The pentagram of spices! Beware!
Whew. This was a pretty hectic holiday, all things considered. Between my time in the mountains (no, not of madness), the fantasy convention – great as always but hard on the poor ol’ heart, as always – the damn house renovation and Death paying a visit to the family, things were pretty crazy. It’s all over now, though, and now I’m facing the dear drab everyday existence. It’s become so unfamiliar lately that I’m still having a kick out of boredom, but I know myself. This won’t last long.
The house is a little strange, what with me getting unaccustomed to it. It needs a solid scrubbing and I’m happy to oblige, as it takes my mind off… everything. And it’s a good way of making it mine again. There are numerous ways of marking Your own territory, and a good cleaning has the additional advantage of making things, well, clean. And now that I have successfully refurbished two rooms, I’m probably going to hit the kitchen pretty soon. Which leads me to the spice rack.
I don’t know what it is with a clean, orderly row of spice jars, but they are one of the most decorative sights I know while still being useful. There’s just something about all those shapes and colours and smells that makes me want to hoard them like some sort of foodie dragon. Huh, I guess I just like herbs and cooking. Who would have thought?
You can buy all sorts of stuff now to make that easy, like magnetic receptacles with rewritable labels, but I don’t really hold with that sort of thing. I stick to the little jars that my Mother used, which are over a twenty years old and already their shape looks original in a retro kind of way. And who needs labels? They detract from the thing itself, and if You need them to tell what is what then clearly You keep those herbs just for show.
So, do I have any advice to You spice hoarders? Sure, although I don’t really think anyone needs it. Keep the jars clean and shut. Use the same kind of receptacle for maximum contents exposure. Keep those spices that You actually use, otherwise they’ll go stale and unappealing. Always make sure the jars are absolutely dry before putting something in them – and, for this reason, avoid pouring the spices into pots directly from the jars when cooking. They get damp from the steam and that’s not good for the contents. Spoons were invented for a reason. Some spices may not like being exposed to sun – check it out beforehand. And remember – there’s nothing wrong with suddenly grabbing a jar of, say, cinnamon, and just taking a sniff. No, that does not mean I’m weird. I mean You.
It’s good to pick KW up again. And there will be recipes, although probably no cake.
