My whole day was open and although even though there is always plenty to do, I don't usually have a set plan as to what will get done.... and I like it that way.
I had put in an order to the market for a grocery delivery today right before noon. It got here and everything went as expected.
Before it got here though, I cleared and organized the frig and freezer to prepare for the incoming food.
While in the freezer, I came across this bag of butter beans. I thought it was very old, so I took it out and sat it on the counter, intending to throw it out. I know, that's terrible and I try to make sure that doesn't happen, but on rare occasion it does anyway.
Then, I forgot about it.
A few hours later as I was re-straightening the kitchen after all the new stuff was put away, I came back across the bag of beans. I picked it up and out of curiosity, I looked at the expiration date on my way over to the trash. Surprisingly, it didn't expire till the end of December this year ! What ?? I thought it would be 2 years old ! (Maybe it still is ???).... anyway.... that changed everything. Now I needed to cook them right away because they were thawed. I always like to put something in them to improve their cooked flavor, so I scanned the kitchen to see what I had here.
Luckily I found this container of chicken broth. I had never cooked beans in this, but I didn't really have anything else appropriate, so chicken broth it was !
I put the beans in a pan with a little water and then opened the broth and was surprised that the inner foil seal was already broken. What !!! Had someone broken it open in the store on purpose as some mischief and put it back on the shelf?? Did the factory have some issue and didn't get all the cartons sealed???
I was standing there debating whether I should use it or not. For real.... was I going to have to throw this out too because I couldn't be sure?? Geezzzz
Trigger Warning... if blurry photos set off your mental issues, don't look at the next photo !
🤣
Sorry, I took several photos to try to show the broken foil circle... and this was the best one I got, before I broke the foil circle completely off. ha !
But you can still kinda see it.
As I was standing there with my brain going over what I had in the kitchen that might take it's place and fiddling with the lid, all of the sudden I saw this message !
What?? but..but......well.... color me surprised ! Turns out, the lid is made with plastic blades in the lid that cut the foil as you twist the lid open ! I had never seen such a thing. Usually you twisted the outside lids off and then you broke the inner seal yourself, so you could see that it had not been tampered with.
On the one hand, I was happy to find I could still safely use the broth for my beans, but on the other hand, my brain asked, but how can you be SURE, that it was still not broken before? My brain couldn't really answer that.... so I just continued on my task.
Here's the uh-oh, but kinda funny thing. About 4 or so years ago, let me be honest, I can't really remember how long ago, but within a few years before covid I had been in a market and in the tea isle there were some cartons of chai tea or something that I was thinking on buying. I had read you should check to make sure the inner seals were not broken somehow before, so I immediately twisted the lid off to look thinking if the seal was intact, it wasn't going to hurt that I opened the outer one in the store. Believe me when I tell you that I do not destroy items and put them back on the shelf, but I guess you might have jumped ahead of my tale and realize I am about to tell you that when I opened the first lid in the store, indeed the inner seal was breached..... and I looked at one more and By George ! ... the seal in that one was broken too! I remember wondering what kind of icky person would break seals on things in the market and put them back on the shelf out of pure mischief. I had no idea what kind of person would do that.
Today..... I realized that person may have been ME ! What??? I was not aware that the industry had changed the design to break the inner seal as you break and twist the outer seal, so am wondering if it was this same type of set-up on those and if indeed, all those years back, I am the culprit that broke the seals and put them back on the shelf !
Do'h !! My Bad !
I hadn't planned on cooking beans today, but because I am a doofus sometimes, it turns out I had too and they turned out to have an excellent flavor cooked in the broth.
Some days it's an interesting challenge just being me. ha ha
Thought I'd come over and tell on myself.
Hope you are all doing well and that you are having a good weekend.
