I have an Irish friend who uses Bisto for her gravy. In the past,
Anyway I called Safeway, Lucky and Lunardi and they don’t have Bisto. It’s available on Amazon, reviews say to get the powder not granules.
I thought I had a box in my (small) pantry … yes, there it was, never opened.
I looked at the best by date:
July 1995 !!!
No date on this, but I think it’s from when I was in law school. I keep dragging it around with me, and no, I don’t use it. 
Cloves are too strong, bet it’s fine to use now!
Yeah, about 50 years of tempering probably mellowed everything out. Interesting; the little can is 1 3/8 oz and 49 cents, the smallest McCormick package now is a little jar - .9 oz and $7.69 at a local store - between shrinkflation and inflation, I’d better never throw it out!!
I was shocked to pay 9.99 for a little jar of McCormick pumpkin pie spice before Thanksgiving. It was a necessary ingredient and my pumpkin cheesecake bars turned out delicious but really? I will use it to season mashed winter squash but it will be years before I need another jar of it.
Yeah, my eyes kind of bugged out. I’m not so keen to replace my spices these days - if they’re a little faded, I just use more.
We should ask others to post what they have that expired long ago.
I thought I won for oldest item but is your can of cloves 50 years old???
I’m dating it from the 70s by memory. I’m going to have to go online and look for photos of tins of McCormick spices. The can is corroded at the bottom seam.
My 91-year-old mother has a spice rack full of old rusted tins like that. She doesn’t cook much. When I go to visit, I take small baggies of spices with me that I know I will use when I’m there - the 1" x 2" baggies I buy to keep earrings in. I also premix spices for recipes, like Cinncinati Chili to take with me. A lot cheaper than buying them when I’m there.
My MiL was a real contender. In her pantry were a six pack of ginger ale, all six cans entirely empty, some tomato soup that rattled when you shook the can, an entirely solid, I mean really hard and really solid, block of laundry detergent. The really old stuff was in her fridge, a veritable Chinese box puzzle.
I’ve used these homemade versions for many years - mixing just enough for the recipe from spices I keep on hand. (Mentioning in case others want to avoid adding yet one more spice jar to the shelf.)
Pumpkin Pie Spice Version 1
2 Tbsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ginger
1 1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves
Pumpkin Pie Spice Version 2 & 3 - 1 teaspoon
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves OR 1/8 tsp allspice (Cook’s Illustrated)
Thank you. I do not bake more than once or twice a year (usually cornbread) and only have cinnamon and allspice because Cincinnati Chili. I knew it was stupid to spend so much on a small little jar of the stuff but buying the others to make the mix would probably have set me back more. I don’t use up a bag of flour or sugar over the course of a year, can’t remember when I needed a box of powdered sugar. Warm spices are in the far back reaches of my cabinet along with vanilla and baking powder. I’m pitiful that way.
Trust me, there aren’t from my spice cabinet!!
More thread drift…
I currently have white cardamom pods that are from Schilling c. 1964.
They’re still viable!
I was just at Trader Joe’s; I think their spices are very reasonable.
An hour roundtrip on a good day. I rarely get to shop there. I’m jealous of people who have reasonable access to one.
Indian and Halal groceries usually have great spices at great prices. As for ginger, a fresh ginger root in the freezer is easy to grate without thawing or trimming.
I live remotely on outermost Cape Cod. No Indian, Halal, or Asian groceries or restaurants unless we spend a day and drive to Boston. This is the land of fish and chips, lobster rolls, fried clams and oysters on the half shell. I order from Penzey’s, Spice House, and Amazon. Our grocery stores do have fresh ginger and turmeric. Sometimes I can find lemongrass, too.
I would gladly live where you do!
Went outside this morning around 2 am just to burn some sleepless energy. Full moon and more constelltations and planets than I’ve seen for a very long time. Leaves are all off of the trees and the sky was very dark. Orion and Pleiades were so prominent it took my breath away. Kind of makes up for the crush of summer people. If you visit, come in September. It’s the sweetest month.
