Country Time Lemonade Shelf Life?

I bought some CT lemonade and it has a expiration date for about 2 years. How long past this date do you think it will still taste decent enough? If I vacuum seal it will that make it last longer and be fresher or should I leave it in the sealed container form the store?

 

Mylar

I would say take it out of container and store in Mylar bag with oxygen absorber. Would give it 6 years or so. I had canned some hot choc #10 and it was still good after 7 years

 

Ok, I got some experience with this one. Take for instance, It's a really hot summer day. You're at your grandparents house that has been vacant for the past 10 years due to them being in a nursing home and then passing away. You've been elected the care taker of the property.

You've just mowed an acre with a push mower. You go into the house to get something cool to drink. you find a can of CT lemonade. The bottom of the can is rusty. but decide what the heck, let's do it.

you pry off the plastic lid. the mix inside is one solid mass of sugar granules. Taking a table spoon and then a butter knife and finally a steak knife, you finally scrape and shave off enough mix to meet the recommended serving portion.

you mix with water. and stir and stir and stir 'cause the stuff is not going into solution very well. mix mix mix. finally it's done. try a sip. bleeck! kinda tastes like its only a half measure. finally you decide to scrape out a quarter cup of beverage mix, and get that mixed into solution.

sip.

ahhh much better.

so yeah with the preservatives it will last at least 10 yrs but i think i'd drop in an O2 absorber and seal up that opened can in a mason jar or 3.

Just my experience.

 

yeah if you vac pack it it will last a really long time.

 

Cool, I'll put it in mason jars and vacuum seal it.

 

I've had the same experience as VT, but with Tang and GatorAde powder mixes - after awhile, it becomes a solid mass!

 

Gatorade would be a great item to seal for emergencies, I'll have to pick some of that up too.

 

Actually gatorade comes in various sized packages suitable for long term storage already. Of course I live right here where it was developed (Gainesville. Fl.). I am not sure if it widely available this way. You can make a quart, a gallon, of a cotton pickin' water cooler full quite easily. Alot of the suppliers here for the construction trade have these packets for sale.

 

I have seen the multiple sizes of Gatorade in our construction catalogs, etc. It's pretty expensive.

 

I'll see if I can get them locally. If not I visit central Fl on a regular basis so I might pick some up then.

 

Ajax, check at wall-mart they have a great value version of propel vitamin water/ fitness water mixes in individual packages. these are perfect for the 16.9 oz bottles of water. all kinds of flavors available. If you already have cases of water stored just grab a bunch of them and mix as you go. I buy them for my regular day to day use and they are about 1.98 per box. and its enough to do 10 bottles in each box. Just remember to get you a good variety so you dont get burned out on just one thing.

 

Cool, thanks for the tip I will check that out. That would be good to put in a BOB with a few bottles of water too.