Home Canning: Signs of Spoilage

Canning produce from the garden is an excellent way to preserve food and save money on groceries, but you do have to take care and watch for signs of spoilage or contamination before eating the food you canned. Here’s a handy list of spoilage signs to watch for.

Canning Homemade Tomato Sauce

• Jar seals have bulging lids or the seal is broken
• Jar is dirty on the outside (a sign of food seepage)
• Liquid is cloudy or bubbling/fermenting or foaming
• Liquid is seeping out from under the sealed lid
• Contents spurt out when the jar is opened
• Mold has grown on food or under the lid
• Food is slimy or mushy
• Food smells off or unusual
• Food is discolored (usually darker).

If a jar is showing signs of spoilage, throw it out safely so that no children or animals can get at it.

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