Don't lose syrup. Small timer advice

[psparr]

Maybe I'm late to the game but I thought I'd share my new idea.
I only filter between 1/2-3 gallons at a time in a cone filter. I used to try to squeeze out any remaining syrup but that sucker would still be soaked with a couple pounds of syrup. Not a good thing! The advice of rinsing it out in the flue pan is great for bigger operations, so what to do?

Put filter in a gallon size ziplock bag and into the freezer till next time. Take it out rinse in the pan and your ready to go again. No waste.
I'm just mad I had not found it on here or figured it out before.

[MapleLady]

Great idea! Thanks for sharing this one. I will definitely try that this week!

[GV2]

I like the idea you have proposed. Do you rinse the filter back into the pan with clean sap or plain water? I guess water would be more efficient as a cleanser but maybe less efficient in that you would be adding sugarless water to the next boil. If using sap makes sense, then perhaps the filter rinsing could be done prior to freezing and then store the solution in the freezer, making for a slightly sweeter start to the next boil.

[smokeyamber]

Love it, I will definitely try it, I gave up on cone filters and went to flat filters, but the freeze/ rinse is an awesome idea not only saves syrup, but more importantly TIME ! :D

[Ed R]

I let my pre filters and synthetic filters steep in my steam hood on a cross member attached with wooden clothes pins or hooks. After a boil all the remaining syrup has dripped thru. I just remove them after the boil and clean them for the next filtering.

[mrnoodle]

So does the prefilter fit inside the synthetic filter? It sure seems like I'm going to loss a lot of syrup to absorption. What is a flat filter?

[psparr]

I like the idea you have proposed. Do you rinse the filter back into the pan with clean sap or plain water? I guess water would be more efficient as a cleanser but maybe less efficient in that you would be adding sugarless water to the next boil. If using sap makes sense, then perhaps the filter rinsing could be done prior to freezing and then store the solution in the freezer, making for a slightly sweeter start to the next boil.

I rinse in the sap when I'm about finished boiling the next time, that way it's moist for filtering when I'm ready. After I rinse it I put it in my coffee urn while it preheats for my syrup that gets it hot and ready ha-ha.

[MarkL]

I'm a small timer too and I gather up every last tablespoon of finished syrup I can, but I wonder why you would want to rinse all that gunk, soot and sand back into your next batch of syrup by rinsing the filters with sap?

Seems like you're just carrying forward all that crap to the next batch.

I invested in a flat filter this year and my syrup looks and tastes fantastic - better than ever - and I have no qualms about rinsing the filters in water and sending that stuff (and some syrup) down the drain. Better than having it in my pans and in my jars like it used to be with the cone filter.

MarkL

[jake22si]

I'm a small timer too and I gather up every last tablespoon of finished syrup I can, but I wonder why you would want to rinse all that gunk, soot and sand back into your next batch of syrup by rinsing the filters with sap?

Seems like you're just carrying forward all that crap to the next batch.

I invested in a flat filter this year and my syrup looks and tastes fantastic - better than ever - and I have no qualms about rinsing the filters in water and sending that stuff (and some syrup) down the drain. Better than having it in my pans and in my jars like it used to be with the cone filter.

MarkL

I filter my sap after the wash when it has cooled. Theres really no way around it unless you rinse the filter and discard any product, which would make us small timers very sad.

[regor0]

I think he means rinse just the outside keeping the filter upright and thus the filtered material stays in the filter while the syrup is diluted into the sap.