Canning fruit and tomatoes?

Question

I canned some tomatoes, but filled them too much. The lids "popped" when I took them out, however, there was some leakage when i first took them out of the water. When they were cool, I wiped the rims and they were on very well and still sealed... are they ok to use? Also I canned some figs 5 years ago, what is the shelf life of home canned goods?

Answer 1

I would do the process again just to be safe better safe than sorry
thank you

Answer 2

The tomatoes will be fine to eat, refrigerated, but are NOT okay to store. Your best bet is to re-can them for safety. This shouldn't be too hard, since the work of skinning, seeding, etc. has been done. You will have to buy new lids, though.

Micro-organisms such as botulism, which is deadly, can grow in the jars that are not properly sealed, so use them as soon as you would any canned product that had been opened and stored in the fridge.

The figs I don't know about - a lot depends on the amount of sugar used in the recipe and how they were canned. Personnaly, I wouldn't risk it.

Answer 3

I'm not so sure that there really was 'leakage'. Your jars wouldn't have sealed if there was. There was probably some residue left on or around the jars when you put them into the bath. As long as they are sealed and tight, they are fine.

Figs should be alright. You are at about the end of the recommended shelf life though, so make some good desserts and use those little figgies up!

Answer 4

I recommend getting a pressure cooker/canner. That way you can be assured of complete sterilization which the hot bath method does not necessarily ensure. I would reprocess the batch. As for the figs, they should be OK but make sure the seals have remained intact.

Answer 5

I would reprocess it because with the spillage they proble are not complete. As far as the figs they should be still good.