http://www.freshmaplesyrup.com/reader-question-filtering-maple-syrup/ On Making Maple Syrup Thu, 27 May 2010 18:33:49 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 http://www.freshmaplesyrup.com/reader-question-filtering-maple-syrup/comment-page-1/#comment-3 Mike Pomeroy Fri, 10 Apr 2009 02:26:34 +0000 http://www.freshmaplesyrup.com/uncategorized/reader-question-filtering-maple-syrup/#comment-3 I filter my syrup using the gravity method. Here are some tips I have learned from experience. As Tig mentioned you need to use either a wool filter or a synthetic one. What you will find is they can clog up rather rapidly. To help this process make sure you buy some prefilters. Put these inside the wool filter. They will catch the majority of the Niter (sand) and can be easily removed. By doing this you should be able to filter up to 3-5 gallon before your main filter clogs and needs to be cleaned. The best way to clean it is to reverse it and threw it in your back pan while you boil. This will remove most of the solids. I find I can use a filter 1-3 times doing this before I really need to clean it. When you really need to clean it you can either run it through your washing machine on the hottest cycle with no detergent or put it in your dishwasher with no detergent, both work well. One more item I have found, when the prefilter gets clogged up I twist it shut and dip it in my boiling syrup pan like you would a tea bag. This seems to loosen up the remaining syrup. I then place the filter in a strainer over my pan and it will drain the remaining syrup back in so that I do not waste any. I filter my syrup using the gravity method. Here are some tips I have learned from experience. As Tig mentioned you need to use either a wool filter or a synthetic one. What you will find is they can clog up rather rapidly. To help this process make sure you buy some prefilters. Put these inside the wool filter. They will catch the majority of the Niter (sand) and can be easily removed. By doing this you should be able to filter up to 3-5 gallon before your main filter clogs and needs to be cleaned. The best way to clean it is to reverse it and threw it in your back pan while you boil. This will remove most of the solids. I find I can use a filter 1-3 times doing this before I really need to clean it. When you really need to clean it you can either run it through your washing machine on the hottest cycle with no detergent or put it in your dishwasher with no detergent, both work well. One more item I have found, when the prefilter gets clogged up I twist it shut and dip it in my boiling syrup pan like you would a tea bag. This seems to loosen up the remaining syrup. I then place the filter in a strainer over my pan and it will drain the remaining syrup back in so that I do not waste any.

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