I haven't done black beans in a few years but i would guess that the "milky" appearance is just the starch from the beans. It often shows up more in contrast to the darker colored beans and older, more mature beans will often show more starch. It can be rinsed after opening the jars..

Assuming they were pre-soaked and processed per the directions then they are fine.

Dave

Thank you Dave.Yes I pre-soaked and I also cooked them a little while as well. I also pressure canned them as well. Man I was worried they were going bad. I took the rings off just in case so I could see.

Thanks for the link http://www.gardenweb.com/auth/nph-logincheck.cgi?action=public_profile&user=/gardnpondr

?? What is that link for? :-)