Spring (cleaning) Fever

We all have our dreams.  One of my dreams is to have a pantry as well-organized and beautiful as my mother's.  She keeps things well organized, visible and lovely in row upon row of glass jars.

My pantry at present is a set of home-improvement store plastic utility shelves in the mudroom off the kitchen.  Although I have a young collection of glass jars (thanks to a glass factory outlet trip with my mother, where she introduced me to her source), the pantry was being overcome by some unwise purchases and disorganized stashing.

This past weekend, when the cleaning fever hit, it hit that room hard.  I knew there were things lurking on those shelves that were well past their "use by" dates, if only I could find them...not to mention too many broths and some missing staples. 

I try to keep some things up front, like the giant pickle jar that gets used for school snacks during the off months, the flour, sugar, raisins and other things the kids drag out for cooking.  It was the back areas where things were getting out of control.

One trash bag and some cold-eyed purging later (no, I was never going to use the three-year-old box of matzo ball mix, or the I-can't-tell-you-how-old preserved cherries that looked suspicious when I first received them as a gift), things were shaping up.

I've been thinking about how to organize our meals and shopping better.  This felt like a good start.  I read yesterday that the average family throws out something like $300 worth of food a year.  It's challenging to find the right combinations to fit a busy, sometimes unpredictable schedule, but I think having a less-full pantry may actually help.  If anyone has tips, please pass them on!