Thursday, August 13, 2015

I Didn't Mean To Do It


This morning as I was starting my first batch of pickles for the day, I noticed my supply of spices needed for the recipe needed replenishing.


I went to my spice rack to see if I had adequate amounts of what I needed there.  (If your interest is piqued regarding the pretty-darn-spiffy, one-of-a-kind labels on my jars, you can go to a post I did in 2011.)

Turns out the jar of spice I needed was only half full.  Since these jars that fit my spice rack aren't large nor do they hold a very big quantity, I keep back-up amounts of herbs and spices in the pantry.


The bigger amounts for back-up are in 4 oz. canning jars topped with canning lids.  I store them on a north wall in the pantry, in a cabinet behind closed doors, and they stay cool even in the warmest summer weather. 

But back at the spice rack.  Before I knew it, I was checking another jar and then another jar to see if any more needed to be topped off from my reserve supplies.  I ended up doing the whole durn rack full and in the process realized that the date on some of my herbs and spices was getting a little old.  (I put a date on a little piece of masking tape on both the jars in the rack and those in the pantry.  Since herbs and spices do get old and lose their potency, I try to replace them when they've lived in the pantry longer than they should.)

In the middle of this little chore, a niggling voice in my head rang out loud and clear, "Hey, girlie, don't you have pickles to make here?"  Ooops, I didn't mean to get sidetracked . . . again.

The upside is that I did do a thorough check of which herbs and spices I need to get at our local co-op next trip in (it's really hard to make a good gingersnap cookie without ginger) and which ones I'll make a note to stock up on this fall.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This public service message on dating your herbs and spices
in order to keep them fresh and tasty
has been brought to you
by Mama Pea.

18 comments:

Sparkless said...

And that is exactly why all my plans go awry, I get sidetracked by something else. But like you said at least you have your spices organized and a list of fresh ones you need to pick up. The pickles will be all the better for the fresh spices.

Sue said...

LOL!--all I could do was think of hubby and how he is the Kind of Sidetracked! It's fun to watch him out the window--he'll head off to the barn, bend to pull a weed, and the next thing you know he's off into a hundred different directions.
He never gets anything done. I think he has at least 15 different projects going on right now.
He'll tell you he's just an interesting person. I adore him and his little quirks.
Love the spice rack and jars and how you organize. You are one amazing lady. But if you're photographing something in the pantry, I do believe LAW says you have to take a pic of the scallopy shelves. You know how much I love those!!!
: )

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

I date mine too, ha ha! Especially the ones I make myself from scratch. Love your spice rack. I have no wall space to put one in my kitchen. I have them in a cupboard, which does take up space, but it works.

Mama Pea said...

Sparkless - I have to admit guilt (not always a good thing!) usually prevents me from getting too sidetracked. There are a gazillion things in a day's time that I might rather be doing than the items on "The List" but I know, in the end, it always feels better to have accomplished what I first listed as most important. I think. Maybe. Or not.

Mama Pea said...

Sue - Your hubby sounds a lot like the man I live with. Except he truly-duly does get heaps and bunches accomplished . . . it may just take a while because he's doing so many things at once! It's a wonder we can make it together because I have such a narrow mind that I can't handle more than one thing at a time without feeling fragmented. :o/

Do you know I think of you every single time I look at my "scallopy" edges in the pantry?

Mama Pea said...

Kristina - This spice rack of mine was in storage (actually, my daughter was "storing" it in her kitchen and was not pleased when I reclaimed it!) for years until we remodeled the kitchen and I made sure I had room to put it up again.

Laurie said...

HaHa! I get sidetracked all the time. The upside is that it makes me get lots of projects done.

Susan said...

Dear Sister from a Different Mother - Oh, can I relate to this post! I like how you have your spices set up much more than mine. I use a Lazy Susan and it's not working - the containers keep falling off the edges. Could it be because I have too many? Oh, no. That couldn't be the reason....

Unknown said...

You're just multitasking! :) I'm getting ready to throw out some old flours, etc. I've cut way back on wheat and I read that the nutritional value goes way down when it's older, 2-3 years....

Mama Pea said...

Laurie - I like your positive outlook on getting sidetracked!

Mama Pea said...

Susan - You need a spice rack on the wall so your little jars and bottles don't get dizzy and fall off!

Mama Pea said...

Nancy - The nutritional value of grains goes down the second it's ground! Guess that's why we should all use freshly ground flours! (If only it were that easy!)

odiie said...

I thought you were going to tell us you refilled your herb jar with the wrong herb and put in onion salt for garlic powder or something. :)
I toss my herbs yearly and my spices about every 3-4 years. But my herbs just sit in canning jars in my pantry. I alphabetize occasionally but it's all in vain.
Are you getting this "hot " weather up there? I think it's supposed to break by Monday.

Leigh said...

Ha! You sound like me, LOL. I can't tell you how many times Dan passes through and tells me "stay focused". My response is that I'm multi-tasking, but I think he knows me to well to buy that.

Mama Pea said...

odiie - Yes, we've had this miserably hot and HUMID weather here, too. When my husband wears shorts every day, you know it must be hot. Just about the same with me. I'm kneeling so much in the garden working and harvesting that I wear long pants even when it's uncomfortably hot, but scratched, dirty, owie, bare knees have been the order of the day lately! Can't wait for a break in this suffocating stuff.

Mama Pea said...

Leigh - The thing is I'm usually on one job from start to finish . . . because I want to GET IT DONE! Don't know what came over me with the spice rack. :o/

Louise Houghton said...

This so made me laugh. I quite frequently start to wipe flour etc from the bottom of my baking cupboard and finish up cleaning every cupboard in the kitchen!

Mama Pea said...

Louise - I'm not sure if this tendency (of ours) is a good or a bad thing! On one hand, we accomplish something that wasn't even on our list . . . on the other, sometimes that means the thing on our list doesn't get done! :o}