Have I had these to long?(Food Preservation)

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I have flax see that I've had for about 5 years, ground dried tomatoes that have turned darker that I've had for about 1 1/2 years, they smell strong and tomatoie, dried mixed greens that look lifeless, and dried snowpeas that have turned darker and smell strong, they were dried about 2 years ago.

I know you can keep most things for a long long time, but all but the flax seed look a little funny. In fact I heard that in one of the tombs in Egypt, dried fruit was found and it was totally shot. Thanks

-- Cindy (SE IN.) (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), January 19, 2001

Answers

Tombs of Egypt....must be alot like my basement! I would say that anything dried that didn't have any furry stuff on it would be fine to use as long as it was cooked well. I have used dried mushrooms before that were 2 or 3 years old and am still kicking! They might not have many vitamins left in them so you probably should use them in soup to help 'em out. Did you keep the flax seed in the freezer or in the pantry? I always keep my cereals and whole grains in my freezer. I know that I've eaten canned goods that were way old! They last almost forever, or until the tops rust off! I've never dried greens though. Parsley and other herbs last forever so the greens should be ok I would think. My parsley that I dried a couple of years ago just got a little lighter in color.

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), January 19, 2001.

About storing dried produce: beans keep eternally, but do require longer cooking times; herbs do lose some of their flavor even if stored in airtight containers (glass is best). Home canned goods keep at least 5 yrs. if the seal is never broken. Commercially canned in metal or tin also last for yrs. and may even show signs of rust on the lids, but will still be good. Molly Mushrooom

-- Molly Mushroom (mollymushroom@hotmail.com), January 26, 2001.

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