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77K views 57 replies 37 participants last post by  MikeK 
#1 ·
does anyone know the shelf life of home processed foods such as meats, relishes, and vegetables?
 
#4 ·
canned beef, chicken and pork in canning jars, does anyone know the shelf life for these items?

I don't want to have to open them and smell, and hope that they don't give my kids food poisoning,

I was wondering if anyone had any info to help me to determine just how long these foods, when properly pressure processed will store in ideal conditions
 
#5 ·
Dinka-dink!

Does the lid pop up and down? If so it will make a noise, dinka-dink.

So long as the lid is held down tight, it indicates that the jar is still holding vacuum. No pathogens have grown in the jar, and it is safe.

Dinka-dink means it is dog food.

No sound means it is safe.
 
#28 ·
The FDA article on canned food shelf life here: http://web.archive.org/web/20070509153848/http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/CONSUMER/CON00043.html
The steamship Bertrand was sunk April 1, 1865, food that was canned in it was tested in 1974 and was still good. Vitamin A and C levels of the food had deteriorated, but protein value was still the same and no microbial or bacterial growth was found.

"Among the canned food items retrieved from the Bertrand in 1968 were brandied peaches, oysters, plum tomatoes, honey, and mixed vegetables. In 1974,chemists at the National Food Processors Association (NFPA) analyzed the products for bacterial contamination and nutrient value. Although the food had lost its fresh smell and appearance, the NFPA chemists detected no
microbial growth and determined that the foods were as safe to eat as they
had been when canned more than 100 years earlier. "

The article includes things to look for in stored foods to detect spoilage, including the lack of dinka-dink (love that), cracks, etc.

The article also includes testing of 40 year old canned corn that looked like freshly canned corn.

If it's sealed, and doesn't smell bad, it's good to eat :)
 
#10 ·
Our modern culture has been teaching folks about this 'shelf-life' thing. I suspect part of it is capitalism, to force folks to throw out older canned food to buy fresher canned goods.

I was taught as a child to press the button on the lid. My wife does the same thing. We taught our children to do it. It works. in the 2000's we ate foods that were canned in the 1930s. They were fine.

Meat always needs to be canned in an acidic solution. Either citric acid [tomato, lemon, any citric source] or vinegar. [of course vinegar is a complete preservative so canning is not entirely required if you use vinegar. We have stuff in crocks with vinegar]

Once canned [pressure-cooker or hot-water-bath] a vacuum is formed inside the jar. Ideally during cooking all pathogens were killed inside. But if anything survived, and starts to grow it will release the vacuum. Telling you that it is no longer 'good'.

The system of mason-jar home canning was really pretty smart. It has been with us for many decades and it works.

:)

Dinka-dink.
 
#12 ·
I think planned obsolecence is a big part of it also companys are prol worried bout litigation so they hedge there bets and mark a much shorter shelf life
nothing worse than a multi million dollar lawsuit because someone went few weeks past your exp date an got sick that an its more money
 
#13 ·
okay so you can eat something from 1930's and if it looks good and smells good it won't kill you?

so basically you would have to go by texture and smell to determine spoilage.

thanks for your responses, I'm honestly looking for answers, I was hoping that there was a web site somewhere with info on home processing shelf life or something
 
#14 ·
I guess I missed it. Sorry, my bad.

Who said anything about texture or smell?

Those are completely different topics from spoilage.

I thought we were discussing spoilage. Pathogens, bacteria that may begin to grow inside canned food.

If you wish to discuss texture and smell [which is completely different from spoilage] than I have no idea.
 
#16 ·
not nessesairaly i have stuff thats gotten a lil darker but still taste great a decade later not sure id try something from the 30s but if i was hungry i may if im able to identify it

and you sure that it was food originaly and not something else? but if it smells like its gone bad when you open it dont eat it
 
#17 ·
I just asked my wife.

She says that it is very likely with tin-cans when they have been dented that a crack forms along the dent, allowing air inside so pathogens can grow. When opening tin-cans with dents always examine the contents.

In the context of mason-jar canning, she says that she does recall seeing a jar of canned potatoes that had began to discolor even though the seal was still good. So apparently it does happen in a small percentage. She has no idea why.

I did not think it was possible. She says it is. I stand corrected.

Though it is still my understanding that such is extremely rare.

I apologize if my previous post was rude. I was in error.



When discussing canned meats, she says that she has never seen any meat in tomato-juice go bad. But it would depend on the contaminant. If there were a contaminant that could survive the canning process, and then survive the acid to start growing again, she thinks it might be possible.

Talking with her about contaminants, we can see if there were some poison that got in with the meat, there is a possibility that the poison could ruin the meat. Aside from the fact that it is also poisoned.

She also says to remember than when corn-salting or pickling meat it is very common to see discoloring. So if you canned meat in a salt brine, or in a vinegar solution, you will often see discoloring in the meat years later. But it is normal.

:)
 
#27 ·
As a child I was commonly fed food that my grandmothers had canned. Both of their pantries were loaded with food from way back.

In 1991-1993 we were doing a lot of renovations to our home, which included digging out the basement [Each seasons rains had been washing silt into the basement]. I wheel-barreled a lot of dirt out, and I un-covered shelves that had been buried, with lots of old stuff [Phonograph wax cylinders from the 1880s, home canned veggies, and a case of home-made whiskey from the prohibition era].

Most of the veggies were still good. All of the whiskey was good.
 
#19 ·
Canned goods last a long time, I've had home canned potatos for 8+ years, still good, as far as store bought canned goods, I've had a few that rusted out, and tomato soup after 9 years start to eat the cans from the inside...tasted metallic....when in doubt throw it out.
Remember the date on the can is a best by date...remember the producer wants you to eat it when it taste the best so you will buy more...maybe even toss it after so long so you will buy more...You should see my dinner guest when they see the dates on my cans and boxed stuff...alot of the city slickers won't touch it as they formed the opinion that the date is expiration, not best buy.. I figure that they just haven't been hungry enough yet.
 
#23 ·
It comes down to how it was processed, and how it is stored. If your canned food is exposed to light, it will break down quicker, not go bad, just break down. Can it correctly, I hope you have experience in this, store it correctly, dark, cool environment, and it will last for YEARS. That is pressure canning, not to be mistaken for water bath canning. There really is no set "5 years for product A" out there. You have to know what to look for, and it doesnt hurt to bring what you are opening to a boil to kill most bacteria that COULD show up. Buy a few books, read up on it. The biggest issue here is, if you practice good preparations, you should be eating what you store, can, etc. And the expiration issue is done. If you are just looking to store canned food for years down the road, I think you need to look at the big prep picture and re-focus.
 
#24 ·
I'm still new (ish) to the world of pressure canning meats. I use, as a general rule, a 1-year-from-canning-date as my expiration date. I store my home canned goods in a dark cabinet in the house (temperature controlled)...so the "expiration" date may be extended. As a safety precaution, still do the "dinka-dink" method to check the seal before use.

Here's a couple of websites I use for references
pickyourown.org
canningusa.com
There's also a USDA Canning Guide (I don't have the website, I copied the .pdf onto my computer)
 
#26 ·
We canned some zucchini relish something like 5 years ago or more and I dug out a jar of it for the Cub Scout Hot Dog Stand at the Pinewood Derby. No one got sick eating it on their dogs. I've eaten apples that I canned that were about 5 to 6 years old and again no one got sick.

As long as the top hasn't popped all should be fine. Bacteria doing their evil wil make gas and gas will pop the top.
 
#30 ·
Dogs have completely different digestion systems than humans have.

Dogs are happy eating soiled cat-litter [they think the cat litter box has hidden treats for them].

Dogs 'love' eating week ago road-kill. The more it stinks the better.

I would not be overly concerned about dogs getting spoiled meat.

:)
 
#34 ·
I bought the family farm a few years ago, and was cleaning out the old cellar under the smokehouse. Shelves and shelves of canned goods from the 50's and 60's, stored away from the light, and at a stable temp since they were put up. Lots of it dinka'-dink'd, so it had to go, but there was some pickled peppers and vegetable soup that I would have loved to eat.

The Mrs. told me to err on the side of caution. She's the canner and preserver, so I took her advice. We still scored about 100 old mason jars! A good scouring, new rings and lids, and we're good to go!

I would've eaten the good ones, and still would to this day. 60yr old grub, just think!
 
#36 ·
I go with a one year plan. I want to grow and can for one year, maybe a buffer of a little extra, but space is limited and I don't want to waste my time canning food that is going to taste like crap because I have enough for 10 years.

So, one year. If my garden produces more I eat more fresh and if I can't eat it all, then the chickens usually clean up after me. That has yet to happen by the way........

It may be safe to eat, but I've seen some pretty bad old canned goods that I would probably eat worms before I ate it, sealed or not. We had the privilege of cleaning out a closet of VERY OLD canned goods. I could not even tell what they were supposed to be let alone open them up and eat them. Eeeewwww.
 
#37 ·
We are having home canned chicken for dinner tonight, it was canned two years ago this month. I have 20 quarts, 25 pints, and at least two dozen 1/2 pints that old, I won't hestiate to eat any of it. We also have Venison from two seasons ago on the shelf, late last year we were eating spagetti sauce from 2006.

Canned properly and stored properly the stuff lasts a LONG time.
 
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