# Decades old canned food.



## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

Here's a guy who's opening several cans from the 80's, 90's and one from 2000. Nothing smells. The only thing that looked a just little questionable was the chicken soup. I found it sort of reassuring.


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## Lunatic Wrench (May 13, 2018)

Didn't see anything I wouldn't eat if it came down to it.

I have a can of pre New Coke I believe 1984, I've thought about trying it, but can't bring myself to pop it open.


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## azrancher (Dec 14, 2014)

Smells good, must be good... not exactly very scientific, I don't think you can smell botulism. Now if he had sent them off to a lab to be analysed, then maybe that would be a better experiment.

*Rancher*


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)




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## jimb1972 (Nov 12, 2012)

azrancher said:


> Smells good, must be good... not exactly very scientific, I don't think you can smell botulism. Now if he had sent them off to a lab to be analysed, then maybe that would be a better experiment.
> 
> *Rancher*


You can't smell botulism, but if it was in there it would kill you before the food expired as well.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

If the cans are not bulged or rusty the food may be OK. Notice, I said MAY and not SHOULD.
I know I have eaten 20+ year old C-rations before, but I believe C's were deliberately made for long term storage.

The oldest I have eaten from our stock here at the homestead were garbanzo beans that were 5 years past date. Didn't notice any difference in flavor or texture.


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

If you boil any botulism toxin gets denatured/detoxified; boil 10 min below 1000 ft, add a minute for each 1000 ft more.

https://www.healthycanning.com/should-you-boil-your-home-canned-vegetables/

I pressure can all my stores using current recommendations, for time and pressure, and discard any obviously spoiled jars (bad seal, moldy, cloudy, odor, bubbles, etc). The only exception is high acid foods that are still O.K. to can in a water bath, but generally will still pressure can those also.

I did mix up some jars a few years back. I was doing tomato sauce with added citric acid, and spaghetti sauce that had peppers/onions/garlic/mushrooms/spices. The wrong one, spaghetti, went in a water bath canner. Instead of reprocessing I just boiled them before using/eating them; none had signs of spoilage.

If SHTF, and all I had was canned food that I was unsure of it's processing/heritage, and had no obvious signs of spoilage, I'd boil it but still use or save it.


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## StratMaster (Dec 26, 2017)

rice paddy daddy said:


> If the cans are not bulged or rusty the food may be OK. Notice, I said MAY and not SHOULD.
> I know I have eaten 20+ year old C-rations before, but I believe C's were deliberately made for long term storage.
> 
> The oldest I have eaten from our stock here at the homestead were garbanzo beans that were 5 years past date. Didn't notice any difference in flavor or texture.


I am eating a LOT of stuff from 2009, and it's just fine. I always inspect the cans for rust and bulges of course. I have said this before , but it's such useful and simple advice it bears repeating: I have one of those cheap paper shredders, and I use it to shred up the local free socialist/commie news rag offered on every street corner (this pleases me somehow, using it for my preps LOL). Then I pack my canned food in boxes, and stuff that shredded paper in and around. It will keep your cans shiny bright, absorb all the ambient air moisture and prevent rust!


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## StratMaster (Dec 26, 2017)

here's your experiment... 1865

https://funfactz.com/food-and-drink-facts/canned-food-safe-to-eat/


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## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

This is why I worry about Annie.

She believes herself to be the reincarnation of Annie Oakley. As such, all she eats is Buffalo Bill's canned "Bison Innards." The newest can she has is dated '1905.'

Sure, it's tasty, but a burger might be okay once in awhile...


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

In a recent rearrangement of supplies, I found about 6-8 cans of fruit, various kinds from the same big name 
manufacturer that had leaked and gone bad. All cans had been purchased at the same time and were only 2 
years out of date. No signs of damage to the cans, so it musyt have been a can manufacturing problem. 
Fortunately all were clearly leaking.


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## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

The Tourist said:


> This is why I worry about Annie.
> 
> She believes herself to be the reincarnation of Annie Oakley. As such, all she eats is Buffalo Bill's canned "Bison Innards." The newest can she has is dated '1905.'
> 
> Sure, it's tasty, but a burger might be okay once in awhile...


I wish I were her reincarnation, especially with a rifle! She was quite the lady.


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## MisterMills357 (Apr 15, 2015)

Yes canned food can last and last, which is a good thing in my book. I am just mentioning this, I got some canned fish in brine water from Dollar Tree; and the water was white with salt, so that stuff is probably good for 50 years.


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## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

Annie said:


> I wish I were her reincarnation, especially with a rifle! She was quite the lady.


Practice, practice. I have a Ruger 10/22 that will not miss. I shoot at match boxes at unknown distances. Yes, I have bigger firearms costing several times more. But if I had to pick off a terrorist, I'd slap the ten shot magazine into the 10/22, and still have eight more rounds than I needed...


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## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

MisterMills357 said:


> Yes canned food can last and last, which is a good thing in my book. I am just mentioning this, I got some canned fish in brine water from Dollar Tree; and the water was white with salt, so that stuff is probably good for 50 years.


Sardines and canned salmon are two really good picks. They have omega 3 fatty acid.


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## MisterMills357 (Apr 15, 2015)

Annie said:


> Sardines and canned salmon are two really good picks. They have omega 3 fatty acid.


The sardines would not stay around for long, I could go through a 1 gallon bucket of them, mach schnell. 
Oh, yeah, with a box of crackers-- or 2 or 3. {The 1 gallon bucket is meant as exaggeration of course, but you get the idea.}


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## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

Annie said:


> Sardines and canned salmon.


I've never shot any of those. But if that's what you want, Annie, I'll get the 10/22 out and go hunting...


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