Found a 5-year-old jar of pickled beets in the back of the pantry

Was rearranging cabinets last weekend and stumbled on a jar of pickled beets I put up back in 2019. The color had gone from bright red to this weird muddy brown. Opened it up and they actually tasted fine, just looked like something from a horror movie. My kitchen felt less cozy and more like a crime scene for a minute. Has anyone else had old canned goods turn into a science experiment?

3 comments

3 Comments

lilychen1d ago

To me this is just another version of how we treat time in general-we shove things into the back of the pantry or the corner of our brain and hope they'll stay preserved forever. But even sealed jars show wear and tear, same as how old photos fade or favorite shirts get holes. If something's been sitting untouched for years, it's probably turned into something totally different than what you put in there, whether it's pickled beets or an old friendship.

paul2331d ago

Found an old jar of green beans from 2020 in the basement that had fermented right in the jar. The lid was bulging like it was about to take flight. Opened it up and the smell was like a gym sock had a baby with a compost pile. Pretty sure my neighbors thought I was cooking roadkill for dinner.

dylanbarnes1d ago

Yeah, next time tape the lid shut before you open it. Saves you from redecorating the kitchen in fermented bean juice.