The Essential Step for Freezer, Pantry and Apothecary fans…

Last night for dinner I had an Asian-inspired ramen noodle soup with sliced fresh mushrooms, miso, and applesauce.

Applesauce.  Yep.

It was supposed to be homemade chicken stock, but in my haste to pull yet-another-square-container-frozen-solid-with-yellowish-substance out of the freezer, I inadvertently added applesauce to my soup.

Since I know you’re curious:  Yes, I ate it (it was slightly sweet-sour.  And very thick!).  No, I’m not adding it to my recipe repertoire.

The moral of the story is that you HAVE to label all of your containers.  This is important when stocking your apothecary, your homemade beauty boudoir or your freezer.  I always harp on and on about the importance of labeling, and then this happens.  Unlabeled applesauce and chicken stock, side by side.

No matter how much you think you will remember … trust me, there is a good chance you won’t.  And while defrosting an unknown frozen food can be a fun culinary adventure, trying to remember what a dried mystery herb, or tincture, or body cream is, is much more risky!

What to include on your label

* Product/Food Name

* Date Produced

* Ingredients (for apothecary/beauty products)

* Source (for herbs … did you pick it yourself? Which store did you buy it from? This is useful so you can find the same high quality herb or avoid a poor quality one in the future)

* Warnings (for apothecary / beauty products)

Have you had any labeling mis-adventures?  Let us know in the comments.