SC - A question of concern...

[Christine A Seelye-King]

I think throwing the box away entirely is a little rash.  I generally go
through our boxes at least once every four to six months or so, (or when
we do the next event) and sort through the things in them.   I never keep
things like opened bags of sugar, flour, corn starch, etc, but will keep
tightly sealed ones.  (I too will just keep the leftover opened bags of
stuff, or farm it out on Sunday morning to folks going home.) Spices and
herbs in good containers are good for roughly two years, spices in whole
forms are good for longer than that, especially if you are going to grind
them.   When I am using the Baronial stores, I usually re-pack the totes
I am going to need with the items I want, because I don't usually need
all 15 or so of them for any one event.  I think having one or two people
who will be concientious about sorting and tossing is a good way to keep
up with what gets stored and re-used.  (Right now we have about 3 pounds
of ground up cumin, I wonder who multiplied that recipie out? It will be
tossed soon, I feel sure)  I can't believe that the humidity in Ontario
is worse than that of Meridies, and good quality containers can alleviate
much of the problem with moisture.  Perhaps you could get the group to
invest in some reusable storage containers (Tupperware or Rubbermaid) for
the spices and other dry goods (pasta, rice, beans, etc.)  I think the
main thing is to have someone who is willing to keep an eye on it
consistantly.  Our stuff doesn't live on my front porch anymore (it
finally outgrew it and we built a shed), but I try to keep my hand in and
keep it looked after.  It still varies widely from each different
Feastcrat, and needs sorting through.  
	I appreciate your desire to keep things fresh, but I am also
Scottish enough (personna and genetically) to want to save money where
possible.  Spices and dry goods, as well as cleaning supplies and
equipment, can be stored successfully and re-used.  It can also be done
wrong and be yucky.  Try to keep an open mind at your meeting, you will
probably get farther with your "old cook's crowd" if you don't propose
scrapping the "Box" altogether, but try to implement some better storage
procedures and a schedule of dating and tossing.  If you let them know
you are really concerned and not just jumping up and down to toss out the
old, in with the new, you might just change some minds and practices.  
	Good Luck, 
	Mistress Christianna

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