Ours are alphabetical. Once Pat was making apple crisp, and not wearing her reading glasses, took out the spice jar containing a reddish-brown powder, starting with "C" and having a pair of n's in its name. Boy were we surprised when we sat down ans started to eat apple crisp made with cayenne rather than cinnamon!
Garden Party Volunteer needed!!!!
Ouch!
Do you all transfer your spices to your own spice bottles ar leave them in original containers? Never have come across a spice rack set up that suited me.
Also, I find I use less and less spices as my diet consists of more and more 'fresh, local, organic, natural (whatever) as to me these already have 'taste'. Even meats like pork loin from Sally Fallon's farm (Nourishing Traditions) that I get at my Farmers Market already has the flavor that I work to have a Sams Club loin end up tasting like. My taste buds also get a tweek from fermented foods I am enjoying with many meals, like the Pickled Carrots or Thai Kraut I broought to the Spring swap.
I leave most of the spices in the container they came in, and then refill, so that I remember by each unusual shape. I have a tin for Mustard powder, for example, that I bought at Co Fair when I was working for Health Dept. I find it helps to have different shape and colors etc to help cue my memory. But they are all labeled. They are on a two level plastic lazy susan thing, A-L on top, M to Z bottom.
I think speedie once showed us her ultra tidy set up.
I want to know who hangs up and sorts their clothes by color in their closets...
Spices are alphabetized in a drawer. Original container, but need to look into ones that fit the drawer better.
Stopped at the farmer's market yesterday out here that I LOVE to visit. Got some local sausage, a loaf of pumpkin raisin bread, and some veggies and fruit. Would have loved to spend more time, but we needed to get on the road to the coast to beat the heat. Went to see Devil's punch bowl. Pretty awesome!!! I got burned. For some reason the sun seems more intense here. I get burned every year. I know, I know...you'd think I learned. I did cover up, but not soon enough.
Spice containers on their side so I can see the label.
I tried hanging clothes by color before, but it didn't last long. Maybe once I get things moved into the new closet after that Reno gets finished I may try again.
Raising hand for hanging up clothes by color AND with a hanger of a color that is the same or at least does not clash. Very OCD.
I had my spices in their original containers, and then when David and I combined households, he put shelves on the inside of the cabinet doors, put the spices away in alphabetical groupings in round containers and put mine in those containers as well. They were above my eye level. I never had owned cayenne, so once I popped up a spice container in the appropriate section, the color matched and the letters I could make out without glasses seemed to match as well, I just kept cooking. The saving grace was that at least it was just for the two of us, not for company. With that first bite, we each just thought our senses were messing with us.
This message was edited Jul 19, 2015 7:39 PM
I don't sort my clothes by color but I do separate them by 'grade'. Also, everything is in strict rotation.
OMG! You are all so organized! When I look for something, I always find it much easier to go buy a new one than find the existing one that has been misplaced. Hehe.
Gee! I really would like to join this "interesting" discussion but--NOTHING
that has been discussed here (so far) defines my "style"--cause I have NO style. .
For one--I gather that most of you have newer kitchens that have drawers
and little shelves inside doors for spices. My spices are all in their original containers
but they are also 2-3-deep on these plastic lazy Susans. I cannot, easily, find anything
I am looking for. Spin...spin...Dig...Dig...WHICH rack is it o??? AH! There it is!!!
I have just old kitchen cabinets with old doors on them. Small ones to boot. 1969 style.
Inside one of these cabinets, I have 3- two-decker lazy susans for my spices--plus the
bigger bottles (Costco or BJ's size) sit on the top shelf above all this.
Almost all my spices are on these Lazy Susans. I just spin them around to
see where something is that I am looking for. Often, things are hard to find..
If you stuck your nose inside these cabinets--you would think I am some kind
of a "foodie" with SO many spices! Truth is--I seldom use any of these spices.
Most of them are long out-dated and should be discarded.
My main spices I use in every-day cooking are:
Coarse Sea Salt...Fresh ground Pepper....Onion Powder.....Garlic Powder....
Whole Allspice....A Bay Leaf now and then.....Dried Dill (or fresh)....etc..
Of course--if I am cooking soup or some other more "gourmet" dishes--
I will use more of the spices I have.
YES! I would LOVE to have my spices better organized, but that is not happening until
I have my kitchen remodeled. Lets face it--my kitchen is old and it sucks!!!
In every and all aspects. From ceiling to the floor. .I HATE IT!!!! I hate my kitchen---!!!!!
Here is the cabinet that holds my spices. UGH!
Showing you ONLY b/c we are talking about it..
Nothing wrong in what I cook in it, though..... Gita
Gita, I put wooden dowels across one of my big drawers to turn it into a "spice drawer" without the expense of buying an insert -- although BB&B carries those in a couple of widths. The first dowel is far enough from the front of the drawer to prop the spice bottles at an angle, and then another dowel about 1/4 inch away starts the next row... they're held in place at the sides of the drawer with that blue tacky stuff for posters, easier to adjust or remove than using glue.
one of the more inexplicable off topic topics I have ever seen...rofl
I have NO big drawers.......
OH, boy....This could segue into a whole, new topic....:o/
NOW----Back to Cam's Swap discussion.....
yeah..keep it clean folks!
I'm assuming here that color coordinated (or 'graded') strictly rotated hung up clothing and alphabetized spice containers are not mandatory for attendance at the Fall Swap at CAM's place????
Someone should post the settled on date and place in our Events thread so a wider swappership can be alerted.
PS, I was going to say 'optional above but chose mandatory as it seemed less confusing!
Not required for attendance, no. But anyone who doesn't alphabetize their spices or arrange their closets first by season, second by color, and third by fabric, will be given a crash course in Organizing Your Home prior to admittance.
Thank you.
My spices are all over except when we travel, then the travel size gets put in alphabetic order, more for others that may be cooking. I try to use up my small containers 1st and refill so they are fresher.
Clothes on the other hand... I turn all my hangers backwards about once a year and what doesn't get turned around (used) gets sorted out, donated or sent to rags.
We are looking forward to the swap and Holly is already potting things up.
CAM, would you put up a HAVE'S/WANTS thread too?
Sure... I'll post it either tonight or tomorrow night when I get adequate time.
Cool, thanks :-)
AAARGGGHHH! Here we go again!
Many haves"....and NO wants......it just kills me!
G.
What kills you? That you have so many plants that you can only give away and not get anything new?
I think she's saying the opposite, Jeff.... so many plants available but nobody wants all of them.
Oh well, of there's a bunch of stuff brought to the swap that go unclaimed, I'll just have to make some more beds. :)
Oh, I guess I took that the other way around..Lol
Haha...more beds is always the question AND the answer to most of gardening's problems...
Yep. I bet in 10 years, I will have very little mowing to do. LOL
Something like that....
I DO have plants I could give away--but do not "Want" or ask for any--as I have
no room for any new plants. So--I seldom ask for anything.
What I have in excess is, usually of no interest to most people. Too common!
All the "cool" plants have already been shared over and over again.
SO--now everyone has them. Like--all my exotic tropicals....Epis, etc...
G.
That's the best part although it is tough to get used to the new 'mowing routine'. I'm still trying to learn a new routine due to my newest addition. In combination with that, my Larch mulch ring keeps getting larger too because I refuse to cut it back. So every year it gets about a mower width wider on both sides. It's in the middle of the yard so it's pretty inconvenient but so worth it. Only thing is the skirt is too low and I can't put anything under their yet. Once it gets more 'busty' in the top, I'll hike that skirt and go to town.
An Estonian couple, not far from me, had a full-sized "Larch" (Tamarac) tree
in their back yard here. I loved the cones it made....so different. Flat-topped.
In my mind--this tree had NO business growing here in Baltimore.
It is a Northern, deciduous "Pine" tree. Very soft needles--Huge!
Jeff--How did you come to own one of these? Got a picture?
G.
Wow, Baltimore must be really far south for it. There area lot of European Larches near me and a few Tamaracks. Mine is a Tamarack...it's a good thing too because a lot of the European Larches are in decline and look pretty ratty. I bought mine from a grower online. It was a tiny stick when I got it. I'll have to post the pics of it 5 years ago and what it looks like now. I'll post it up tonight. It's one of my favorite trees and it produces so many cones. The cones are one of the most beautiful maroon brown colors when they are immature. The fall color is amazing. You're right though that this tree doesn't have much business growing this far south. I believe it is hardy from zones 2-6.
Sally, Gardener, CAM
I prefer the military format ie: MRE = meals ready to eat
Pepper
Pepper Cayene
Pepper Black
Paprika Sweet
Paprika Hot
Paprika Oil Hungarian
Its not alphabetized but you get the idea. It keeps everything together and is quite logical
Appears you have many more spices in your cabinet than I do. :) Although I will say I have lots of types of pepper: Black, cayenne, crushed red, black peppercorn.
Don't ask how many types of salt Ric has in our cabinets. LOL
Hey, Holly... how many types of salt does Ric have in your cabinets ????
Maybe we should start a new thread - OCD in the MAF ;-)
David, go for it! I'll participate, I am friggin' OCD about so many things... Spices - all are moved from the original jars to matching ones, all are alphabetized (the same way that yehudith does hers), and all are laid out in two side by side roll-out drawers in the prep area of the island next to the stove. Did I mention OCD...
Another sign that I'm OCD. Mowed the lawn tonight and every trip around the yard it pissed me off that my mailbox doesn't match my house.
so CAM, ya need a brick mailbox with blue door and white trim?
We could use a mailbox update but I don't like any of them.
Haha... well, my plan is to have a mailbox enclosure made of the same bricks that are on the house. White door and blue trim I hand't thought of but hmmmmmmmmmmmm. :)
The extent of my spice jar organization is to divide them into 2 groups according to whether they're usually used for desserts or main courses, but I'm OCD about grouping flower colors and textures. There are certain combinations I don't like (e.g. pinks and reds) and I'm pretty quick to move them if I screw up.
Oh no Muddy! Better not get into Indian! My curry recipe uses cinnamon and ginger. SO does my pumpkin pie!