Small Batch Filtering

[jwmiller]

Hello, I believe this will be my 5th year doing a small syrup operation in north eastern Minnesota. I have a wood fired 55 gallon barrel that has two stainless steel pans that sit in the top of the barrel for boiling. I usually do 3 boils a spring and end up with around 1 gallon/boil, so ~3 gallons total each year.

Filtering is my kryptonite. I can never seem to get the niter filtered out even remotely well. Last year was my first year using a hydrometer, so I know I am pulling the boil off the heat at the right time. I filter once when I pull the syrup off my wood fired outdoor setup and before I move it indoors to finish the boil. Then once I reach the right sugar content per the hydrometer, I pull it off the heat, wait for the temp to drop to 185 and then filter a second time. My filtering consists of one of the big felt like filters with 2-3 pre filters in there also. After my final filtering, I put the finished product into preheated jars and complete the bottling process. It seems that no matter what I do, I still end up with a good amount of niter at the bottom.

For someone doing a small batch like me, what is the best way to filter and remove niter? Would using 2 felt filters withs a couple pre filters be better? Should I wait for the temp to drop lower than 185 before the last filter? Any help would be greatly appreciated

22240

[Wannabe]

I'd just use the settling method if it were me.

[bigschuss]

I'd just use the settling method if it were me.

Agree. Many, many years ago when I first started I just used an old T-shirt. I now use only the cone pre-filters. That gets the big stuff. Then we just let the niter settle out. We're not selling and we're not pros. It works fine for small batches and family use.

[maple flats]

A couple of things, #1 don't wait for it to cool to 185, the hotter the temp the easier it filters. However if you are heating it to filter, only go to about 190F. #2 A trick that often helps is to mix in about 1/2 cup of DE (or filter aid) to the hot syrup. If you use that method, find a local producer who uses a filter press and buy a few cups of DE. The DE comes in 40 or 50# bags and as small as you are it would just be too much. Do not buy it from an online store, food grade or not, it may not be an appropriate fineness for maple syrup. Using the DE method, add the 1/2 cup/gallon hot syrup, set up your heavy filter and have 1 thin pre-filter on top. Then pour the mixture into or onto the filter. The DE will form a filter cake on the pre-filter and that will then filter out the fine sugarsand (niter).

[Pdiamond]

You should filter right away, don't wait for cooling. Use 3 or 4 pre filters on top of the felt or orlon filter. Make sure that you mark the felt filter in the corner either up or top with a permanent marker. this prevents you from turning it upside down and releasing anything caught in the filter after rinsing.

[buck3m]

"I'd just use the settling method if it were me." Yup. For small batches that you're not selling. Much easier, way less frustrating, wastes less syrup.

"I pull it off the heat, wait for the temp to drop to 185 and then filter a second time. My filtering consists of one of the big felt like filters with 2-3 pre filters in there also. After my final filtering, I put the finished product into preheated jars and complete the bottling process." Unless you're reheating after filtering, I would think it would likely cool to much. If you are reheating to bottle, you might be creating more niter if you reheat it too fast (a steam tray or water jacket canner prevents that issue) or if you reheat above about 195, or hotter than your original filtering temperature.

[hansel]

I am a settler. Don't have to waste money or syrup on filters. I pour off the clear of my batches, then combine the cloudy remains and let that settle for one final pour off.

[ir3333]

well...when you're done boiling put your syrup in a cool place for a week or so.This will let the particulate settle.
After a week carefully pour your syrup into your finishing pan leaving the sediment behind.Finish to 66 brix, filter
and bottle hot.It will be crystal clear.

[Z/MAN]

I filter thru a paper prefilter when drawing off the evaporator. When I get it to the correct density on the stove in my outdoor kitchen I immediately right off the stove pour it into my orlon filter that has 2-3 paper filters setting inside. I get beautiful clear syrup with no niter. I use a coffee urn with added height to hold my filters and bottle. As soon as I dump the syrup in I place a lid on top of the filters and I usually can run 1 1/2 to 2 gallons thru without clogging. Holding the heat in really makes a difference. Saturday night I got 4 gallons thru before I had to clean the filters! Filter it as HOT as you can.

[buckeye gold]

Here's picture of my filter set up for small batches of 1/2 gallon or less. There's a wire fryer basket hung in the pot and my wife sews the filters to fit. I use 2-3 prefilters and a final orlon. I filter twice, once off the evaporator at 217 and then right off the propane finisher.

22250

[For_the_kids]

I use the settle method also. I take the near-up off the evaporator and run through a pre-filter (new white dish cloth) to catch only the biggest stuff. I let it settle in a cold spot for 5-7 days. I pour off the clear and finish on propane. I don't even filter again before putting in 1 quart jars. There is a tiny build up on the bottom of the jars after sitting again but I don't mind. To get the last little bit of syrup from the jar after using it I mix in a cup of milk shake it and enjoy. Best milk ever!!! It always a fight to see who gets it. :) We have a large family (8 of us) and we go through about 40-50 quarts ourselves each year. Kids eat it on everything from oatmeal to eggs to squash to normal breakfast things. I look at it like honey. You can buy the "perfect" clear honey or you can get it straight from the "bee guy" and have fresh raw honey. once you try it, you don't go back. Just do what works for you.

[Gord]

I had very good luck with the thick felt cone filter, along with the pre filter. I'm getting zero niter now in my glass bottles. But I also run it through the filters instantly, once the hydrometer tells me it's syrup.

[littleTapper]

I have made up to 28 gallons in a year, but get small batches frequently. I think my largest filtering/bottling effort was about 15 gallons (a week last year was nuts for sap flow). I mounted a cone filter in a 4-gallon bucket with a hole sawed in the bottom for the tip of the filter to just barely hang out of. I screwed in hooks near the top of the bucket to hook onto the loops of the filter. 7-8 prefilters go in the cone filter. Once I filter a batch, I remove a prefilter or two extra based on how they look, but then put the bucket into another 4-gallon bucket, unhook the loops and snap a lid on top and throw it into the chest freezer. This way I can just top up with fresh prefilters through the season and basically filter the whole season's worth of syrup with a single cone filter. The hardest part is to remember to get it out of the freezer to defrost before I need it again (it thaws pretty quickly).

If I get a few smaller boils and pull off finished syrup, I will let it settle in the cold until combining it all and dialing density and that really extends prefilter/filter life. But the filter in a bucket works really well.

[jwmiller]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I've heard the settling method from another friend who also has a syrup operation. So with letting it settle for a few days or up to a week, do you reheat it again before you bottle? If so, doesn't that create more niter and start the process over again? Or do you not bottle with hot syrup with this method?

For the settling method, once you start bottling, are you using a ladle or cup or something to dip into the syrup to pour into the bottles? Or do you pour directly from the big pot that the syrup is settling in?

[littleTapper]

I pour the settled syrup I accumulate from boils into a finishing pan; but then filter that for final bottling. I filter into a large stock pot and it usually will maintain >185 temp for bottling, if needed, I heat it back up slowly to avoid niter being created while the rest of my batch filters into 5-gal buckets or another pot (depends on qty) and that later filtered syrup needs slow reheat for bottling as well. I haven't had problems with cloudy syrup doing this. Stays clear.

You'd want to pour off the settled syrup into something else for reheating to bottle. The key is to heat very slowly and it should remain clear.

[For_the_kids]

I do reheat after pouring off the settled syrup in order to bottle in quart jars. Because I do not sell any of our syrup it is all for our own consumption and family and friends who don't mind a little settiment, I do not refilter before bottling. I put it in quart jars much the same I would do for tomato sauce or cranberry sauce or anything else that I can. One of the things I like about anything agriculture is that if you ask 10 different farmers you will get 10 different answers. ;). Have fun

[jwmiller]

THanks everyone. My batch this weekend ended up netting me about 1.5 gallons of syrup. I filtered once after I took it off the wood fire boil outside and before I finished it inside. One I reached 66 brix, I removed from the heat, cooled it off and now let it sit in my fridge. I will let it sit for another couple days before I start bottling.

I want to do the settle method and pour off the good stuff, but I"m not exactly sure how you guys do that? Do you literally pour from the pot until you start to notice niter sand? Do you ladle it off the top with a soup ladle? Do you use a small plastic hose and siphon it into a new pot, only siphoning the top layer and stopping once you see niter? What is the best process for this since I do not want to run it through my filters again since it is such a small quantity.

[lulugrein]

Little Tapper... great suggestion about putting the orlon filter "as is" into the freezer after finishing a batch. I generally use the same finishing set up that you describe but am always lamenting how much good syrup gets left behind in the orlon. Great thread here.

[For_the_kids]

I literally pour it off into the new pot until i see the sediment start to flow. as long as you let it settle out long enough you will be able to pour nearly all of the syrup out before the sediment starts moving. my experience is that it cakes itself to the bottom pretty well.

[littleTapper]

Little Tapper... great suggestion about putting the orlon filter "as is" into the freezer after finishing a batch. I generally use the same finishing set up that you describe but am always lamenting how much good syrup gets left behind in the orlon. Great thread here.

You bet, glad it could help. I always want to cry at how much syrup ends up in the filter material. This makes it not quite as painful :)

[Fireguy55]

Just wanted to add the method I used this year, which is kind of a hybrid of everyone's here plus a few extra steps. I bought a used coffee urn for $5 and fill that with water and let it maintain ~185* until I'm ready to filter, then I dump it and keep it unplugged for the rest of the process. While I'm finishing the syrup I have my orlon and pre filters sitting upside down above the syrup to steam them and for faster filtering. Filter hot finished syrup through multiple pre filters, removing them as they get clogged but saving them.

At the end of each batch I warm up my pre filters and squeeze them out into a mason jar. Orlon filter goes in the freezer till next time. Repeat for each batch. I just ended my season a little early but after squeezing out all my pre filters plus lightly removing what I can from the orlon, I saved 16 oz of syrup across 7.25 gallons that normally would have been thrown away. That I will settle out and use to make candy. This way here I can hot bottle some perfectly clear syrup, but also not waste any! Plus the dispenser on the coffee urn makes for very easy bottling.

[jwmiller]

So after letting it settle for about 5 days and once I pour off all the "good" syrup and discard the unwanted niter, do you guys reheat before bottling? If so, what temp do you reheat to?

[red dorakeen]

So after letting it settle for about 5 days and once I pour off all the "good" syrup and discard the unwanted niter, do you guys reheat before bottling? If so, what temp do you reheat to?

I reheat the poured off syrup, filter and can it at around 185°F.

The filtering of the decanted syrup goes quick but still captures a little niter.

I don't discard the niter after the first pour off of syrup. I put it in a jar and let it settle out more.

[tapdrinker]

for me ( I make about 10-15 gal a season) I use plain filter. The way I see it is if you can drink coffee with the same filter-It's good to go. Might not be super clear but will taste just fine plus you get some extra minerals that pros filter out.

[BCPP]

You need to reheat above 180 to ensure bottles are sterilized. I usually aim for 185-190 so that the temp in bottle is about 180. Carefully not to get much above 200 or you can cause more nitre to form and have to refilter! Also, make sure to turn bottles on their side for at least 5 minutes so that interior of cap is sterilized as well.