If you are cheap like me I have found that some of the herbs can be rubbed or crushed to release more flavor. Only two spices will that help, cloves and allspice. I try to tightly close the container to prevent air reaching inside. Of course if you have whole nutmegs or cinnamon sticks sometimes scratching the surface will reach the good stuff. Knowing that in early days it took months if not years for certain spices to go around the world as long as the scent/flavor is there I use more than what a recipe calls for.

I have a number of empty bottles here, some are mine and some I've been storing for a friend.

And some bottles contain spices, but I think that some of them are fairly aged.

How long do you think that spices retain enough of their capability to be worth continuing to give them houseroom?

Some time ago it seemed to me that bigger packs of various spices were much cheaper per unit than in the small shakers, but in the recent troubles maybe less so.

Have you agreed with friends to buy a larger bag when your shakers are empty and share with several friends?

ole joyful

I grow a lot of the herbs fresh that I use, drying them for winter.

Some spices though, I like to buy whole and then grind them. I have one real problem though, any advice would help.

Grinding cloves and cinnamon, I notice I cannot remove the smell and taste no matter how much I clean the grinder. Especially cloves. It transfers the clove/cinnamon taste and smell to the next thing I grind.

Any secret tricks to fully removing that smell?

I just dropped a two year old jar of lemon thyme (use for chicken) into the compost as it had gone flavorless. It was from my own garden, but the plant has died. :(

HG buy a second grinder for those. I had to do that for coffee when I found the few flavored coffees I like left my original one smelling like funk.

Make a deal with a friend, relative, neighbour that you buy a grinder for the flavoured and she use yours when she wants flavoured and you use hers for regular.

That won't work, as it'll be you using hers way more than anywhere near equal number of times.

So if you buy one for flavoured, tell a number of the above mentioned that they're welcome to come over and use yours when needed. Saves them both cash and storage space.

They could buy some other machine for everyone of similar group's infrequent use, later.

ole joyful

If it smells as it should and looks ok, not clumped up like it got damp, I use it.

Write the date of purchase on the label. Discard after 12 months.

12 months? I probably have spices that are 12 years old...heck, maybe even older...HA! Spices that I go through quickly are; garlic powder, onion powder, dried onion, chili powder, cumin, parsley, dill weed, Italian seasoning mix, salt, pepper, garlic salt. That can of paprika will probably still be in the cabinet after I'm dead and gone! HA!

Yes, if you want the flavor. Spice and herb flavors degrade significantly in a short period of time. I toss mine after 6 months but thought I should mention a longer time that more people would tend to accept.

Once I was out of dry mustard so I went next door to borrow some. Brought the can home, but didn't use it, the can was rusted! Sent DH to the store.

I have read that grinding soda crackers helps with the smell in a spice grinder.....repeat several times. It's the oils from the spice that gives the smell.
And I also have ancient things....like whole nutmeg....which still are very fragrant when grated and whole chunks of dried ginger.....which smalls great when grated.
And skip buying things like poultry seasoning and pumpkin pie spice and herbes de provence etc. Buy individual spices and mix your own....you will save money and space in your spice cabinet.

Lindac - clutching my Bell's poultry seasoning!! No one can take it away from me! I do mix my own pumpkin pie spice. I like lavender in herbs de Provence so I do buy that...on our trips to France. A souvenir for me.

We have several mortar and pestles we use to grind coarse herbs, whole seeds...

One of the rare things I buy at Whole Foods are their spices, some of which come in very small packets. I buy the small packets of spices I rarely use and put the packet into a glass jar when I get home. So far this is working for me.

I noticed that there are smaller containers of spices in the local grocery as well. I guess the word is getting out that this might be a good idea.

Keeping spices too long renders them useless. WFM used to sell spices in bulk, making it very easy and inexpensive to have fresh spices. I use Penzey's now and put a sticker with the date I should toss them, six months for most things.

PS What is Poultry Seasoning? Thyme?

My mother's had a lot of sage. Thyme is in there, too. It's just a convenience blend. Spicely, who make the spices in the wee boxes—just enough for a recipe or two—list these: organic thyme, organic sage, organic marjoram, organic rosemary, organic onion, and organic black pepper.

A good place for bulk spices, at least before the pandemic, is Indian markets.

I keep spices so long as they're pungent and tasty. If they're fading, but still flavorful and not gritty, I'll just use a little more. The loss of flavor usually means they more dried out, and if you add them to oil or acid, depending on what, they perk up. When I get around to replacing them, I will, but I don't toss them willy nilly.

The spicess I threw away were several years old. I used smell and taste to determine what to toss. The Amish store has bulk spices and the price is very reasonable. I have containers to store them in.

Poultry seasoning

THYME, SAGE, MARJORAM, ROSEMARY, BLACK PEPPER, AND NUTMEG

Btw, a spoonful of poultry seasoning is perfect for your pot of homemade chicken soup.

I go through it quickly, but I also make a lot of chicken soup in a year.

I agree it depends on the spice. Some whole seed will last easily a few years like mustard, peppercorn. Some spice blends may go off in just a few months.

Especially the blends that have sesame seed. Oily seed goes rancid quickly.

I prefer to purchase bulk seed, nut and whole spice and keep the bags in the freezer. Fill my smaller jars as they empty. Prefer to make my own spice blends toasting the seeds that bentifit from that, then grind fresh. I just make blends seasonally. Every few months of our favorites.

Some, like mustard seed, have their own built-in preservative so I don't bother freezing.

Itty-bitty grocery spices can cost 2-3 dollars. A whole pound is often under 5$.

Rose, that's some nice organizing!

You can use dry instant rice in you grinder to help de-funk it. Regular rice works, but it's a bit denser and creates more starch dust than instant rice.

I use a coffee grinder for my peppercorns, and it's dedicated for only peppercorns. I got a couple cheap magic bullets for grinding up other stuff. They work well and can be throughly washed between uses. One can also use a blender if they have one, and use a small glass canning jar instead of the blender pitcher for the grind. Scent removal from bullets and blenders can be done by running the blender with a chunk of lemon in soap water. You can use a vinegar and water mix too.

I use a lot of herbs and spices, and tend to get most of them by the big jar at GFS or I order by the pound from Monterey Bay Spice Co- they have good tea at great prices too that I get by the pound. I usually split my bulk pound purchases with my sister.

I wonder if you couldn't freeze them and they would stay fresh a longer time.

Sue

A comment on poultry seasoning. Each company has their own blend. The same as herbs de Provence. If you like the blend buy that kind but do not expect all kinds to taste or smell the same. The good ones for me are heavy on the thyme.

I will attach the link to a table which all of you may find to be helpful to you. I keep a copy of this list in my spice cabinet (which is not near the stove).

http://www.eatbydate.com/other/how-long-do-spices-last/#:~:text=Spices%20Expiration%20Date%20%20%20%20Spice%20,%203-4%20Years%20%2033%20more%20rows%20

My local grocery has a excellent bulk foods section where they sell every kind of spice or dried herb or blends you could imagine. I buy only as much as I know I will use in a few weeks or a month or two.

I remember cleaning out my mom's kitchen when she went into assisted living. There were spice jars/cans in her cupboard that were probably older than I was!!

I’m another one to freeze bags of spices. I fill jars for daily use and date & label the frozen herbs & spices. If I don’t get around to using up the jarred spices quickly enough, I’ll toss the contents and refill with the extra from the freezer. It’s worked for me.

If you ever should try to cook from a Medieval recipe the amounts of spice called for are staggering and would be inedible if you didnt account for the fact that the staggeringly expensive exotic spices of the day could take years to get to Europe and were way past their pull date not to mention frequently adulterated. I do grow my own herbs but the rest get replaced when they lose their pungency. If what I make doesnt have the taste I need then out they go. I buy mostly whole spice though. I use a mortar and pestle with some of the salt the recipe calls for to help grind.

Rose, you've inspired me to go through what I have. I'm much better than I used to be with spices. These days I'm guilty of having an extensive collection of vinegar on hand, but they do last a long time.

For years I kept a jar that held saffron threads I bought circa mid 70's. The threads were in a little envelope inside the spice jar. Though the saffron was long gone, I kept the bottle that was marked $1.69. I remember thinking that was a high price at the time.

When people talk about "spices" they may be talking about anything from a fresh dried oregano to some convoluted mix of something from Mccormicks, such as "steak seasoning" or "Italian seasoning" that contains all manner of dehydrated stuff and added preservatives. There is a lot of difference between those two things and I would wager to bet that most have a wide range of things that are being called "spices".

So, one rule of thumb can't possible apply to all.

For myself, I buy from the co op where I can buy small amounts. But, you have to be aware that is is entirely possible that the spices in the larger container at the store may have been there too long before you buy them. Just to be aware.

I have taken my array of spices down to a handful of things and have eliminated the clutter of too many things that may get used not very often or don't meet my criteria. Like so many other things in life, decluttering and taking things down to more of an essence of real use and importance is liberating. My spice selection does span other that purely European influence.

Those spices that traveled with the ancient traders were, no doubt , not the dried leaves of things. They were more likely to be those that are derived from nuts, seeds, bark of a tree, saffron and even salt. It was likely the more resinous ones, not dried basil or steak seasoning or Jamaica jerk.

My rule on spices is to dump most of them the first week of November. That excludes those I use and replace often. So I start holiday cooking with fresh spices.

I chose my freezer to hold my bulk spices in the door for easy visual.

I love your spice cabinet! Nice and shallow so you can see and reach them with one hand and without knocking any over!

I'm guessing that the Medieval recipes mentioned by patriciae may have called for larger amounts of spices to disguise spoiled food.

Our local market will sell you a teaspoon of seasoning. He has penny bags and you fill with whatever quantity. Not getting rich off his giveaway, but has best and freshest meat in the county. He even delivers to us old folk. Drives a faded old green Ford station wagon. See him zip by everyday. Funny,he is older than us old folks.

This was so fab I designed, using the dead space between the wall and fridge. And pulls out a third more than pictured.. Big skylight above in the kitchen it has clear lighting. Two months of the year it gets full sun so we always roll it back into the wall space.

My kitchen triangle is tight but efficient. So nice to have all I need at hand.

I just dumped out probably 300+ spices that were all expired, and treated myself to fresh ones. Feels nice!

wow, 300?!

I store anything with sesame seeds in the freezer, but that amounts to just sesame seeds, Furikake, and Za'atar. I do make my own Za'atar, but I buy Furikake at Japanese markets.

HamiltonGardener...try cleaning your grinder with plain fresh coffee beans.

I don’t have ROOM for 300 herbs and spices.

I didn't have room either. Part of why I purged! Some were 10+ years old so it was a long and slowly built collection.

I don't think i can even name 75 herbs and spices......where do you get 300?

Another freezer storer here. I’ve been keeping them in a drawer in the kitchen fridge/freezer. After seeing sleevendog’s picture, I think I’ll move them to the garage freezer door. It is so obvious. Why didn’t I think of that???

It wasn't just 300 individual and unique spices. I had the normal straight variety, and a lot of blends, and a lot of variations. For instance, for Cinnamon, I had 3 different types, including cinnamon sticks. Then I also had pumpkin pie spice, apple pie spice, baking spice, and cake spice that I would use interchangeably depending on the recipe. So while most people might have "Cinnamon" I had 7 different options. That's how I collected so many! Same for things like chili powder, taco seasoning, curry powders, ground peppers, salad dressing blends, etc. I'd have 5-10 options for each. And I also had a LOT of repeats as I had so many that I would forget what I had, since it was too much to keep in one area.

It got to be too much and I had some that were very old that I had barely used, so this time around I'm going to keep it simpler and make my own blends.

I too am someone who tries different spices and was always looking for new blends when I traveled so am not surprised at the 300. Spices are like underwear or shoes for some people. You have them until you count you do not realize how many.

Ran across this in my notebook. Wanted to share. Don't remember the source

For some specific guidance on when spices expire, here is a round-up of spice expiration dates.

Allspice: Ground and dried allspice lasts about two to three years.

Basil: Fresh basil lasts about five to seven days, while ground and dried lasts about two to three years.

Bay leaves: Fresh bay leaves last about five to seven days, while ground and dried bay leaves last about two to three years.

Black pepper: Ground and dried black pepper last for about two to three years, while whole peppercorns last about five to six years.

Cayenne pepper: Fresh cayenne lasts about five to seven days, while ground cayenne pepper lasts about two to three years. Like paprika, cayenne pepper will last longer in the refrigerator, though it's not required.

Chili powder: Ground chili powder lasts about two to three years.

Cilantro: Fresh cilantro lasts about five to seven days, while ground and dried lasts about two to three years.

Cinnamon: Ground and dried cinnamon last about two to three years.

Cloves: Fresh cloves last about five to seven days, while ground and dried cloves last for two to three years. Whole cloves last four to five years.

Coriander: Ground and dried coriander lasts for two to three years.

Cream of Tartar: Ground and dried cream of tartar last about two to three years.

Cumin: Ground cumin lasts about two to three years.

Dill: Fresh dill lasts about five to seven days, while ground dill lasts about two to three years.

Garlic: Fresh garlic lasts for four to six months, while ground and dried garlic each last about two to three years.

Italian Seasoning: Ground and dried Italian Seasoning lasts for about two to three years.

Jalapeños: Fresh jalapeños last for about five to seven days, while ground and dried will last about two to three years.

Mint: Fresh mint lasts about seven to 10 days, while ground and dried mint last for about one to three years.

Mustard: Fresh mustard, not the condiment, lasts for about five to seven days. Ground and dried mustard, on the other hand, lasts for about two to three years.

Nutmeg: Ground and dried nutmeg last for about two to three years.

Onions: Fresh onions last for about five to seven days, while dried and ground onion powder lasts for about two to three years.

Oregano: Fresh oregano lasts about five to seven days, while ground and dried oregano last about two to three years.

Paprika: Dried and ground paprika last about two to three years.

Parsley: Fresh parsley will last about five to seven days, while ground and dried will last about two to three years.

Pumpkin Pie Spice: Ground pumpkin pie spice will last about two to three years.

Rosemary: Fresh rosemary will last about 10 to 14 days in the refrigerator, while dried and ground rosemary will last about one to three years.

Sage: Fresh sage will keep about 10 to 14 days in the refrigerator, while dried sage leaves will last about one to three years. Ground sage will last about three to four years.

Salt: Table salt keeps indefinitely, just like kosher salt and sea salt.

Steak Seasoning: Bottled or bulk steak seasoning will last about one to two years.

Taco Seasoning: Packets of taco seasoning will last about two to three years.

Thyme: Fresh thyme will last about 10 to 14 days in the refrigerator, while ground and dried thyme will last about three to four years.

Turmeric: Ground turmeric will last about three to four years.

Thanks Audrey. Now if I could just get into the habit of dating my spice jars when they've been opened. I do it with refrigerated things, condiments, dried beans, do not think to do it with spices but maybe I'll begin.

I did go through and do a taste and sniff test after being inspired by Rose. And was surprised to find most still had a pungent taste/scent. I didn't discard nearly as much as I had imagined.

Not sure why I had three full containers of cumin. We do like cumin, I must have been afraid of running out ;0)