[Mosslane]

Just found a part used jar of sarsons pickling vinegar which must have been left over from last year. The cap was sealed tight but I notice there is some sediment in the bottom.

Will it be ok or is it best to sling it?

[Trillium]

Vinegar will last pretty much forever. What you might see in a container is 'mother' which is a form of harmless bacteria which sometimes builds in older vinegar but causes no problem to eat or whatever.

Here's more info:

http://www.versatilevinegar.org/faqs.html

[pairofacres]

When I was a kid, we used to live in a turn of the century victorian house. The garden was a mass of rubbish pits from the late 1800s through to the 1920s. We dug up kilner jars containing pickled tomatoes from that era that we reckoned must've been 60+ years old and they were still preserved. Didn't try eating them, but I think you probably could have done if you'd been brave enough. They smelt fine and showed no sign of decomposition, which reinforces Trillium's link's assertion that it lasts pretty much forever!