A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Banter Hall HELP..Does Jelly Mold?

I have these three jars of jelly, or preserves....refrigerated since April...which I have never finished using, or even opened since April.

My question is.....What Happens to OLD jelly/preserves/jam???!!



The one on the left looks like it has something liquid on top of it.
Does it make liquid-sugar??




The one on the right looks like it has white 'stuff' on top!!



I haven't opened any of them yet...they just look gross!!!

Should I just toss them out...scoop off the white 'stuff'.....stir up the liquid? What?

In my experience with store bought jellies and jams...

YES they do get moldy! I always throw it out, as 2 of us are allergic to penicilin!!!

YES they get a bit watery on top, but that doesn't bother me - I usually just pour the liquid out and it's fine.

They also tend to turn color when they go bad. I just threw out a jar of Polaner All Fruit yesterday - it still had a month to go on the expiration date on the lid, but the color had turned from dark purple to a brown. EWWWWWWW!

Have you checked the expiration dates?

Please be careful, Shirley - we don't want you getting sick from eating bad food!

Mine is Polaner also!! Yes, it has turned color!!!

No I haven't checked the date....go do that now.....

Wow! Dec. of 2009!!!! It doesn't keep very well!!!

I have my jellies & jams go bad all the time, shirley.---We are not big jelly eaters--well really not big "conventional" breakfast eaters, so we tend not to empty the jars real fast.


I always think that a large number of the expiration dates are refering to before they are opened.--once they are opened, all bets are off. I think of them as being canned--unopened it would last a long time, but once opened they have a limited shelf life.

I say if it doubt throw it out--saving a few dollars in a food is not worth your health, after all.

I throw anything questionable out! It drives James crazy!!

OK everyone.....they're all in the trash!!!

Glad you tossed them, Shirley!

And I agree with Carol... once a jar is opened for any food, the expiration date no longer applies unfortunately.

I eat Smuckers and have never had it look like that. Maybe it has more preservatives.

maybe you eat yours faster, barb. at least fast enough to keep it from going bad.

Mine (and I use smuckers as well as polaners) only does such things if I let it set in the icebox for an extended time and do not use it much. I think once opened the shelf life is limited.

"icebox" haven't heard that in a long time.

I eat a lot of grape Smuckers.

I do that too....drives Mark nuts too. He thinks I'm wasteful. I just think I'm being careful.

Good thing you threw them out Shirley, better to be safe than sorry.

It happened at our house again this morning! You know when you buy lunch meat from the deli at the grocery store it just doesn't stay fresh as long?!? Well I bought some over a week ago and then I bought new stuff yesterday. Well I forgot to throw the old stuff out when yesterday. So...this morning I was in the shower and James came and asked if I wanted a turkey sandwich for lunch. I said...sure but use the new turkey. He said...there is nothing wrong with the other stuff. I said....make mine with the new turkey or don't make it at all. He just shakes his head. But he must have thought more about it because he made his own with the new turkey too!

i had to designate a shlf on mu refrigerator as a bad food shelf (food for teh dogs ya know)--If it is in there Rod will try to eat it.
as a result I am contantly cleaning the thing out.

and I know I like to buy lunch meat at the deli for variety but I often wonder and so I too am very careful.

I think the meat at the deli tastes better but I don't think it stays fresh as long.

I agree. I esp love to go there so I can buy several kinds of cheeses without buying a lot. I love to eat different cheeses at lunch.

Johnny has a thiing about milk. I don't drink milk so I don't have an opinion. If it's the day before the expiration date he won't drink it.

Is it ok to give spoiled food to the dog?

Unless it is real bad we give spoiled milk to the dog, and some foods I am not sure of.---I THINK they will not eat food that is not safe for them.--The reason they can be poisoned is the poison does not have a smell.

since we too throw away a lot that is likley good, Dante does well in the table foods department. :)

if your dog is used to eating table scrapes and the food isn't TOO spoiled, I believe it is ok. depends alot on the dog though. some dogs will know for themselves if it is safe to eat, some dogs have no self control - will eat anything put in front of them. and some are what I call 'city dogs' and don't have a lot of their own natural insticts. its a matter of knowing your dog and a judgement call.

well said, cricket.

I am picky about milk too. I don't drink milk much but put it on my cereal and I won't use it if it is a day past the expiration date. No way! James will smell it and still if it smells okay he uses it but I won't. It probably is fine but I don't trust it!! I am the same way with eggs. I go by the expiration date!

guess you can't be too safe with dairy.