Q and A: shelf life of commercially canned food and canned salsa

Shelf life of commercially canned food

Do commercially canned (in glass jars) food have the same shelf life as home canned foods?

Barbara Nemitz
Pearland, Texas

Yes, commercially canned foods in glass jars do have the same shelf life as home canned foods — nearly indefinite given decent storage conditions (cool, dark, dry). All too often folks read the “freshness date” on the container and toss perfectly good food because it’s “too old.” What a waste! — Jackie

Canned salsa

I canned salsa last summer. We opened up a pint to use this past October and it was too “vinegary.” I hate to throw out all the jars from that batch. The seals have held. Just wondering how to get the vinegar taste out. Can I dilute it with a fresh batch of salsa and re-can? I didn’t own your book last summer, but have since bought it and plan to use your recipes this summer.

Betsy Pitchford
Scottsboro, Alabama
 
Gee, that’s too bad. But all is not lost. Yes, you can mix fresh salsa with that vinegary salsa and either eat fresh or else re-can it. You can also try adding a little brown sugar to a jar after you open it and see if that cuts the vinegar taste; that often works. Or add white sugar and use it as a salad ingredient. I often use my salsa on salads in the winter anyway. The tomatoes sure taste better than store tomatoes in the winter! — Jackie