海角大神

The world鈥檚 oldest ham has been preserved since 1902 and is a popular museum exhibit in Smithfield, Va. The world鈥檚 oldest spices are in my kitchen cabinet and seldom get a second glance.

Now and then I try to throw away one of the ancient spice tins, jars, and bottles crowding two cabinet shelves, and my husband stops me.

鈥淪pices don鈥檛 go bad,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hose are still good. They鈥檙e too expensive to throw away.鈥�

Actually, some of them weren鈥檛 that expensive. One of my dill containers cost only 49 cents; it was purchased by my mother when the first Bush was in office and she flirted with a crab cakes recipe. I have other hand-me-down spices with ink-stamped prices, including my grandmother鈥檚 ginger, rosemary, ground cumin, and mace.

And what was my sweet grandmother doing with mace, anyway? I thought mace was a weapon.

From the looks of all of these spices hogging valuable real estate in the kitchen cabinet, you鈥檇 think I was vying to be the next celebrity chef. The irony is that I rarely use anything besides salt and pepper, and when I do attempt a new recipe, I buy fresh spices to enhance my chance of success. Therefore, when I decided to eat salmon three times a week 鈥� a resolve that lasted exactly two-thirds of a week 鈥� I bought a $5.99 bottle of mustard seed for a recipe that camouflages the fishiness of fish.

I still have the bottle of mustard seed, minus one teaspoon. I鈥檓 sure it鈥檒l remain in my cabinet and be passed down to my children, who also have grown up hearing the kitchen myth that spices don鈥檛 go bad and are too expensive to toss 鈥� ever.

My sister Winnie is drowning in heirloom spices, too. She just moved to a new house and lugged a giant laundry basket of seasonings with her.

鈥淢aybe you should just start from scratch in your new place and buy some fresh spices,鈥� I suggested, though I knew it was futile. 鈥淭urn over a new bay leaf, so to speak,鈥� I said as I studied a small jar containing two curled brown bay leaves that looked as appetizing as splinters.

鈥淭hose bay leaves are fine,鈥� Winnie said. 鈥淭hey鈥檒l taste good to you in a stew this winter.鈥�

Her paprika鈥檚 metal lid had goo buildup similar to what I see atop my fridge and budge now and then with a putty knife.

鈥淚鈥檓 sure this paprika is flat by now,鈥� I said as I moved to toss it. Winnie intercepted it and gave it a sniff. 鈥淭his paprika is perfectly good,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檒l just sprinkle twice as much on my deviled eggs.鈥�

And I鈥檓 sure I鈥檒l eat and enjoy said deviled eggs right along with the bay-leaf stew 鈥� and the 1902 ham, if I get a chance.聽