it's the first week of April and it looks as if many in the GA community is on Spring Break! 

4 minutes ago, Bill W said:

it's the first week of April and it looks as if many in the GA community is on Spring Break! 

I start back at work tomorrow after 2 weeks off from School (not looking forward to getting up at 5am). 

2 hours ago, chris191070 said:

I start back at work tomorrow after 2 weeks off from School (not looking forward to getting up at 5am). 

You'll survive, Chris.  We've all had to do it.  

1 hour ago, Bill W said:

You'll survive, Chris.  We've all had to do it.  

What work or getting up at 5am.

Expired stuff... 

Depends on what it is. Dairy based products.. buh-bye. Something like condiments.. as long as they didn't change color or smell funky they can hang out a little longer. Canned goods I'll let slide for a while, but if it's more than a year then it's time to part ways. With this last move I ended up tossing a bunch of spices that expired before the dawn of time..lol. 

My father wouldn't let my mum throw out anything. So, she'd freeze whatever nasty little leftover it was and then later wrap in newspaper and hide it in the garbage.

Me, lots of things are still okay after the expiry date. If it smells bad/rancid, throw it out. Dairy and meat will certainly let you know if it's bad. Don't keep old spices, yuck.

Unless you have a restaurant or giant family, buy spices in smaller quantities ... stares pointedly at @kbois   🌶️

2 minutes ago, Mikiesboy said:

 

Unless you have a restaurant or giant family, buy spices in smaller quantities ... stares pointedly at @kbois   🌶️

I threw them out!!!!! (And they were the smaller size... just stuff I never used regularly)

😉😆

6 hours ago, chris191070 said:

What work or getting up at 5am.

Would you beleive BOTH!  

I just cooked with an egg that expired 03/28.  I put it in water and it didn't float.  If it smells okay and looks okay, I'm eating it.

I use the sniff/taste test if there is no visible signs of spoilage. Even dairy products passed the “date” (I throw them out when they start to “curdle”). I also keep dried spices around for years (they may have lost their flavor but *shrug*, I only throw them out when they are just dry flakes of nothingness). Did you know “sell by” does not mean expiration?

I'm a canner, I garden, pickle, can, etc. So I've looked into spoiling vs. canning, vs. store bought canned goods with preservatives. It is a bit of an eyeopener when you really look into what you should look for, smell for, and even taste for when determining what is spoiled and what isn't. I do tend to toss canned goods that are over two years old, even if the seal is still firm. Nothing I've canned the past couple of years have ever made it past the first year and a half though, usually by the time I have enough garden stuff ready to can... I'm nearly empty of last year's stuff anyway. 

I am far more worried about vegetables, lettuce, and fruits. Especially in salad assortments, and that's within the sale by dates. Stuff like sour cream and mayonnaise makes me wrinkle my nose... but I still give it a few taste tests to make sure. If it is a food I don't like at all and won't eat it, if I see it expired I do toss it. I don't trust the husband and the brats to not food poison themselves.  

I do not refreeze leftovers, I know a lot of people that do, but I just think when something is heated/cooked, and frozen, then thawed and re-heated it loses a lot of flavor and texture. It is more of a.. space issue in my freezer, and the fact that my family just won't eat it due to the change in texture/taste. It is wasted effort for no rewarding outcome.

I am also really considering dehydrators and freeze drying, although that can be expensive, I think it pays for itself in the long run. There's a lot of waste with gardening and if I had access to both, there would be a lot less waste. And freeze dried candies are damn good and lets be honest, that's the real reason I want one...