[Sca-cooks] spices for feasts

[Ruth Tannahill]

Our group tends to store dry goods. Spices, etc. get purchased on the feast
budget. Leftovers go in the spice box. It only gets to be a problem when I
find the odd moldy ginger root/garlic bulb/box of currants, or leaky bottle
in there. If I can't identify something by smell, it gets pitched. Even if
the stuff was dated (some of it is...), I'd still have to do this. Storage
conditions can be a bit unpredictable. The spice box is stored in an area
cooler than the rest of the house, which prolongs their life, but it gets
transported in peoples' trunks....

Understand, we're in an area with many ethnic groceries, so spices aren't as
expensive as they might be elsewhere.

Berelinde, the chamberlain


>         I have a question.  But first my explanation.  When getting
> groceries for a feast,  I usually just use what spices I have in my
kitchen,
> or purchase what I think I'll need from my own pocket.  I figure what
small
> amounts I use aren't that expensive, I know how fresh they are, and if I
do
> use a whole purchased quantity I can then add it to my budget. If there
are
> leftovers, by buying the spices & herbs myself, I keep it.   How do other
> cooks handle this?
>
> Caointiarn