre filters on top of your felt or synthetic filter....and just slip them out as they clog and things slow down.

[TunbridgeDave]

Ausable, We have an older Small Brothers 40 gallon 2-cone filter-canner with the 3 tube burners as well, they work great, very fast. We have a press now so we don't use the cone filters. I have used it to finish before, but in 30 gallon batches, I then pump it through a filter press into the drum. Personally I prefer to finish right on the rig and then use the canner just to can. It think it would be a pain to have to dump the syrup out, clean it, and pour it back in every time.

When you do your bottles, keep them in scalding HOT! water just before you fill them, especially the little ones!

[Ausable]

Hey Guys - thanks for the information - I really appreciate it - ---Mike---

[adk1]

why do you say that the flat filter was a huge improvement over the cones?

[SevenCreeksSap]

So someone help me out with this so I dont post the same thread. I've only done small batches and going bigger this year and still trying to figure out what I need. Its getting closer.

Syrup should come off the evap( divided pans) at 219 or thereabouts depending on boiling temp of water at your elevation. gets filtered into a pail for first filtering. Q- if its the right temp why isnt this finished syrup? is it because its still mixed with thinner sap from the syrup pan? What are the chances of being able to filter this into your canner?

Into the finisher- I see posts saying a filter canner can be used as a finisher. If using propane, this will likely cause more nitre so needs filtered again, - at this step, do you get it back up to 219 and test it with hydrometer? where I'm a little confused because I've only done batches is how much goes in here, how long to finish? just to 219? this is where I always watched for the "boilup" on the stove and went by temp and called it done. I want to be more accurate.

If using finisher as canner like referred to in this post, I see the need to drain and filter. otherwise, into the separate canner (filtered again with your cone or flat filter) and heated only to 185-190 (to prevent more Nitre)and into bottles. cap and tilt to sterilize air in bottle.

Am I close?- didnt mean to hijack the thread but it was getting older and just what I need to know. Looking to buy some equip but a water jacket canner is a pipe dream right now.
Thanks

[MapleME]

why do you say that the flat filter was a huge improvement over the cones?

adk, the flat filter has so much more surface area to filter through. Think about it....in a cone filter set up, you are really only filtering syrup in the bottom third of the cone if your lucky. If you have a 10x16 filter unit (say, a WF Mason for example) you have a MUCH greater surface area. I also find that you loose much less syrup with the flat filters. You can stack the pre filters and slide them out as the clog. With the cones, when the slow down you have to pour the entire batch in to a new cone...sometimes trying to move that amount of boiling H syrup ends in disaster. Flat filters are the way to go. Ill never look back at cones, except for using them as a pre filter as I pull off the evap and before I finish in my finisher/filter-canner.

[wiam]

So someone help me out with this so I dont post the same thread. I've only done small batches and going bigger this year and still trying to figure out what I need. Its getting closer.

Syrup should come off the evap( divided pans) at 219 or thereabouts depending on boiling temp of water at your elevation. gets filtered into a pail for first filtering. Q- if its the right temp why isnt this finished syrup? is it because its still mixed with thinner sap from the syrup pan? What are the chances of being able to filter this into your canner?



If the hydrometer floats right this is finished syrup when it comes off the evaporator. In my operation this goes through the filter press and into the canning tank. I do not use a finisher. I actually draw off a little heavy then use some from the back side of the front pan to thin it back to syrup.

[adk1]

that makes sence. I need to rethink my strategy before I buy something. I dont have any of that equipment yet, but I do know where there is one not being used. Maybe I will try to make a deal with him.

[Ausable]

Well - I was out in the Sugar Shack yesterday - checking what I have to do ---wow - plenty. But - gave my filter-canner a closer look and it is a Waterloo/Small USA made in Canada ----hmmmm!... Last year - to finish syrup - I used a deep steam table pan with a draw off valve over a turkey fryer burner and it worked pretty good. On doing some measuring - I find that I will be able to use this same steam table pan on my Waterloo/Small frame and burners to finish on. and later when I start to bottle syrup - put - the Waterloo/Small filter and pan back on the frame and burners and use that for my canning. --this is going to work out ok. Except I have a lot more cleaning up to do and I have to get the old evaporator level again ......Mike--

[Ausable]

So someone help me out with this so I dont post the same thread. I've only done small batches and going bigger this year and still trying to figure out what I need. Its getting closer.

Syrup should come off the evap( divided pans) at 219 or thereabouts depending on boiling temp of water at your elevation. gets filtered into a pail for first filtering. Q- if its the right temp why isnt this finished syrup? is it because its still mixed with thinner sap from the syrup pan? What are the chances of being able to filter this into your canner?



Into the finisher- I see posts saying a filter canner can be used as a finisher. If using propane, this will likely cause more nitre so needs filtered again, - at this step, do you get it back up to 219 and test it with hydrometer? where I'm a little confused because I've only done batches is how much goes in here, how long to finish? just to 219? this is where I always watched for the "boilup" on the stove and went by temp and called it done. I want to be more accurate.

If using finisher as canner like referred to in this post, I see the need to drain and filter. otherwise, into the separate canner (filtered again with your cone or flat filter) and heated only to 185-190 (to prevent more Nitre)and into bottles. cap and tilt to sterilize air in bottle.

Am I close?- didnt mean to hijack the thread but it was getting older and just what I need to know. Looking to buy some equip but a water jacket canner is a pipe dream right now.
Thanks

SevenCreeksSap - What William told You is right on and Your thinking is correct. If the temperature and the syrup hydrometer says you have Maple Syrup - that is what you have. Where I'm coming from - is that I have a small 2'x5' flow-through evaporator that I have used for two seasons and before that I batch boiled for about fifteen years. So - this drawing off is still a little new to me - So I do a boil and make several small draw offs and check all my combined draw offs I find that I'm not quite there - so that determines that I have to finish it off and like You - when the hydrometer says I have syrup --- I do ----Mike====