# Pickle Crisp and Pectin Question



## susieneddy (Sep 2, 2011)

The products have expiration dates marked on the jars but are those date suggestions or are they rules? 

Pickle Crisp is Calcium Chloride. 
Pectin is Dextrose, Fruit Pectin & Citric Acid.

Do those ingredients expire? I hate to dispose of something that is, in fact, still good.


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## cfuhrer (Jun 11, 2013)

Someone may have more hard info than I do, but I will speak from experience.

Every fall when the pectin and crisp and spice mixes go on liquidation discount, I stock up. This season I used pectin that was bought two winters ago - and it worked perfectly.

I'm not at home otherwise I would check the expiration date to see when it expires.


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## ShannonR (Nov 28, 2012)

Pickle crisp. I much prefer grape (or even oak, or another tannin containing plant) leaves to keep em crispy in their jars. Calcium chloride in anything I intend to eat scares me. Have a look. http://www.animals24-7.org/2015/07/03/introducing-calcium-chloride-castration/


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## whistech (Sep 11, 2014)

I just used used the powdered pectin that had the "use by date" of March 16, 2012 on it to make blackberry and strawberry jam and it set just fine. I put up quite a few pickles using pickle crisp and I usually have 4 or 5 jars of pickle crisp on hand. I have never paid any attention to the use by date on the pickle crisp jar, but I can't imagine it going bad.


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## arrocks (Oct 26, 2011)

Pickle Crisp works just fine for me and my jar is going on 4 years old. As long as it doesn't get wet and turn into a solid mass I've never had any problems with it. Pectin is another matter. I have had mixed results with outdated pectin. Most times it works fine but I have had a few batches that didn't set when using the outdated stuff. If it is a special jam or jelly with some unusual or expensive fruit I always use fresh pectin. Otherwise I'll use whatever I have on hand and don't worry about the results. Syrup always comes in handy if it doesn't set.

Personally I don't see how an article about using large doses of pharmaceutical grade calcium chloride for the castration of dogs (the link above) is at all relevant to the use of 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. of food-grade calcium chloride when making pickles much less relevant to the question originally posted.


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## susieneddy (Sep 2, 2011)

Thanks so much for the replies! I really appreciate the feedback.


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