How long will jams, jellies and preserves keep.

**fixer** · 04-09-2009, 08:11 AM

Since I apparently dodged a bullet with the cold weather, my optimism is running wild. We would like to make peach preserves this years. If canned, how long can we expect them to last. Normally, we do several years worth at a time. I made dinner with tomatoes that were five years old. That year we did more than two hundred quarts since we had a good crop.

**LastDragonfly** · 04-09-2009, 10:09 AM

I think they will last several years. I am planning on canning some (if we get apples this year) and then I will be drying some to can when it's not 102 here. I've never done that, but I will also freeze them to can at a later cooler date.

**Momto2Boyz** · 04-09-2009, 01:01 PM

I think the "general" shelf life of canned foods is 12 months. However, I think it also depends on what you are canning. I've had pickles and jam that lasted several years and were still great and fresh when we finally opened them!

**StaceyS** · 04-09-2009, 01:56 PM

I'm eating okra (plain and pickled) that I canned over 2 years ago and it's great.

**stinkbug** · 04-09-2009, 03:07 PM

The Ball Blue Book is a good source for canning info and shelf life. Personally, I would not eat canned goods that are 5 years old.....I think 2 years is about the max I would risk.

**fixer** · 04-09-2009, 03:31 PM

Due to not wanting to waste anything, we sometime takes canned goods to the limit. I always inspect the jar carefully and use my hand to check the seal. If I can open the lid with my hand, it gets pitched.

It is easier for us to can things for more than a years supply. We are on a rotation for tomatoes. Each year we can either salsa, pasta sauce or whole tomatoes. This mean we keep a three years supply. We can beets every other year. They are messy and time consuming so we do two years worth in maybe an eighteen hour day. Trashing the kitchen once is better than multiple times.

**StaceyS** · 04-09-2009, 04:44 PM

I think 3 years for sure, sometimes we don't get a certain crop but once every 3 years!

**Michelle** · 04-09-2009, 06:11 PM

Information seems to vary, but I would say beyond a year is pushing it. And remember, just because something looks & smells fine, doesn't mean that it's safe to eat.

http://www.umext.maine.edu/onlinepubs/htmpubs/4277.htm

**Michelle** · 04-09-2009, 06:13 PM

How long will canned food keep?
Properly canned food stored in a cool, dry place will retain optimum eating quality for at least 1 year. Canned food stored in a warm place near hot pipes, a range, a furnace, or in indirect sunlight may lose some of its eating quality in a few weeks or months, depending on the temperature. Dampness may corrode cans or metal lids and cause leakage so the food will spoil.

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/questions/FAQ_canning.html#5