For a lot of you, last year was your first summer of canning. If your initial foray was anything like mine (years ago now), you probably made a whole lot of jam. So much jam, in fact, that you are still swimming in it a year later. And now a new canning season is nearly upon us. What to do about all those still-full jars?
Some of you might be feeling like you’ve got to toss all that jam. After all, the USDA says that it’s only good for a year, right? Happily, that is not the case. Jam doesn’t have some invisible expiration device built in that goes off once it’s been on the shelf for 12 months. That jar pictured above? It’s strawberry jam that I made in June of 2009. I ate it over waffles this last Sunday to delicious results. It is perfectly fine nearly two years after canning.
Here’s what you should know. The act of canning doesn’t preserve food forever. But you can often get 18 months to two years out of your higher sugar products like jams and fruit canned in syrup. As long as the seal is good and the lid seems properly concave, your product should be just fine. My personal rule of thumb is that the more sugar a canned good has, the longer its life will be. That means that those low sugar fruit butters aren’t going to last as long as those candy-like jams.
As you prepare for this canning season, it’s a good idea to take stock of what you still have left. If it’s obvious that you’re not going to be able to use up certain items in advance of the upcoming season, consider skipping that particular jam or preserve this year. Try a few new things and feel comfortable eating that 2010 strawberry jam well into 2012.
Can I eat canned jelly that is 10 years old if seal is still good?
After ten years, the flavor probably won’t be great, but as long as the seal is good and the product hasn’t changed radically in color or consistency, it should be safe for consumption.
I had some apple pie filler canned about 20 years ago I was told by a friend if seal is still in tacked it should still be ok I haven’t opened any of the jars yet it’s in a crate in a dark closet sugar was added and we have moved about six times and cart it from one house to another
Whether or not it is safe, chances are that it won’t taste particularly good after all this time. I would probably empty those jars into the trash or compost and use them for something else. No amount of sugar can preserve the quality of those apple pie filling for 20 years.
I made some mango pineapple and pepper jam in 2021. Plus some in, 22,23, and 24. I did a hot water bath for properly sealing the jars. Last summer our house was damaged in a storm and the AC was off for about 3 weeks. We live in Texas, so the indoor temps were in the 80’s and low 90’s. The jars are all still sealed, and they look fine, but I haven’t opened them, so I’m not sure. Do you think the heat affected them adversely, or do you think they are still safe to eat? Thanks!
They should still be safe to eat. The older batches may have some quality loss, but the heat exposure didn’t make them unsafe.
I made nectarine/peach jam and forgot the lemon juice. I used low sugar pectin (6 Tbls), but used 8 cups of sugar for 8 cups of fruit.
Jam has set well and it’s the best tasting jam I’ve made this year.
Is it OK for a year without the added lemon?
It’s fine to skip the lemon, as yellow peaches and nectarines are safe for canning without any additional acid. In that jam, lemon juice is typically there to balance the flavor and help with the set.
I made some delicious grape jelly and put it in a water bath. Jars sealed fine and I check them about once every couple of weeks to make sure there is no movement. Why would a sealed jar with no movement have movement a month or two later. And can I put it in the fridge and use it now. Looks fine when I opened it.
If your water bath process was somehow done incorrectly, you can have some microbial activity over time. That’s why you might see bubble activation once the jars have been on the shelf for awhile. However, if you process properly, the risk of it occurring is very low.
Made strawberry jam but I didn’t have a rolling boil just a boil that couldn’t be stirred down. Is my jam safe to store and eat within a year?
Yes. The boiling has nothing to do with safety, it simply helps create the set of the jam because the boil cooks out water content, increases sugar concentration, and helps make the pectin work. As long as you processed your jam in a boiling water bath canner and the jars are well sealed, they are absolutely shelf stable.
I have strawberry jelly that’s 5 years old and I ate it, taste just like it did when I made it . Is it safe?
As long as the seal was good, it should be fine. Jam declines in quality over time, but if the seal is good, and the color, consistency and smell are the same, it is fine.
How long will French peach jam last? Is it still good after five years and unopened?
It is probably still safe to eat, though the quality may have declined some. I’d suggest you open it, give it a good sniff and a visual inspection. Has it changed color or texture? Are there any suspicious spots? Has the smell gotten strange? If the answers are all no, it should be fine.
What about 5 years for blueberry jelly?
It probably doesn’t taste particularly good anymore.
My wife found a jar of canned wild blueberry/orange jelly (maybe jamb, hard to tell) in our archives that she canned in 1999, 23 years ago. It’s characteristics are it is very black in color, stiff in texture, odorless and virtually tasteless (yeah, I had to try a spoonful). I am now left to wonder what the nutritional values would be….
I see below in the comments that this achievement has been beaten by others 🙂
I just made some blackberry jam. By accident I left an inch head space at top. When jam came out of canning bath lids popped.
Will jam be ok to store since directions said a 1/4 inch head space?
It should be fine. The only issue you might have is that it could decline in quality a little faster.
I have some one year old quince jelly that I made in VERY large pots just to use up the excess last year. I just made a huge batch fresh this year so I don’t see any way those large pots from last year will get eaten. I am thinking of taking last year’s remaining and re-heating it to put in smaller jam jars. I can then take the opportunity to try a few fun experiments – add a drop of port to one, a bit of cointreau to another etc… Will my quince jelly reset in the smaller pots and will I survive the experiment? Thanks – Simon
It is a risk that I might not set up again, but if you’re not going to use it as-is, I think it’s a risk worth running.
Thank you for the shelf life of Cannes jams. The information also stated the concentration of sugar was a positive for jams and shelf life. I will be ready to start some jam canning this month. Information reminded about lid being conveyed Nice reminder.
i have 15 year old jam preserves. never been opened, obviously. is it ok to eat? should i just open it and see? can i get sick from it?
I would not eat them. As long as the seals are still good, they won’t do you any harm, but they won’t taste good.
I have a 2014 jar of blackcurrant jam 2012 to 2014 it has 12 g of sugar it big jar I hate to throw out had it in my cupboard hate throw it and my favourite.
You should open it and see how it looks. Jams don’t go bad in a way that can be dangerous, they just lose quality over time. If it looks normal, and smells normal, you should taste it. If it still tastes good to you, it is safe to eat. However, chances are good that it won’t be all that delicious after that many years on the shelf.
Thank you for the information I have strawberry and raspberry jam that was done on 6/2020
The seal is still right and tight but I wasn’t sure how long I should keep it
It’s the last 2 jars
Thank You so much 😊
That jam is probably still delicious! Jams typically keep well for two years!
How do you can banana Jam? Can this be done?
Bananas are very low in acid, and so they have to be handled with care. There are a number of recipes out there, but I don’t know of any that have been tested to ensure safety.
I have a question, might not be the exact topic but…………I made apricot jam last night then realized I didn’t have lids. We live in a small town so all the stores are out. Can I leave the jam in the fridge for a could of days until I find some.
Thank you
Yes. Just bring it back to a boil before canning.
I wanted to share this. I was looking for a snack tonight, and I came upon an old 2012 jar of damson preserves canned by my mom. She has dementia now, and I was so happy to find the jar as I thought I had already eaten the last jar she would ever make for me. They taste wonderful, and it was like a gift from heaven.
I’m so glad you found that jar and got a little culinary gift from the past. What a blessing canning can be.
Thanks everyone. My 16 yr old son has been wishing we had some of my mixed berry jam but I haven’t had time to can for the last two years, my husband found a bin full of jams I made and canned 3 years ago, after reading comments we opened one up and it was just like the day I made it according to my son. I hated the thought of dumping all this jam.
So glad that you didn’t have to throw away your jam!
My niece sent me newly made damson preserves from Richmond to New Jersey. She had just made them a week ago. They were in small mason jars. I opened one and it was tightly sealed.. I had to use the old fashioned flip top can opener to get the lid off. I di not think about the parafin wax and I didn’t notice any. They were in the heat and in transit for about 4 days. She put the wax on the top. Could the wax have melted in the jar in transit. After I put them in the refrigerator the wax came back to the top. Do you think it’s ok to eat them.?
Wax isn’t toxic, so it’s not unsafe exactly. However, using wax isn’t recommended anymore and tells me that the jam wasn’t processed in a water bath, which would give me more pause.
I just made a batch of peach cinnamon jam and after sitting in my pantry for about 5 days, I found out that one of them had not sealed properly. Is it still okay to eat?
Because it’s a high acid preserve, as long as there’s no visible presence of mold, it’s safe to pop it into the fridge and eat it.
My peach jam was still sealed after 5 years, however I took off the lid and it had black stuff underneath [I didn’t notice it at first]. The jam tasted burnt, I tasted it before seeing the under part of the lid. Has my jam gone bad or was it just a bad batch or both?
I can’t really begin to guess why your jam has an off flavor. Five years is a long time on the shelf.
I just took a jar of apricot home made jam out of the pantry and the lid came off in my hand. It looks very fresh (made it last year) Is it still good to eat?
Because I wasn’t there, I really can’t comment. You have to use your own judgment.
awesome information here, thank you! I make hot pepper jelly from all kinds of fruits. I have several people that want it but it costs so much to ship the jars. I was wondering if after the cooked jelly cools down in the pot, can I spoon it in a food saver bag, push all the air out of it and then seal it? After they receive it in the mail, I think it should last for awhile in the refrigerator. What are your thoughts about this?
My folks are just moving here to TX from Northern CA. Mom has always been a canner! However, the move was in June, not an air conditioned truck for four days and in a non AC storage unit in 100 degree temps for a few weeks. Most jam was paraffin sealed. Do I keep or toss? If others have been ring sealed (jam/tomatoes/pickles) are we ok?
I would definitely toss anything that was sealed with paraffin. That’s not a recommended method for sealing anymore, and that aside, the chances of any of those seals being intact after that much heat exposure is slim to none. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if many of those jars are getting moldy as I type.
The ones that were sealed with two piece lids (my fingers are crossed that your mom processed them in a boiling water bath), should be okay. However, I’d check everything carefully before using, because there could be some serious quality loss.
I have chokecherry juice that I canned in 2013 wil it still be okay to use this syrup to make jelly. They are still sealed and smell fine?
That’s pretty old. It’s probably safe, but I bet the flavor won’t be great at this point.
I made habanaro Jam 2 years ago. It did not set. The seals are still good. Is it safe to try to reset this Jam.
I wouldn’t try to remake this jam. The flavor profiles will have declined while in storage, so it’s not really work putting a lot of energy into it at this point.
Hi Everyone. I like to make elderberry jam. The problem is, that many of the places are being sprayed lately, and I have no new source of berries, until my own patch is more mature. In the meantime, I have 5 quart jars of elderberry juice that I make in 2016. I am planning on making jam with some of it. Do you think that this will be okay? I used lemon juice to help preserve it. I haven’t opened any yet until I’m ready to make the jam.
I just opened a perfectly sealed jar of beach plum jam we made 6 years ago and it’s fine. I hate wasting food.
I HAVE SOME BLACKBERRY/RHUBARB JAM THAT MY HUSBAND CANNED IN 2011 AND 2012. DO YOU THINK THIS IS STILL GOOD TO USE. THE LID IS STILL ON TIGHT. BERYL ITANI
It is probably safe, though it won’t be as delicious as it was when it originally went into the jars.
I think I have the longest record on “old” jelly. My mother made chokecherry jelly back in 1994. The lid was still concave, has not bulged out at all. The seal was so good that I had to run hot water over the lid, tapped gently around the edge of the lid with a butter knife handle, and used my jar opener grips to be able to open the jar. I stared at it for a couple of minutes, smelled the opening —- smelled good, dipped a spoon into the jelly and tasted it. It tasted exactly as I remembered it from last “century”. I waited a day to see if I had any reaction to the jelly. None whatsover, so have been having it with my toast every morning. So that is the story of a jar of 24 year old chokecherry jelly.
I’m thinking of canning my elderberry immune building syrup to give it at least a year in shelf. I use dried wildcrafted elderberries,raw honey,bee pollen,organic orange,cinnamon sticks,star anise,cloves,ginger,turmeric,peppercorn,unsealed and rasehips. Should I add citric acid or fresh lemon or lime before I process it and strain it? Also I have canned tomatoes and other vegetables. I have a cod pack canner and a have a pressure cooker which do you think is the best for my super charged elderberry syrup?
Hi Judy, I’m researching same. I’m curious… what did you decide on? Thanks
My question is once you do open jam how long will it keep in the fridge?
In the fridge it will last a long time. As long as there is no mold growing I wouldn’t worry about it.
I just open a jar of jam that was made in 2012 and it was very good. It has been in the frig all this time. Time will tell if it was no good. If I don’t get sick then it was good.?
I just yesterday opened a jar of jam made from peaches. It seemed ok, but I noticed today that it was made in 2013. I am not feeling well today and am wondering if the two are related.
As long as the seal was still good, the color hadn’t changed radically, and the peaches smelled normal, the food was probably fine. I don’t imagine that your unwell feelings are related to the peaches.
Hi! I was wondering if you know how long jams made with honey instead of sugar would last? I can’t eat refined sugar, but honey as a sweetener is acceptable on the diet that I am on, and I was planning on canning jams made as such.
Preserves made with honey and other less refined sweeteners will keep up to a year while sealed in the jar (though they can have some color loss). However, once open, they only keep a few weeks in the fridge before succumbing to mold.
Thanks for your helpful info, do u have any natural jam recipe that u dont mind shring 🙂 even if it s not natural, i m looking for strawberry jam 🙂
Cheers
https://foodinjars.com/2009/06/strawberry-jam/
I just opened a jar of raspberry jam from a farmers market. We ate some before I noticed that the jam was a much lighter color two inches down, then I saw a tiny black streak on the underside of the lid. No fuzz, white, or anything. Just dark jam and a black streak. Do you think this was mold? They use honey, lemon, and pectin in the process.
Thanks in advance!
I think it’s fine. Some slight discoloration is totally normal (particularly with honey) and if the lid had any scratches, that could account for the dark streak. I wouldn’t worry about the safety of that jam!
Canned figs to make fig jam–used a lot of sugar–1 lbs figs to 1 cup sugar…Jars and lids were hot water sterilized and then filled and then put back in canning pot for 20 minutes to get hot again. Took jars out and heard all of them pop to seal–checked all the jars and they all sealed.
The fig jam is very sweet–I didn’t use lemon juice or citric acid.
How long can I count on these to keep safely? Currently all kept at room temperature in an air conditioned house (Florida). I would like to start giving some jars as gifts.
Figs need either lemon juice or citric acid in order to be safe. Otherwise, they’re too low in acid to be safely canned. I wouldn’t consider your fig jam safe for gifting since there was no added acid.
Hi, I have several jars of apricot jam which are a year old. I’ve noticed the top of the jam is a dark brown color whereas the rest of the jam in the jar is orange. Is it still good to eat?! Why is it darker at the top?
Your jam oxidized. It often happens with light colored preserves. Just scrape off the discoloration and use what’s below.