Without knowing exactly what recipe and process you used, it's impossible for us to say if something is safe.

I do not use a pressure canner or anything of the sort and have been doddling with things in my own way.

The above statement sounds extremely risky. Especially if you are an inexperienced canner. The density of the food, ratio of vinegar to water and processing times require much more sophisticated equipment than the average person has available. That's why it's important to follow a tested recipe, especially with low-acid items (i.e. veggies...mostly).
You may have jam or jelly that is fine to eat, but again, I don't think anyone here is going to be comfortable telling you something is safe without the recipe/process information.

Please, please pick up a Ball Blue Book (about $5.00).
Visit the link below to the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
See if there's an Extension office in your town and pay them a visit. These are associated with an agricultural college in your state.

All of these are reliable sources for recipes. There are more, but these are easily accessible and tested/trusted.

Welcome to the forum........we LOVE to answer questions!
:-)

Deanna

Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP site

Hi doodlehead and welcome! The first thing that comes to mind is that there are legit (as in safe and tested) canning and pickling info sites and then there are some that are down right dangerous. You have to know the source. ;)

The current Ball Blue Book and other approved, current canning books published by food science sources and the National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) are the recognized authorities - the legit sources - as well as the many state university extension sites on food preservation as they are USDA approved.

Most other online sites and recipes are not considered safe and some are downright dangerous - no matter what they may claim. Their recipes have never been tested for safety nor reviewed and approved, just made-up by folks with no food science background.

Without knowing the exact recipes you used we can't help determine if your foods are safe or not. You can compare them to the detailed pickling and fermenting guidelines on NCHFP for starters, but ultimately the decision to keep them or not will be yours as we each determine how much risk we are willing to take.

But I can tell you that if the recipe you used was unsafe to begin with or if your "doodling" deviated too far from the approved and tested techniques then the odds are your foods are not safe for consumption. Refrigerating them now, if older than 24 hours, won't help as bacteria has already grown in them.

Why not tell us the exact recipe you used for the jars in questions. Then we can help you decide where to go from there? Meanwhile spend some time exploring NCHFP, ok?

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP

Ahhh Deanna beat me to it. :)

The Joy of Pickling does an outstanding job explaining how fermenting works and what/why you are using this method. I'm on week two of my first batch of full sours using her recipe, tasted one yesterday and it was so delicious!!
I got my book from Safeway but have seen it online and B&N as well.
My next purchase will be a canning book. Need to learn to use my brand new Presto pressure canner!

Thank you all so much for your suggestions. They've been so helpful. I got most of my recipes from James Beard's American Cookery, which I realize now was written in 1972. I'll probably invest in a pressure canner soon to be on the safe side. I browsed the NCHFP website, it's great to have a source with recipes I can trust.
Thanks again!