Day 7 - Its time to Declutter and Organise your Herbs and Spices Challenge (printable)

It’s time to Declutter and Organise your Herbs & Spices Challenge

 Day 7 In the 30 Days to an Organised Kitchen Challenge

 

Today’s decluttering Task is to discard any old and unused spices in your kitchen.

 

Unlike most other foods spices do not go bad unless perhaps they get damp, however, they can lose their flavour and potency over time.  If you look at the spice jars you will notice that they too come with a best-before date.   Several factors have a bearing on how long they are at their peak condition, these are:

·       The type of Herbs and Spices

·       The way they are stored

·       Whether it is Fresh or Frozen

·       Whether it is Ground, Dried or Whole

 

The focus of this post will be on dried herbs and spices, as I am pretty sure many of us have these types in our cupboards. The general rule of thumb is that dried spices usually last for 1 to 2 years, and whole spices can last for 2 to 3 years.

 

Testing the Herbs and Spices for Freshness

The easiest way to check whether the herb and spices are still good is to check their best-before date, but sometimes this is not possible, as you may have decanted them into different containers.

 

Try this handy little test to check the freshness of your herbs and spices:

 

·       Take a small pinch of the herb or spice and rub it between your thumb and index finger

·       If there is little to no aroma, you can discard it – as there will not be much taste.

·       If there is a little to medium aroma – I would suggest using it as soon as you can and purchasing a new one, and discarding the old one when you have done so.

·       If there is a beautiful aroma – you know that the herb or spice is good to be used.

 

Keeping Track of your Herbs and Spices Dates

 

Are your herbs and spices still good? Or have you found that you have discarded more than you thought you would have to?

 

I was shocked when I came to organise my herbs and spices.  My husband and I do tend to use them very regularly.  But still, I had several herbs that had seen better days.  The majority were on my spinning spice rack, which is usually left on the unit and has access to sunlight.

 

I have made a Herb and Spice inventory Sheet, so every time that I buy a new herb or spice, I can write the date of when I purchased them, making it easier for me to keep track of how long I’ve had them, making life a little easier in the long run.  Which is what decluttering and organising is all about for me.

 

Storing Herbs and Spices

Now that you’ve decluttered all the herbs and spices, you need to make sure that you are storing them correctly – because storing them incorrectly can lead to them deteriorating faster.

Herbs and spices need to be stored in:

·       Airtight containers

·       Cool, dry dark cupboards or drawers

If you keep your herbs and spices on a spice rack – which is exposed to light, you should think about transferring them to dark bottles, as this help to stop the sunlight from ruining them.

Whilst it is tempting to keep your herbs and spices close to the oven, for convenience – heat can lead to them deteriorating fast too.  So, it is trying to locate them in a cupboard or drawer to preserve them better.

How do I store my Herbs and Spices?

Even though I had herbs and spices in two locations in the kitchen (the spinning herb rack and the drawer – because the herb jars on the spinner were too tall to fit in the drawers, thought that my herbs and spices were organised pretty well, as I had them all labelled and alphabetically ordered (yes - I am a little OCD with things like that).

 

I bought some Cute Herb and Spice Jars from Amazon that will allow me to decant both sets of herbs and spices and store them both in my drawer – removing a bit more clutter from the kitchen worktop - Bonus!!  And I will wash out the old containers and keep them for when I declutter the craft room.  I think that they will be perfect for storing my gems.   I don’t think I am ever going to buy a spinning spice rack again, while it is nice in theory – to give it a quick spin and get the right herb – the more important thing is to keep them away from direct sunlight, as this will keep them fresher for longer.

I had a container that I was no longer using, so I washed it out - put it on its side and - hey presto - instant spice jar holder.  I decluttered all of the expired herbs and spices and labelled all the jars.  All I need to do now is to replenish the jars with the new products.

Did you notice there is a gap in the top right of the spices? I do have a jar to go in there, but I am waiting on amazon to send me a replacement lid, as it was broken when it arrived.  I hope they hurry up, it's driving me crazy.

The container is the perfect size to hold all 30 of the jars, and with them being staggered, when I remove one they all stay in their correct place.  I think I am going to have to put them into alphabetical order though.

Don't forget to drop by tomorrow, as we tackle the decluttering and organising of the top and front of the fridge.  Let me know in the comments how you got on with today’s organising task.  I love seeing your photos so don't forget to tag me  #GoDeclutterblog30DayChallenge

I really appreciate you stopping by and want to say thank you - because without you I wouldn't be here. Believe in Yourself, You got this, NOW Go Declutter!