Below is a quote from Johnny's Seed in Maine. It was one of their suggestions of things to do in January. You experts probably already know this but for us relatively new comers, it may be helpful. I love the swaps and have been involved with a few but being a little new, I'm still afraid to plant some of them based on the look (seemingly age and condition) of the packages. The swaps have always beat my expectations and as I said, I love them. But, I'd be disappointed (and of course blame myself) if something didn't grow. Yesterday, I received the same (could tell - it was my package and handwritting) seeds I had previously swapped and wonder sometimes if seeds I received in swaps have been swapped around like Bill Murray in Groundhoungs' Day. I know seeds are generally viable for a few years but being new can't help being a bit skiddish. They are probably all fine but I liked this idea to easy my mind (and don't go around planting things that are doomed to fail). I just thought this might be a good thing to do now since there is time enough for a lot of seeds to find out if they are still viable.

"If you are in doubt about the viability of leftover seeds, don't take chances. You can test the germination easily. Moisten a coffee filter or piece of paper towel and place on it a specific number of seeds, such as 10 or 100. Fold the moistened paper over the seeds and put it in a plastic bag in a warm place. Take the paper out and inspect the seeds twice a day, spraying with water as needed to maintain moisture around the seeds. After the usual number of days required to germinate that variety, count to see how many have germinated and calculate the percentage of germination. Compare it to the germination rate on the Johnny's label; if it's close, your seeds are fine to plant. If germination is much lower or slower than expected, order new seeds."