Have you read the packaging for the date to use for the best taste and results? Just what does that mean?

Before Don and I married I purged my cupboards of all of the things that were outdated. I carefully read each can and package to decide what to keep and what to get rid of.

Years ago, Dick made me a pantry cupboard in my pantry. It was designed to hold my large homemade breadboard behind the main section. Dick and his father made the breadboards from the tree that we took down in our yard. Although it was very big, it fit perfectly. I do have to push in the Hoosier cupboard shelf to access it, but I can easily get it out to use.

I have said many times that I have a well-stocked pantry. I have a lot of canned goods and packages of soups and things. Don used to tease me about my pantry. He said we had enough to eat for a very long time. He was not wrong!

I had been a farmer’s wife for thirty-five years. I never knew when I was going to get off the hill to buy groceries. I had to have things to serve to the people who worked for us. I could always come up with a complete meal because I had a large pantry filled with things to cook.

Now as far as fresh stuff, I had to be a little more careful. I could only use so many fresh things. I had to purchase those when I got a chance.

I know that food pantries will not take food that has passed it “best used by” date. What exactly does that mean?

I know now that I threw out a lot of food that was still good. That date is an arbitrary thing that does not mean it is spoiled. It simply means that I should not complain if it does not turn out like it should. That of course goes for cake mixes, muffin mixes, and sweet breads.

All of those foods with that date expired does not make the food unusable. Food pantries should also be accepting those kinds of food so that it does not go to waste. They are not really expired. Canned goods last for a very long time.

I recently read an article about that designation. There are even places that sell all expired things so as not to waste food. The picture along with the articles showed a woman picking out things from a dairy case.

We had one young man who would not drink milk if it was past the sell date. That sell date does not mean it is spoiled after that. It is actually good for at least another week. But you can use sour milk in cookies, breads, coffeecakes, and pancakes. It takes the place of buttermilk. If I do not have sour milk or buttermilk, I add vinegar or lemon juice. There is a window of opportunity to use it.

Eggs are another thing. Farmers are not allowed to sell eggs that are more than five days old. Guess what? The eggs that you buy in the store are definitely more than five days old. Many of them are on the shelf a lot longer than that. As long as eggs are either not washed to remove the protective coating, or are washed, but refrigerated they are safe to eat.

These arbitrary dates have been used by manufacturers for decades to indicate peak freshness. The dates do not mean that the food is not edible or has no nutritional value.

Now that I know this, I am more cautious about throwing things out.

Groups that study food waste estimate that more than 17% of the global food production goes to waste annually. In the U.S. as much as 35% of our food supply goes to waste.

In the current market that means that money is wasted. We all know that food prices have risen astronomically. I read somewhere that food cost is up more than 400%. Even those of us with an adequate income are struggling to feed our families.

Before you throw something out be sure that it is truly unusable. I could have saved a lot of money just by using the stuff I threw out. I was just being cautious because everyone said that food that is “expired” is bad. I will think long and hard before I part with “expired” food.

(Information in this article came from the AP wire service)

Ann Swanson writes from her home in Russell, Pa. Contact at hickoryheights1@verizon.net.