I recently completed a kitchen organization project I’ve been eager to do for a long, long, loooong time. I’ve always thought that the spices, beans, grains, nuts and other dry goods hiding behind my cabinet doors are absolutely beautiful. I’ve just been waiting for the kitchen infrastructure that would finally let me show them off. After ripping off ancient cabinets, installing sturdy open shelving, and spending an almost-painful several days of picking, scraping, soaking and goo-goning the labels off of many, many glass jars, bottles and little spice vials, I finally have the kaleidoscopic work of art I wanted so badly. (It doesn’t hurt that I live with an LED lighting aficionado who knows how to really show it off.)
Not only is it now lovely to behold, but it’s also incredibly handy. I can find and grab whatever I need without fishing around for it. It’s easy to see what we’re running out of or to be inspired to cook with what we have in abundance. Plus, we have the satisfaction of knowing these recycled jars will be put to good use for a good long time.
I bet y’all have some great ideas, too. You can share your cleverest kitchen organizing ideas in the Comments Section below, or email them to me at RealFood@MotherEarthNews.com with “Kitchen Organization” as the subject line. We’re especially interested in hearing about strategies that help you save money, space and time. If you have corresponding photos to share, you can email those to me, too. Your ideas will be reviewed for potential inclusion in an upcoming issue of MOTHER EARTH NEWS.