AboutCarol Schlitt Expertise I can answer questions on home food safety, sanitation, home food preservation and commercial food safety (HACCP).
Experience I am an Extension educator, nutrition, wellness and food safety. I am a certified HACCP manager and a food safety instructor for the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Organizations International Association for Food Protection, American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (Certified CFCS), National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, Society for Nutrition Education.
Education/Credentials BS - University of Illinois
MS - Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville
I am a horticulturist who was once with all experts, so I appreciate you.
I'm experimenting with various ways of preserving the fruit and vegetables I grow, and the seeds of same. I have a dehydrator and pressure canner, food saver, etc.
I never refrigerate catsup, mustard, corn syrup, maple syrup, etc. And my mother never refrigerated pickles. We kept for years and finally used evaporated or condensed milk. From what I read, all of this is wrong, yet I've never been poisoned.
I've made what amounts to a simple syrup with a little water, karo syrup, sugar, zest of lemon and cooked with fresh ginger, which I then removed to the dehydrator. Does this syrup need to be kept cold, and how long will it last, either way?
Please suggest any web sites, etc you think I might find useful.
Thanking you,
Susan Tabor
Answer Hi Susan,
You have some very good questions and I'll try my best to answer them.
Food has changed in the past 50 years -- the way it's grown, harvested,slaughtered, shipped around the world, etc. Hamburger that was once ground from the carcass of one animal now probably represents the meat from 60 to 100 different animals. Strawberries were once only available fresh for 2-3 weeks each year. Now you can purchase them any day of the year in almost every town in America. Also, we now know the growth conditions for harmful bacteria. In addition, we live in a litigious society that has little tolerance for mistakes. People use to die from "consumption" -- in other words they didn't know what it was but something "consumed" them!!
Once you know what could be a problem, it's always wisest to do those things that will lower your chances. That's why we recommend refrigeration to lower your chances for problems.
Now, does catsup, mustard, corn syrup, maple syrup,pickles need to be refrigerated? Probably no...your chances of getting ill from harmful bacteria is relatively low -- but their is a chance. With the knowledge that their is a chance, the recommendation is to refrigerate these products to even further reduce the chances. That's why most storage charts say "Refrigerate to Extend Shelf Life" on these products.
Your chances of getting ill are about the same as winning the lottery -- in other words very small. Since there is no "food police" you can do whatever you want to do in your own home.
Now as for the simple syrup. A sugar syrup -- which this is -- will keep a very long time in the refrigerator. I've kept sugar syrup for months with no problems. The problem will be mold growth -- which will occur more quickly at room temperature than refrigerator temperature. That's why we recommend refrigeration -- to extend the life of the product.
A great, research-based websites on food preservation and food storage recommendations is the National Center for Home Food Preservation: http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/ This website has section on storage with links to several University websites.
I hope this answers your questions. If I can be of further assistance, please let me know.
Carol C. Schlitt
Extension Educator, Nutrition and Wellness
University of Illinois Extension
