Spicy Spices

My spice drawer mid-year, not bad. So far. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Spicy Spices

We all do it, keep spices too long, then wonder why our dishes don't have flavor.

Dried spices, in general, are good for about 6 months stored in small glass jars. Some will last longer if you store them in a dark place until used.

I go through my spice drawer once a year to re-organize the jars. They start out the new year cleaned out, in alphabetical order, with a list of which ones I need to buy fresh.

By the end of the year, the drawer is a mess but I still know which ones to replace, and which herbs I need to grow.

To keep track of jars, I write the date I bought it on the glass jar bottom so I can easily determine which ones are out of date.

Don't throw them away; you can compost dried spices and with some good soaking, reuse the glass jars.

Many of these jars are also now keeping nails, screws and other small items stored in my garage workshop. In my crafts room, more jars hold buttons, needles and pins. And throughout the house, a little spice jar holds favorite cat treats. They are the same treats in all jars but my cat Shirley Honey insists on sampling them in every room. Suppose she’s testing for freshness?

What is your favorite spice?

Charlotte