How long things keep

In short

• Most keeping times are quality limits: the food loses flavour and vitamins but isn't dangerous. Safety limits apply to meat, dairy, eggs and low-acid jars.
• Every 10 °C (18 °F) warmer, spoilage runs roughly 2–3 times faster. The same potatoes keep for months at 5 °C and for weeks at 20 °C.
• Jars of preserves: best within 12 months; anything older than 2 years gets an especially careful check.
• Dried fruit 6–12 months, dried vegetables 12 months, herb leaves 1 year, grain at 13 % moisture kept cool several years.
• Bulging lid, bubbles, sour or rotten smell: throw it out, don't taste it.
• Every store has a label with a date. No date, no shelf life.

What's inside

Chapters

1. Quality limit and safety limit
2. The cellar: fresh vegetables and fruit
3. Jars: vegetable and fruit preserves
4. Crock, fermented food and brine
5. Dried food, grain and flour
6. Meat, cured meat and lard
7. Dairy and eggs
8. Honey, sugar, salt, vinegar and oil
9. Signs of spoilage: when it goes in the bin
10. How to make stores keep longer
11. Most common mistakes
12. Printable checklist

Worksheets

• Summary card of keeping times
• Date calculator
• Labels for stores
• Wasted food calculator
• Keeping log
• Calendar for checking stores