Bottling syrup in glass containers

[MapleMike]

Hi Folks,
First time using glass containers, do you wash them before filling them?
Thanks for your help.

[Russell Lampron]

If they are new containers you don't need to wash them first.

[MapleMike]

Thanks Russell that’s what I thought.

[maple flats]

The new bottles should be stored upside down until used to keep dust etc from getting into the bottle. When you bottle, be sure the syrup is well filtered and over 180F but not over 190F. As soon as you fill the bottle, cap it tight and lay it on it's side to get the hot syrup to kill any mold spores that might be on the inner cap. 30 seconds is enough, but 30 minutes will be OK too. If you are filling small bottles that have a lot of mass in relation to the amount of syrup, it can help if you warm the bottles first so the glass does not lower the syrup temp too soon. That can be done in full sun for a few minutes or even in a warm oven, just so the glass feels warm to the touch rather than cool or cold.

[DrTimPerkins]

http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/food/inspection/maple/ontap/ontap-1214a4.htm

[SeanD]

I tried preheating glass when I first got started. I tried both a water bath and an oven. From time to time I would get a niter haze in the bottles. It took me a little while to figure out where the problem was, but eventually I concluded it was not my heating of the syrup, but the preheating of the glass.

So, I stopped preheating. I bring them up to room temp if they are cold or I'll put the boxes on the radiator to take the chill off, but that's it. For the heck of it, I dropped a temp probe into one of my glass bottles just before capping. I don't remember what it was, but I remember concluding that it wasn't necessary to preheat the glass. I haven't had any issues with mold (or niter) in any containers using the strategies Flats shared. I try to keep the syrup above 185, though.

That said, I just started bottling maple leaf nips. The article got me thinking about the thickness of those bottles compared to the 1.7 ounces of syrup in them. I bet there is more glass than syrup for those bottles and maybe I should drop a probe in one of those next time. The first batch I did was a month ago and so far so good. It will be a while before I have to bottle those again, though.

I also started hot packing bulk containers. I was amazed how quickly the temp dropped in those and I'm using the blue plastic containers. The first time I did it, it was down to 178 or so when it was about half full when the probe could reach the liquid. I switched to a larger spigot on the bottler to fill the containers faster. It's harder to control the foam from splashing, but the temp is higher. Maybe I'll put the container in a 200F oven, too. I can't imagine the plastic holds its temp, but I couldn't have imagined 5 gallons of syrup dropping below 180 either.

[Lukie]

Just be carful if you are using mason jars we preheat ours in the oven at 200% and let them cool down for awhile and take it from experience hot syrup going into a mason jar that is not warm may give you a quart of syrup all over your kitchen floor and that will not impress your wife! The bottom cracked and I tried lifting it over to the sink and that was the end!

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

Just be carful if you are using mason jars we preheat ours in the oven at 200% and let them cool down for awhile and take it from experience hot syrup going into a mason jar that is not warm may give you a quart of syrup all over your kitchen floor and that will not impress your wife! The bottom cracked and I tried lifting it over to the sink and that was the end!

The trick to filling mason jars is to put about 3/4 inch of hot syrup in and allow the jar to adjust for about a minute, then fill the rest of the way.

[Galena]

I preheat the oven to 190 and put the glass jars in for 10 min at the very least. While they sterilize, I slowly bring the syrup up to 185 and pull it off the instant it reaches that. Even so the temp of syrup will still go up 2-3 degrees.

When I fill the glass jars or bottles they are always standing in something like a saucepan - so if an accident does occur, it's contained. The only time I have ever had glass crack on me when filling was because the jar already had a tiny nick or crack in it that wasn't readily visible. If I am filling jugs, which must be laid on their side, I use tall foil roasting pans from the dollar store.