How Long do Things Last?
Went back to bed, then began again at 9am. Instead of tossing 10 cans into the trash, I'm opening every can and dumping the contents into a strainer so the liquid goes down the drain instead of my trash bag. (Can’t recycle the cans if they’re still full, of course.) This is how I spend my time. Must find more compelling hobbies.
So, I've ended up with a fascinating mish mash of vegetables in a strainer in my kitchen sink;
(and for the record, today’s date is May 3, 2008)
I processed the cans, then moved over to the fridge doors. I’m on a roll.
How accurate is an expiration date, anyway? Surely they fudge it a little bit to reduce the buying cycle. Would I chance it for a 97 cent can of lima beans? I feel so guilty for having wasted all this stuff. Wasn't there an article recently about canned food being really bad for you anyway? But donating it to charity to ease my guilt re: waste is just wrong. Poor people don't need botulism added to their list of woes.
For the love of God! Get a grip - this is like, less than $25 worth of stuff. (My mother's voice in my head: "Jennifer Lee, just throw them out!" This is why she isn't invited over much; she refuses to accommodate my obsessing. The nerve!)
So it's gone, the 5-8 pounds of mush... what do normal people do with Saturday mornings?
As I am often prone to making things "meaningful", this feels like a shedding of old baggage, a letting go of the need to hoard, a willingness to clean out and change. Every thing in my home is a story to me, a memory. Some worthy of keeping. Many not. Goodness. Kitchen purging as spiritual growth.
So now my finances and weight and love life will fall into place, right. How easy was that?
From now on I'm buying fresh, locally grown produce.
So, I've ended up with a fascinating mish mash of vegetables in a strainer in my kitchen sink;
(and for the record, today’s date is May 3, 2008)
- 3 cans of whole spear asparagus (was a 4 pack from Costco), Best Used by July 2007
- 2 cans whole kernel corn (8 oz, easy open pop top) Best by Jan 31, 2007.
- lima beans, Best by Jan 31, 2007
- candied yams - no expiration date AT ALL- is that legal?- it's a mystery! (don't eat it - you're not that hard up for a meal)
- chopped spinach, Best by Dec 31, 2007
- sauerkraut, no expiry date, but inside and outside of can's bottom is slightly rusted
- sweet peas, Best by Jan 31, 2006
I processed the cans, then moved over to the fridge doors. I’m on a roll.
- Vlasic Snack’mms kosher dills? I don't remember buying those. Amanda must have bought them when she lived here in December. So they're still good.... and pickles are low fat, low cal! (Peek at date, curiously located on the edge of the lid.) Best if used by Dec 2004. Oh. Probably won't eat those.
- Jar of sliced jalapenos, Best Use by July, 2006 (they were for some recipe I never made)
- Off brand barbecue sauce from my friend’s weird brother
- 7 bottles of mustard; 3 regular, 3 spicy brown, 1 honey mustard
- 2 packs of Gu - was into running last winter
- Various salad dressings, hot sauce, Pepto Bismol, 2 packets of soy sauce….
- Hershey’s chocolate syrup - now THAT’s staying, only a few months old
How accurate is an expiration date, anyway? Surely they fudge it a little bit to reduce the buying cycle. Would I chance it for a 97 cent can of lima beans? I feel so guilty for having wasted all this stuff. Wasn't there an article recently about canned food being really bad for you anyway? But donating it to charity to ease my guilt re: waste is just wrong. Poor people don't need botulism added to their list of woes.
For the love of God! Get a grip - this is like, less than $25 worth of stuff. (My mother's voice in my head: "Jennifer Lee, just throw them out!" This is why she isn't invited over much; she refuses to accommodate my obsessing. The nerve!)
So it's gone, the 5-8 pounds of mush... what do normal people do with Saturday mornings?
As I am often prone to making things "meaningful", this feels like a shedding of old baggage, a letting go of the need to hoard, a willingness to clean out and change. Every thing in my home is a story to me, a memory. Some worthy of keeping. Many not. Goodness. Kitchen purging as spiritual growth.
So now my finances and weight and love life will fall into place, right. How easy was that?
From now on I'm buying fresh, locally grown produce.