Being the Amish Cook's editor, I accumulate a lot of canned goods over the years. Someone will give me a can (for the life of me I don't know why people insist on calling them "cans", they are "jars"....why isn't this method of food preservation known as "home jarring" as opposed to "home canning"?") of homemade pickles (those rarely last long around here) or rhubarb jelly. Other times it is homemade applesauce, apple butter, or peppers.  I noticed this jar sitting in my fridge door.  It has somehow survived all the various the "let's throw out anything in our fridge" that resembles a science project purges over the years.  I guess Rachel decided it looked good enough to spare.  But I've long since forgotten what is in the jar in the first place. Okra? Jalapenos? The jar is not labeled, it just has the date 2009 on it. So these canned goods are getting a little long in the tooth. So what are these? Would you eat these? What is the shelf life on a canned good?
Oddly, sometimes a canned good will sit my refrigerator too long because it's too tasty. For instance an Amish woman might give me a jar of home canned peach preserves. Â I could easily down it in a week or so, but decide to "save it" for some future occasion, a future occasion that never arrives and then it seems too old to consume. Â So I think one of my more recent life lessons is to just eat it, don't save it.
Hmmm, now the more I look at the picture the more it looks like a pepper of some sort. Â I could ask my wife, I'm sure she'd know, but that's no fun. Â So what is in the jar?
Paula
Looks like jalapenos. Properly preserved foods last a long time. Especially foods with vinegar base. I have relishes from 06 that are still perfectly good. Big question is if you have already opened the jar? If you've broken the seal I'd toss it.
Kevin
Interesting, some people think it is okra, others jalapenos....But, no, I have not broken the seal....so, safe to try them to see what it is?
Jane
That, my friend, is PICKLED OKRA, my Georgia friend can tell you all about it~
Carol Crowe Phillips
It does look more like a pepper than okra. At first glance I thought it was okra but maybe not. My mother and grandmother canned their entire lives. My mom always said as long as the jar is still sealed tightly, has no mold or of odor when opened and has been stored in a controlled climate (she meant someplace where it had not been exposed to lots of temperature changes such as freezing or heat) that it was safe to eat. She never had any problem with that. However, I don't always use that as a guide. I know a bit more about botulism than she did. If it is a pickled product I would say perhaps try it but if not, I would probably try to figure out what it is and then decide. Perhaps you should use freezer tape and label your gifts with pertinent info in the future. This is not a criticism though...I have thrown out a few jars that we canned because no one could remember what it was and it just didn't seem worth the risk.
Julie
looks like okra to me, you can go a lot by the smell when you open it. It is more lasting if it is a product pickled with a vinegar base. Go by the smell first....
Kathy Barnes
I think they are peppers and I would try them. If they are crispy they are still good.
Kevin
We have a real split between those who think Okra and those who think peppers. I may just have to open that jar tomorrow and find out. Carol, good idea about labeling the jars:)!
dragon606
In our family, the rule is "When in doubt, throw it out!"
Dave
Round seeds Okra, flat seeds jalapeno