How long will home canned beets last.

by Shirley

I was just wondering if you could please tell me how many years one should keep canned Beets??
THE SEAL was still good, hard to get off, Beets weren't as bright in color as they are when there 1st canned.

My friend had canned these beets in 1987, 22 yrs ago, and still uses them & made harvard beets out of them. Is there any one one can get sick from eating home canned beets this old? She has a lot of canned goods that are very old, & I was wondering what the date such be for beets, tomatoes, vegetables how long its safe to keep them & still eat them. Thank you.

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Answer: Hi Shirley, The USDA reccomends that home canned products be used within one year.

Personally, I am comfortable using them longer than that if the seal is still good. Remember this is MY OPINION. You must make your own decision regarding this.

The color loss is normal. Canned goods will even loose a little bit of color in a year. Keeping the jars stored in a dark place minimizes this.

However I would NOT be comfortable eating something 22 years old.

In my opinion 22 years is far too long to keep stored home canned products of any kind.