I know this has been answered but I just went through 8 search pages without locating the thread/s.

I have canned sauces, pickles, fruits and meats with processing dates as far back as 3/09 in my pantry. Jars look good, seals unbroken, ambient temperature in the pantry is cool and dim.

I also have vacuum-sealed Ball jars with dehydrated vegetables in the pantry that also look fine in their environment (no green/white fuzzies or indications of moisture).

How long can I keep these foods safely? Is longer storage time a matter of taste degredation or something more ominous?

Do I need to preserve less each year? My plan was to process (more) peaches this week and tomato sauce and Annie's Salsa in the next few weeks. I am obviously producing and processing more food than my 2-adult household consumes regularly.