Cleanup

[bunsen_h]

I've been trying to do a little bit of decluttering, when health has permitted.  I've been using up, giving away, or composting non-perishable food items that have been lurking for too long.

This afternoon, I decided that the boxes of spices I inherited from one of my parents really ought to go.

A half-box of bay leaves... well, I have never used them, as far as I can recall.  They seem to have little flavour and they're broken into bits.  Several fragments thrown into boiling water gave little odour.  When I opened the seam of the box to flatten it and remove the cellophane window before recycling the cardboard, I noticed a date stamp: DEC 6 1973.

The contents of a box of pickling spice are in a cellophane pouch, unopened.  I assume that it's of similar vintage.

I think these might as well just go right into the composter.

At the bottom of my fridge, there's a package of lard left from some long-past SCA event.  I don't think it's perishable, but I have no use for it.  It's free to anyone who wants it.  If nobody takes it within the next few months, I suppose I'll compost it as well.
 

Comments

[cortejo.livejournal.com]

I think you can use the lard to feed birds?

[bunsen-h.livejournal.com]

Hmm, probably. Or other small wild critters. For birds I think it's usually mixed with seed, but if I were to toss the block out into the yard, it'd probably disappear quickly enough regardless. (That's how I've disposed of some stale/rancid nuts and seeds, and foods containing them.) That's probably a better use than composting; thanks.

[auriaephiala.livejournal.com]

Bay leaves do eventually lose any flavour -- it takes a year or so. 27 to 28 years is definitely pushing it.

They are used for flavouring stews or tomato-based dishes: I don't see why you couldn't use them in vegetarian dishes.

[bunsen-h.livejournal.com]

37 or 38 years, in this case. No reason I *couldn't* have used them, I just never had a reason to... and they were probably already pretty dead before they were passed on to me.

[cortejo.livejournal.com]

you might want to check tea drawers too. You can also compost that.

[popelaksmi.livejournal.com]

I should probaly do that with my spice drawer as well. While I doubt I have some as old as yours, I'm sure I have some that are quite old. Not to mentioned unlabeled so identifying them as they lose scent/ flavour is practically impossible.

[henrytroup.livejournal.com]

Whole spices (e.g. peppercorns, allspice berries) are pretty durable; everything else lasts a year or less.

We composted a largish bag of spicy dust after dumping out all the old containers. It's amazing that old ginger can become totally inert.