Organized Spices
Yep, like I said yesterday, nesting is in full gear over here and after I organized our spice drawer, many other drawers were begging for a little refreshing too. I’m not sure anyone in my household really appreciates our newly tidied spice drawer, but y’all are my people, so I bet you will! Things like this get us giddy and no one else has to understand, right?! Thank God for each other- this is what caused me to start blogging in the first place when I was a new SAHM and needed women like you to relate with!
spice jar | round labels (red)
This mini project was inspired spur of the moment while I was preparing a crock pot meal and having to add many spices that were past their prime or I was having to reach into both the drawer you see here and the cabinet above to find what we needed. And, the salt and pepper were previously in the cabinet on the opposite side of this drawer, so I figured a refresh was in order.
It took less than an hour to make it all better! And I even alphabetized them!
I emptied out the entire drawer, wiped it clean, then went through each spice to throw out the expired, and then washed the jars ones that needed cleaning. I originally decanted these spices into these airtight glass containers because I wanted to be able to see them all at a glance, and also the mouth of these containers is wide enough to fit a tablespoon, which comes in handy when making a recipe. It makes me crazy those spice bottles that just have little holes in the lid that you have to remove when you want to measure them. Ain’t no one got time for that when you’re busy trying to get dinner on the table!
We still keep the larger jars of spices in the cabinet above (with small portions contained here for easy access), as well as things like sesame seeds, poppy seeds, Mrs. Dash, and bouillon cubes, but the majority of the spices I’d reach for in a receipe are now all in one place. Those Basil and Cilantro spice jars are the kind of dehydrated spices that come to life when you add water and I’m loving them. I could use a few more glass jars for the other spices to keep things super uniform, but this is all I had on hand. And I broke one while washing it. It was the only one to break in over 5 years!
So as to not make myself crazy with perfect looking labels, I just hand wrote the name of each spice on the label with one of my favorite ultra fine point Sharpie pens.
round label (red)
And I finally got the bright idea to put the expiration date on the bottom, who knows how long some of those had been in there before?! I guess them being crusty was a good sign they needed to be tossed!
The spice drawer didn’t look terrible to begin with, but many spices were no longer good and it just needed to be cleaned up. I emptied the skewers from their package and put them in a clear drawer divider too. You can see some of the labels needed to be rewritten.
So much better, right?! Thank you for appreciating a pretty spice drawer as much as I do. 😉
You can see our entire Kitchen here and more Home Organization posts here.
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How long do spices last? I had to throw out my bay leaves the other day when one broke in half. We restocked when we moved and now I'm worried it's time to do it again.
I love an organized spice drawer, and it's probably about time for me to do a little sprucing up of mine. Great idea on putting the expiration dates! Nesting before my babies were born was such a fun time–happy to see you're enjoying it, as well 🙂
XO,
Michele
http://www.thejoyfulhomeblog.com
Great idea!
My spices fall out of the cabinet every time I open the door:)
You've inspired me!
This makes my heart happy. My spices are in definite need of some TLC. I love that you alphabetized them- totally something I would do too!
I totally get it! I posted about ours a few weeks back. It makes meal prep so much easier, and I can see what we need or are low on.
LOL, of all the things, I like the organized skewers the best! 🙂 (probably because my spices are organized but my skewers are NOT)
I love how organized you are! My spice rack is a mess so this is a great reminder!
Greta | http://www.gretahollar.com
I love the dehydrated spices, so easy to use! The drawer looks great! 🙂
Megan, I love this idea, especially the expiration date on the bottom! I've already collected new spice jars (sitting in storage as I prepare to move) and can't wait to update my own spice drawer in my new home! Thank you for sharing!
Love the spices in a drawer! Mine are stacked high in a cabinet without any organization! I agree, can't stand the small mouth spice jars that won't fit a tablespoon. Thanks for the inspiration! Now to put a spice drawer on my kitchen remodel wish list.
Great job!! I am not only with you on the excitement, I am also itching to do a refresh of my spice cabinet as well. Thanks for the nudge and enjoy your nesting.
Love your little spice jars. They are so cute all in several rows with their names on it! Great!
Your spice drawer is a thing of beauty!!! AND… LOVE putting the skewers in the clear container (adding that to my shopping list��). Happy Friday!!!
Well done, friend! You know this is right up my alley!
xoxo,
Sam