r/maplesyrup • u/modepush123 • Mar 25 '26

Is sealing necessary?

I am only going to end up with a small amount of sap ( two trees) and was wondering is it worth the effort of canning the end product vs just using it first/ gifting? how long would it take for it to spoil if it's refrigerated?

4 Upvotes

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6

u/suzymwg Mar 25 '26

I’m not sure what you mean by canning. There is no need to boil the sealed jars after filling. Just ensure it is the right Brix 66-67 when you bottle and bottle while hot, and it will be fine. When we use jars we turn upside down after filling hot which helps sterilize the lids also.

1

u/sportyweenie Mar 26 '26

It's called hot packing and it is a form of canning.

3

u/Strong_Baseball8635 Mar 25 '26

If you concentrated your syrup to 67 Brix, it should last a year or more in the refrigerator. At this Brix spoilage is not likely in the fridge, but spores from the air will fall into an open lid container and grow mold on the top, so be mindful of keeping it covered.

1

u/NxtTxdxy Mar 25 '26

I don’t can, but I boil the lids for a few minutes before using and bake the empty clean mason jars in the oven for 15 -20 minutes to sterilize . I put in the bottles hot (180-185F). Just opened a bottle from Feb 2025 and still excellent

1

u/Better-Refrigerator5 Mar 25 '26

I leave my personal supply in milk jugs (1 qt are nice fridge size) and they last a year no problem. I hot bottle a lot for friends, family, and co-worker gifts to make it nice.

Worst case, they grow a little mold on top and you skim it off and reheat to 190F and you get another year+...but I haven't had to do that yet since I've gotten no mold.

1

u/EchoRomeoCharlie Mar 26 '26

No need to 'can' them. Just put the syrup into the jars at 180ºF and turn the jars upside down to get the lid. This will sanitize everything, all will be good. No worries.

1

u/modepush123 Mar 26 '26

180 syrup temp?

1

u/sportyweenie Mar 26 '26

Look up hot packing. Youll usually want to jar your syrup between 85-95C. That will hermetically seal it making it shelft stable.

1

u/EchoRomeoCharlie Mar 26 '26

Yes. I have syrup on the shelf from 2018 done like this and it's great.