Please note there are two separate paragraphs in my original post. One addresses the age of the jars, the decline in quality that happens, and the underlined assumption of proper processing done in the first place (we have no way of knowing if it was or not). The second paragraph address the issue of the OP's comment of smell and "I don't want to die". Since only c. botulinum can cause death and since it has no odor I addressed that issue separately. I also attached the decades-old standard home canning guideline of 10 min. boiling whenever there is ANY concern about the safety of the food. I did NOT say that longer storage time leads to increased incidence of botulism in the jars. As marla said the 10 min. boiling time for foods after opening any questionable jars has been known and used for forever. It is well documented that boiling the food for 10 min. will kill any c. botulinum toxins (not the spores themselves) however modern NCHFP guidelines recommend you throw away, unopened, jar and all, any questionable jars. The choice of which method to use when dealing with questionable jars, regardless of why they question them, is up to the individual. All we can tell them is what we would do. Personally, I would dump the sauce and wash and reuse the jars simply because they are so old and the quality will have declined substantially. But others would use it. So that is jens choice to make. Dave

i store.. dry.. unused media for upwards of a decade ... lol.. i buy a lot and apparently dont use it up fast ... when one speaks of OLD media .... i would presume they are talking about USED ... most old media... starts losing its predictability after a few years ... and when it loses such... water management MIGHT become a problem ... and secondarily.. salt buildup ... that crust often found on old potted plants ... when you start thinking about it as MEDIA... as compared to mother earth.. aka SOIL ... then you might take the next step in your learning curve ... i do NOT fertilize in the dark of winter .... i would start fert ... near the end of winter ... when the sun starts getting stronger.. and your plants should start growing a bit more vigorously ... do not treat them as children.. who need to be fert'd on some schedule of yours ... think about the yearly cycles of the plants and fert accordingly ... you do not name the plants we are talking about... so its near impossible to give anything beyond grand generalities ... as al notes.. a media that dries is not a bad thing ... avoids a lot of problems like gnats ... but if the plant is so root bound.. that there is no media left in the pot... then repotting is needed ... i have to re-root spider plants every summer... because there is no media left in the pot of a 2 year old plant.. and that makes it near impossible to water the pot.. in winter.. indoors... in MI.. so though al says its a good thing.. perhaps it is.. perhaps it isnt.. depending on what is going on.. in the pot ... good luck ken

As a collector, I track my seed longevity, so that I know how often seed needs to be regrown. I planted a lot of older seed this year, and these are my observations: Beans: Of 10 varieties planted from saved seed, (mostly from 2009), 5 had 100% germination, 3 had 96%, and 2 are just coming up now but look strong. Two more varieties being grown for the first time (one labeled as 2009, the other a swap of uncertain age) had rates of 87% and 60% respectively. Two limas (2010 & 2013) & two runner beans (2010 & 2015) had 100% germination. A yardlong bean (2012), adzuki (2010), and garbanzo (2014) all germinated 100%. One cowpea grown last year, however, had only 66% germination. It was grown under poor conditions, which demonstrates that you have to start with good seed to get good storage life... and I am hoping for better seed quality this year. Soybeans: Seem to have a shorter storage life than beans, especially large-seeded edamame varieties. An edamame type (2010) had very poor germination (under 10%), while a grain variety from the same year had nearly 100%. I was happy to see, though, that an edamame variety from 2007 still had about 7-8% germination, which is enough for me to renew the seed stock. Tomatoes: Two older varieties (2005 and 2006) had 100% germination, and another from 2005 had 83%. Saved seed from more recent years was 100%. The only tomatoes of 12 with poor germination were from swaps; one 64%, and one 0%. Peppers: Much more variation in germination than I see in tomatoes. The oldest (from 2007) had 92%. However, two varieties from 2012 (Beaver Dam & Pizza) only had 59% and 74% respectively. Of 15 varieties planted, only one had 100% - from 2015 seed. Seeds recently acquired (swaps or purchases) again had the worst performance; 27%, 57%, and one at 0%. Bitter melon: Two varieties; seed saved from 2015 (100%) and 2013 (98%). Cucumber: Very long-lived... seed saved from 2009 still had 100% germination. Watermelon: Blacktail Mountain saved seed (2012) - 100%. Onions: I did a bunching onion trial one year, then tried to plant some of the left over seed 3 years later... it was dead. Onion seed is the only one that I always freeze. I don't save seed for sweet corn & Swiss chard, but I buy them in bulk, and they have good germination for 3-4 years. Except for a few irreplaceable varieties (for which I freeze samples), all of my seed is stored at room temperature in an air conditioned home. I have had good luck with zippered freezer bags, since I can squeeze out excess air before storage; the bags are then packed tightly in boxes, so they can't re-inflate. Don't know if naming a brand is OK, but the Hefty freezer bags have proven to be the most durable. Cool & dry is important for seed storage, but exclusion of oxygen is also helpful - especially for room-temperature storage. For the most dedicated seed stewards, enclosing a desiccant & an oxygen absorber in the seed container will extend storage life. It is also important to avoid exposing the container to direct sunlight, especially if it is clear... heat buildup can occur very rapidly, and could kill or damage seeds in a very short time. If the seed container is opened frequently, the desiccant may need to be changed periodically, especially in humid environments. "And if you decide to give seeds away do tell people seeds age, as best as you can recall. Recipient will at least be prepared for what to expect." Agreed... and keep in mind that for swaps, your storage may have started in a hot mail box.

wintercat- Interestingly enough, mayonnaise (unopened and stored in a cool, dark, environment) is on a list I have of "indefinite (or nearly so) storage items" I received from a Food Storage Class, and also from other scientific sources on-line. After being opened, however, it goes downhill from there as determined by other contributing factors. An opened and partially-used container of mayo that has food debris in it, cross-contamination from meat on the knife and back into the spread, and/or has spent long periods of time sitting out of the refrigerator or at an unsafe refrigerator temperature (and most people haven't any idea what their refrigerator temperature actually is, nor what a food-safe temperature is), will be something I would consider "questionable for safe use" BOTH before or after the use-by or best-by date. A jar that has been kept free from food particles and cross-contamination, and has spent 90% of it's in-use time at a food-safe temperature will keep much longer even after opening, and I wouldn't hesitate to use it long after the date expired. This is where common sense comes in when asking if something is "still good". -Grainlady