Bulk Spices

I have not been too happy with the new small bottles of spices at Costco. I went shopping with my sister at Sam's the other day and saw that they have the larger bottles still for spices at reasonable prices.

They also had GALLON containers of onion, garlic, basil, oregano, chili powder, black pepper, etc. If you have tomato sauce or beans you will want these in bulk. My recipes take about 1-3 T for a family meal. Most of these bulk prices were under $20 although some containers were not full.

If you're just cooking for your family, will the contents of the gallon size container keep and stay fresh till it's all used? Just wondering out loud. I'm guessing yes, but have never really known for sure, so I always stayed with the "standard" large sized containers (approx 1 1/2 lb).

I bet my mother occasionally uses spices that are 20 years old. I have never seen spices go bad, however, they may not taste as well as if they were fresher.

They lose their "potency" as they age. As with most things, the cooler you store them the longer they last. I never throw away old spices even though "the experts" say to toss them after a few years. I just use more of it to get the flavor I want.

If you have a garden, grow some of your own spices! They are easy to grow and then I pick them and dry them in the sun. You can get a lot of cheap spice that way. This is the time of year you can buy them as small plants in the nursery. I grow chives, cilantro, basil, rosemary, parsley, oregano, etc. The basil and cilantro are the only ones I have to replant each year as the others are perennials.

I agree, Charsee. Some of my spices would qualify for Social Security, I guess, but they still taste fine. I think Earthling is right, they may lose a bit of strength, but they are okay. And I do grow herbs, etc., also. phylm

I buy the bulk containers, but for some things I try to use fresh spices that I chop up.

Do you mean herbs or spices?

I vacuum seal the spices I buy in bulk. They taste a lot better for a lot longer. I'm kind of picky, I really notice the difference in older spices.

I just bought a Food Saver, so I'll be sealing up lots & lots of my favorites in half-pint jars. :l0 (58):