Canning question

[Rangdale]

We always can our maple syrup jars in quart jars as we finish it and then later re-heat desired amount to 185 and put in 8oz syrup bottles for gifts and what not. This year my wife wanted to put it in little 1.7oz syrup bottles with handles and make little Christmas ornaments to give away. My question is this: getting the 185 degree syrup into such a small opening is proving to be a trick, could the bottle be put in a pot of water (set on a wire rack so they aren't resting on the bottom) and bring the water up to 185 and holding it until the syrup in the bottles is the same temp? We could get a smaller funnel but I thought if this was doable you could heat a bunch at a time without risking the syrup cooling to much as we are trying to funnel it into the small jars.

Any ideas/thoughts would be much appreciated!

[happy thoughts]

Sounds like a neat idea. Yes, at least one other person that posts here cans larger jars that way so it should work on smaller bottles as well. But you need to account for the expansion of syrup as it heats so you can't fill the bottles as full with cool syrup as you would with syrup heated to canning temps then poured. Also, you're still going to have to get the syrup in the bottles so a smaller funnel or basting syringe is going to be helpful. I think the other poster uses a squeeze type mustard or ketchup container.

[lpakiz]

Yes, I also use a squeeze bottle. Keep the level low to start, and at 180 or so, top off the bottles. I use a Taylor thermometer with about a 3 foot long cable probe. $15-18 or so. Put the probe into one of the bottles and go to 185 or so. When the thermometer indicates 185, put on your heavy-duty rubber gloves and pull the bottles out and cap them. I use a couple squeeze bottles at a time, filling them from a quart bottle with the new flip-top cap.

[NTBugtraq]

Did you consider using a paint stripper? I have used one with thick oily substances quite successfully...;-]

Cheers,
Russ

[SeanD]

I just used this squeeze bottle and hot water bath technique to fill an order for nips. I can fit a case of 48 in my roasting pan. It was easy and it worked like a charm. I wasn't confident my coffee spigot would get it done without making a mess.

The only down side was that it made more foam than usual, but all I had to do was use the dropper from my refractometer to pull it off as it was warming up in the pan.

Thanks for sharing this idea!

Sean

[Ahnohta2]

we bought a super small funnel and then held back on the bottling valve and let fill slowly. We let it pour thru valve from our bottler at 185` Have some party favors still filled from our daughters wedding about 8 yrs ago and it still looks great.