Letting almost syrup cool before finishing

[Jwolverton03]

I’ve got my sap almost ready to bring in to finish, but I forgot about sanitizing mason jars so they’re running through the cycle on my dishwasher… while those run should I filter the sap before bringing it in to finish? Or just wait until after my jars are ready since I will be reheating it anyways. And then when I fill the jars, do I need to boil them after to seal, or just leave them upside down while cooling.

[Andy VT]

I have the same sort of operation and I consider bottling another activity, sometimes done days later... or sometimes soon after finishing.
I don't filter between outside evaporating and inside finishing... I just run it through a pretty fine strainer.
Also, sometimes the indoor finishing is another day from the outside evaporation.
I filter immediately upon finishing as 66.9 brix (as close to that as I can get it) syrup.
Filtering is by orlon cone filter plus pre-filter.

[Jwolverton03]

So then when you finish the syrup you just filter and refrigerate? And then when you go to bottle, you just heat back up to 185 ish? My thermometer kinda sucks so I have a hard time getting exact temps. But I may just finish and filter tonight, and then buy a new thermometer and heat back up to bottle tomorrow..

[Bricklayer]

Letting it sit will settle out some of the nitre that you’re gonna filter out anyways. You will see it on the bottom of your container you have it in right now. It will look like sludge on the bottom. Every time you reheat your syrup to above 180-190 F it will produce more nitre that has to be filtered out.
If you transfer the near syrup to another container before finishing it and leave the settled out nitre on the bottom of the original container you had it in it may save you time.
There is no need to boil jars once they are filled. Some people will heat glass up in an oven to bottle but we have tried that and Dosnt seem to make a difference. We just keep them room temp. Bottling at proper temps will be enough to sanitize the jar and lid as long as it’s new and clean. We use a temp of 190 to bottle. Seems to be our magic number that Dosnt produce nitre and is enough to seal and sanitize the jar at the same time.

[Andy VT]

Jwolverton: All correct. One clarification that may or may not be obvious... I put the finished, filtered syrup somewhere cold or cool for the night... not put it in the fridge hot. Just for the sake of other things in the fridge, and the energy.

Bricklayer: All points well taken. I do boil my jars before filling (I assume you don't mean after... I've never heard of anyone doing that or even debating it) but agree that you could probably get away without doing so with new jars. I don't use all new jars but collect as many empties from my customers as possible. I have what might be a superstition that if the jars aren't brand new or if one that once contained pickles leaks into the fleet, boiling is one more thing that might help prevent off flavors. Actually going bad does seem unlikely if hot and sealed.

[Swingpure]

Not saying what I do is right, but I have a microwave on the large table I bottle. I nuke each clean jar prior to bottling. They are hot to the touch when I take them out of the microwave. They go right from the microwave into a small pot that I sit the jars, or bottles in, in case I spill a little, when I am ladling in the syrup.