May 2001 - Pineapple Anyone?

When was the last time you cleaned out your pantry? It's been a while for me, but yesterday found me emptying the shelves of everything and taking stock of what's been hiding back there. About half the stuff has a "best by" date of sometime prior to today. And it's a lot of the same thing, over and over again. Like 6 cans of Chicken Noodle Soup. And 12 boxes of Jell-o/Pudding Mix. Beans and Diced Tomatoes.

So I'm going to set up an "interim" pantry - where I have to use one or two items from the old stock every day. Most of it's not bad, it's just not "best". The old rule about canned items was that as long as they weren't leaking, dented, or off in color or smell, they were probably OK. So we'll use up what we have. And how bad is Jell-o or Pudding going to get in it's hermetically sealed little pouch in the box? Especially when it's sugar-free?

What's going back in the main pantry are the current items. Doesn't look like much does it? I mean really, what are you going to do with four cans of boiled peanuts? And 6 cans of hominy - just because you can't find it in the first place. You know it's in there, but it's been buried under who-knows-what. And just how many jars of Mayhaw Jelly does one diabetic South Georgian need?

I can tell that we have a definite Southern influence in our pantry - jams & jellies, cornbread, black-eyed peas, hominy... But there's some regional influence as well - like 5 different brands of barbecue sauce. And 4 different salsas. And fish sauce, and rose water, and anchovy fillets.

What's the oddest thing in your pantry?