Expiration Dates
- Thread starter Robinjopo1
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Big Paul, I have to rely on others though. I can't smell or taste so I have been known to eat some pretty nasty stuff. Luckily, I was stopped before I ate too mu cheaper and got ill.
yeah, my previous mother in law couldn't small worth a damn either!!
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I had to smile when reading about water bath verses pressure cooking. When I tried telling my neighbor friend about using a pressure canner instead of the water bath. I got the "but Grandma always did it that way". Well sure enough, the potatoes he water bathed didn't seal properly and went bad. Fortunately for him, he could tell before trying to eat it.
. When I tried telling my neighbor friend about using a pressure canner instead of the water bath. I got the "but Grandma always did it that way". Well sure enough, the potatoes he water bathed didn't seal properly and went bad. Fortunately for him, he could tell before trying to eat it.
Water bath canning is okay for high acid foods like tomatoes. I switched over to all PC a few years ago and my tomatoes were not the same and I lost about 16 quarts which never happened with wb.
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Depending on you tomatoes, some are considered boarder line which is why we add in a little vinegar or lemon juice when canning. I honestly use the lemon cause I just don't like the added vinegar taste.
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Think the only time I've had to PC any tomatoes has been in soup recipes that had other stuff in them that needed to be pc'ed other than that always wb mine.
I very very seldom go by dates on can goods, I open and ate a canned gravy and sausage 11 years (if I remember right) after the best by date and it was fine though the nutritional value may be reduced significantly, I posted pictures somewhere on here. Home canning I'll stick to my rule of 2 to three years though I have eaten home canned stew 4yrs past the 2 year mark 6 years old and was fine. Sterilization and storage conditions will trump shelf life for home canned products though given I'm not perfect I'll stick with my 2 to 3 year rule. Commercially canned products I don't have a lot of concerns as long as there isn't any signs of damage or rust and if one had control of most of the product shelf time I have no qualms of eating it.
I go
ING back to the tried and true wb for my tomatoes this year. We eat about 60 quarts per year.
I add a teaspoon of lemon juice, but acid is acid.
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Back before the days of universal expiration dates...
We were told to look at the top of the can, or the lid of a jar, and if it wasn't indented by a vacuum the contents had spoiled.
We were told to look at the top of the can, or the lid of a jar, and if it wasn't indented by a vacuum the contents had spoiled.
That's a lot of tomatoe! I canned enough for two seasons two years ago luckily as my tomatoes didn't do well last year. I always try to store enough to get me through a bad season too. I'm low now so am hoping to do well this round.
That's how I do my home canned foods now.
I have some green beans that are about 4 years old. It was a very good year. Studies show that as long as the seal is good, the food is good. It loses a few of the nutrients though.
I am a strong advocate of really challenging the expiration dates of things. I mean, if something is obviously leaking or bloated, definitely keep away, but I see no reason at all to throw out perfectly good packaged or canned goods that could in all reasonableness keep for a few decades. I have tested this several times (believe me), and have not suffered any ill effects.
I just used today, a ten year past expired date can of tomato soup to add to a gumbo. It was fine.
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I've never paid attention to the expiry date before. If it doesn't smell too bad when I open something I eat it.
With the home canned stuff I still try to eat it before 3 yrs. if shtf then I would probably go further than that. In reality though, during shtf, not many would have the luxury of having extra stored food for that length of time. I also rotate my store bought canned items so they don't go much beyond their best by date. I figure that even when they are probably still safe to eat, why risk it if you don't have to? I've had food poisoning before, and it sucks....
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How did we ever manage to survive before we had a nanny government? I've had food poisoning before, but it wasn't from out dated food. My first wife was just a bad cook. She also put plant fertilizer in my water bottle. Maybe she had a plan.....
Sounds about as good as my first wife....
