soaking the felt filter in hot water

[aunt stellas gardens]

Hi all, just another question. The instructions suggest wetting the filters in hot water or boiling hot sap prior to bottling. If fresh water is on/in the filter and hot syrup is added Won't that change the brix level of the syrup you are bottling? I would think it would definitely happen on the first bottle. My big problem is that with only 15 taps this year I may only have 1 or 2 quarts of syrup to bottle this year and I want them to be perfect. Any suggestions?

[vtwoody]

If the syrup is just for you, won't make too much difference.....you can stem/boil/soak the felter and then let it hang up for a couple minutes or wring it out to get most of the water out....

my 2 cents

[wnybassman]

If the syrup is just for you, won't make too much difference.....you can stem/boil/soak the felter and then let it hang up for a couple minutes or wring it out to get most of the water out....

my 2 cents

I'm sure you meant squeeze very hard to get the water out, and not wring it out. Everything I have ever read said not to wring out the filters.

[GramaCindy]

I actually use a filter basket like thishttp://andersonsmaplesyrup.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=85&products_id=928and simply set it on top of the pan while I am boiling, it gets plenty wet there….not too wet.

[buckeye gold]

I'm with Grandma Cindy on this one. I too use a basket and set it and the filters on the steam pan about 10-15 minutes before I'm ready to filter. Just before I filter I turn it on it's side and any excess moisture will run off the pan. The steam only dampens them and to me most important is it heats the filters, so they don't rob your syrup of heat. I acquired a larger basket and we make custom fitting filters for it. We cut a circle just a tad bigger than the basket, out of the filter media and then cut a strip a little larger then the depth of the basket and sew it on as a side. This make a perfect fitting filter with no bunching, works like a charm. Maybe later I will post a picture. I use two prefilters over a finish filter and my syrup usually passes through in 5 minutes or so. I also preheat my pan it runs in too, I try to do all I can to keep the syrup from being robbed of heat. I finish the syrup so the red line on my hyrdometer is well above the syrup (I can see white between the red line and syrup)so if any dilution occurs I'm still at minimum brix. I've spot checked my syrup cold after filtering and have not found any to be light yet.

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

I'm sure you meant squeeze very hard to get the water out, and not wring it out. Everything I have ever read said not to wring out the filters.

do not wring filter, even wet all your prefilters,
install filters in this order
first filter is a prefilter (It catches all the little fibers from the felt filter)
second filter is your felt filter (it goes inside your first prefilter)
third, fourth and fifth are prefilters(they go inside your felt filter)
hold them all together with clothes pins

once your done for the night rinse all the filter very well and your felt filter until is squeezes out clear water, hang and let dry until you boil next time

[adk1]

Now that is something that I didnt think of. Your actually covering your felt filter inside and out with pre-filters?...Hmm

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

I'm sure you meant squeeze very hard to get the water out, and not wring it out. Everything I have ever read said not to wring out the filters.

do not wring the felt filter

install filters in this order. I have always turned out very nice syrup doing it this way
1. prefilter(this catches all the felt fibers)
2. felt filter( it goes inside the first prefilter)
3. 2, 3, or 4 prefilters(go inside felt filter) the number of filters will be determined by how much syrup you will be filtering. I would do at least two with the amount you said you would be filtering
use clothes pins to hold them all together
rinse them all out in very hot water. Squeeze felt filter and keep rinsing intil water is clear. Hang let them dry until next time

[Brent]

If you are only making 1 or 2 quarts you'll lose far too much syrup in a felt filter. It will be a huge percentage, like 10 to 20%.
Our first year boiling in the kitchen we fussed about the scum on the bottom of the jars and someone told us to get a felt or orlon filter. It worked. But I think we lost 1/2 of the syrup. Nearly made us cry.

I would only use the paper pre-filter to get most of the sand out and then let the syrup stand and settle. If you want to separate it, then decant it to a fresh bottle later and refrigerate because it won't be sterile. By decanting you'll only lose about tablespoon or so.

[vtwoody]

I'm sure you meant squeeze very hard to get the water out, and not wring it out. Everything I have ever read said not to wring out the filters.

Yes, I stand corrected (many times over, thank goodness) - squeeze not wring...and steam not stem...lol

Happy sappin'!

[GramaCindy]

If you are only making 1 or 2 quarts you'll lose far too much syrup in a felt filter. It will be a huge percentage, like 10 to 20%.
Our first year boiling in the kitchen we fussed about the scum on the bottom of the jars and someone told us to get a felt or orlon filter. It worked. But I think we lost 1/2 of the syrup. Nearly made us cry.

I would only use the paper pre-filter to get most of the sand out and then let the syrup stand and settle. If you want to separate it, then decant it to a fresh bottle later and refrigerate because it won't be sterile. By decanting you'll only lose about tablespoon or so.

Brent, You have me thinking. I really would like to come up with a better way of getting all of that wasted syrup out of the felt filter, but I don't think I want to skip the filter and just use prefilters….wish there was an alternative, Without going to the expense of a filterpress.

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

Brent, You have me thinking. I really would like to come up with a better way of getting all of that wasted syrup out of the felt filter, but I don't think I want to skip the filter and just use prefilters….wish there was an alternative, Without going to the expense of a filterpress.

once the syrup cools enough grama squeeze out the felt filter with your hands, i use my bare hands, i like to lick all the syrup off of them:lol:

[Brent]

If you can find "the better way" there will be thousands of small batch producers singing your praises.

This art is what, maybe 2 centruies old. Prefilters and Orlon/felt filters are the best we've got.

We tried coffee filters .... no flow.
Other thin cloth.

The prefilter and settling are the best we could come up with until we got our volume up to the point that we didn't cry when we felt the weight of syrup left behind in the filter. Of course you can soak the saturated filter in sap for re-boiling, and recover some.

This is a problem for all small producers and still needs a slick solution.

[palmer4th]

flat lander...... you use a pre filter on the outside of you wool filter? I never thought of that. last year I just did a pre filter inside a wool filter and that was it. does your way works well?

[aunt stellas gardens]

Thanks for all the great ideas. I am a small producer and managed to bottle 5 gallons last year. This year my hopes for that have been diminished because my Muscle helpers/fire keepers are busy knocking down timber. I have lost many cups of syrup in the felt filter but I have given small bottles to family & friends so I want to keep it as clear as possible. I'll try it with just the orlon filters this weekend and see how clear I can get it. Oh and wringing, squeezing, pressing the felt filter..... How can you tell if the felt filter is damaged? I had a helper last year that was twisting my felt filter very tight (wringing it out!) before I was able to kindly ask him to stop. So now is that filter damaged?

[buckeye gold]

As far as syrup caught in the felt/orlon filter, I try to recover that. I do not try to recover from the prefilters as it is too much sand. I soak the orlon in a pan of hot sap from the preheater and swish it around then remove and let drip. You can pour that right back in the evaporator or let it set and settle then pour back leaving any sand to throw out. I then wash the filter with hot water and set in my strainer by my wood stove in the basement to dry, I do not squeeze or ring at all. I used to squeeze and saw the efficiency of my filters decline.

[Ed R]

We hang our filters in the steam hood and let the steam pull the remaining syrup from the filters. We recover alot of syrup that way.

[smokeyamber]

For small producers really the solution seems to be the settling method. I only made one gallon my first year and the what I lost in the wool filter was enough to make me cry.:cry:.. Next year I just used the orlon and although I had sediment I just decanted carefully. Heck I treated it like the unfiltered beer I drink. The rub comes when someone wants to pay you for syrup and you have sediment in the 1 quart bottles. I haven't sold any yet so that isn't an issue. When I do I will be a bigger producer and use all the awesome tips I see here !! :lol: