Spring Cleaning: Herbs and Spices

Chai-spiced Sweet Potato Bisque {spices from Savory Spice Shop}

It’s beginning to feel a lot like….Spring! And that means, clean out the winter cobwebs, perk up the house with vibrant color, and liven up your cooking with fresh herbs and spices!  In order to entice people to do a little spring cleaning in their spice rack, and get their food tasting great, Savory Spice Shop is giving customers $1 off a jar of fresh Savory Spice Shop spices for every old competitors’ spice bottle you bring in. Let’s call it Cash in Your Cupboard!

Herbs and Spices have a shelf like – like any food.  As a general rule experts suggest going through your spices in a year, but some have shorter (or longer) life spans:

• Ground Cinnamon has a high oil content which dissipates fairly rapidly and should be finished within 6 months.  The older your cinnamon the more bitter and bark-y it becomes and loses its natural sweetness.

• Green herbs should be used with 8 months to a year.

• Ground spices and spice blends within a year.

• Whole spices (peppercorns, whole cloves, dried chiles, whole cinnamon sticks) can last up to 3 years.

Savory Spice Shop finds that most people hold onto their herbs and spices for 4-5 years –  and some even longer!  Did you know that McCormick stopped selling their spices in tins (except ground pepper) more than 15 years ago!  I can’t tell you how many of those old tins are still lurking in peoples spice cabinets – like my mom’s! I swear when we cleaned out her kitchen there were spices that had probably been there since we were little tikes.

With the average grocery bill in Orange County topping $250 a week, fresh spices are an inexpensive way to ensure that the food you cook tastes great. Why sacrifice flavor for a few bucks?

Savory Spice Shop, with more than 500 spices in house and 160 blends, is where I buy my herbs and spices. I know they are top quality and fresh, but especially because I can buy small amounts like 1/2 ounce or 1 ounce packets for specialty items or 2 ounce jars that will be used within a year.

April is the time to clean out your spice racks of old tasteless spices and renew.

Bring a bottle, buy a bottle, save a buck at Savory Spice Shop!

Spice up Meatless Monday dishes with spices from SSS – here’s a few more for inspiration: