I knew people did it, but; I wasn't sure it was safe. So, it was a question I asked twice at my Master Food Preserver class.
Me...."so you can can the maple syrup just by putting hot maple syrup into the (hot) canning jar, and putting the lid on?"
Barbara Ingham (head food scientist for the state of Wisconsin)...."yes"
Me...."so, you can take the maple syrup out of it's pan, fill a canning jar, put the lid on it, it seals, and then you can put it on the shelf?"
Barbara Ingham...."yes"
Think of the freezer space freed up! That's how we do it now. Just like a bazillion other people in Northeast Wisconsin. :-) I guess after it has cooked for so long, it is considered safe. I don't understand how with it being an alkaline food it can be canned this way, but evidently, no one has ever died from canned maple syrup. Using it to sweeten your canned goods though, is not wise. Again, because of it's alkaline nature, it changes the pH of the jar you are canning -- that can be dangerous.
So, sterilize your jars, keep them hot, fill with hot maple syrup to 1/4 inch, put on a warmed up lid, screw the band on to finger-tip tight, and sit back and listen to them seal!
.....jean
Linked To: Homestead Barn Hop # 53
Me...."so you can can the maple syrup just by putting hot maple syrup into the (hot) canning jar, and putting the lid on?"
Barbara Ingham (head food scientist for the state of Wisconsin)...."yes"
Me...."so, you can take the maple syrup out of it's pan, fill a canning jar, put the lid on it, it seals, and then you can put it on the shelf?"
Barbara Ingham...."yes"
Think of the freezer space freed up! That's how we do it now. Just like a bazillion other people in Northeast Wisconsin. :-) I guess after it has cooked for so long, it is considered safe. I don't understand how with it being an alkaline food it can be canned this way, but evidently, no one has ever died from canned maple syrup. Using it to sweeten your canned goods though, is not wise. Again, because of it's alkaline nature, it changes the pH of the jar you are canning -- that can be dangerous.
So, sterilize your jars, keep them hot, fill with hot maple syrup to 1/4 inch, put on a warmed up lid, screw the band on to finger-tip tight, and sit back and listen to them seal!
 |
| Do not look at the headspace on these jars! :-) |
.....jean
Linked To: Homestead Barn Hop # 53
27 comments:
To ease your mind further, my grandparents have been doing this for probably their entire lives, and we're all still alive and well. :) Yum!
Interesting. Hadn't thought of it. That 1/4" from the lip of the jar, right? And I take it that you're doing this as you make your own sap?
that amber glow looks delicious. :)
Did you make that this spring? I got to the trees too late, I think. The buds were coming and I didn't get any sap at all. When did you tap? It's a strange spring.
Patty....Yes many have been doing it for like forever :-) (some things though, i.e.tomatoes, should not be canned the way our grandparents did it --- a post on that to come :-)
Larry....Yes, 1/4 from the lip of the jar...that is at about the first thread. (do not look at my picture -- I had to "train" my husband :-)
TexWisGirl....isn't it pretty? This is actually a picture from last year -- but so far, this years crop looks just as pretty :-)
odiie....the picture is last years crop. We tapped last Sat. So far we only got 3 1/2 quarts, and it's suppose to be warm all next week --without getting to freezing at night. Could be a very short season. Very strange spring. Sorry you missed out!
What beautiful looking jars! I wish we had maple trees here, too warm for them. Guess I'll just have to take up beekeeping to get our natural sugars.
Wow! Talk about beautiful!
I so envy all you Northerners and your lovely maple surple!!
Carolyn Renee....my beekeeping tries haven't been so great here...funny how it all kinda evens out.
Jill....you should taste it :-)
Candy C.....you know I envy you a lot (i.e. that your orchard is all blossomed out) :-)
Oh...and Larry...I forgot to write, Yes, my husband cooks the sap to "almost done" outside and then finishes it on the stove in the house. When it's done he strains it, and then right into the jars.
So let me get this straight, "I can take the syrup right out of the pan and place it straight in the jar and just put the lid on?" LOL! That is really cool!
All I need is some maple syrup to can! Or rather a maple grove. ;)
Clint....I think you got it!....:-)
Leigh....our "maple grove" is actually the neighbors :-) He lets us tap, we give him syrup...it's a good deal :-)
So many folks around here tap their trees but I never knew you could "can" it!...:)JP
That syrup is beautiful... but WHAT headroom???? :-)
Beautiful! and Yummy for the future! :)
Oh my...looks like golden heaven!!! I've never had the opportunity to taste "real" maple syrup fresh from the tree like yours...some day~
A Quiet Corner....On a good year, canning it is the only way to go -- there wouldn't be room in the freezer for it all. (on a good year we try to get enough canned for 2 years worth in case the next year is no good)
Mary Ann...you should taste it
:-)
You looked when I told you not to didn't you?? LOL
labble 1 ....it's almost too pretty to eat isn't it?
gtyyup....just fresh maple syrup is hard to explain. After it's been canned for a while, it looses that just fresh taste (don't get me wrong it's still yummy) I hope you get to taste it super fresh someday! (remind me next year -- and I'll send a taste :-)
Thanks for this post! Quick question - do you worry about how much it's cooled during the filtering process and need to heat it back up a bit, or is less-than-boiling hot ok for when you put it in the jars? Thanks!
Thanks for this post! Quick question - do you need to worry about how much the syrup has cooled during filtering before you put it in the jars, i.e. do you return it to the pot to get it hot again, or is less-than-boiling hot ok for putting it in the jars? Thanks again!
1108elm....I know just what you mean. Filtering doesn't go all that fast especially at the end! But, I believe it is still hot enough -- especially if you put it in hot jars. Mine can without re-heating it. Making sure they can is the big thing at this point. My husband and I usually filter, fill jars, and put on lids together so it goes faster. Hope your season has been a great one!
I think the reason you can can maple syrup w/out worrying about pressure canning is that even though its not acidic is b/c it that like honey it has a high enough sugar content (or really low enough water content) that if there are any botulism spores in there they won't be able to become active
that is my best guess at least.. and the high sugar content is probably why its also ok to do open kettle instead of BWB.. I am glad I saw this and that it was run by a master food preserver - I purchased a 1/2 gallon of syrup (I got through a quart every 3 months or so) and was wondering if once I opened it I could can it in smaller jars instead of having the giant half gallon in my fridge taking up space and being challenging to pour out of!
Question for you- lots of people recommend putting a little butter in your maple syrup as it cooks to keep the bubbles down when it gets near the end. Would this change the canning process at all? As in, would it be safe to can it without processing if it had the butter in it? I've done a lot of canning, but always "by the book" and it makes me nervous to deviate! Thanks in advance for your advice.
Hmmmm. I don't think I would do it A.G., just to be on the safe side. I have heard of people putting milk or an egg in at the end to control the foaming at the very end of cooking. If you were pressure canning it I don't think it would be a problem, but canning it like we're talking here, .....better safe than sorry. BTW, very glad to hear you can "by the book"!
using a little butter won't harm it because if you look at Ball canning recipes for jellies and jams, they also advise using a little butter to keep the foam down. And these are still safe after they seal.
I see this is an old post but am hoping you'll see this comment. We canned a few of our jars of syrup last year as a trial and it worked, so this year we'll be canning most if not all of our syrup. My question is about filtering. We haven't come upon a satisfactory method yet and wonder how you do it. Thanks.
Hi mountain home,
I do still see the comments :-).
We just filter through a white dish towel. It works fine in the early season...late season there is a lot of "sand stone" that gets through. Because it's only for our use, we don't fret about it. Gifts to friends and neighbors all comes out of the early light colored syrup anyway. :-)
You have to filter very fast while the syrup is very hot.
Thanks. Having trouble remembering, but we probably didn't have the syrup at its hottest for filtering in the past. We'll do better this year.
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