1. Cultured milk products (sour cream, buttermilk, yogurt, creme fraiche) will last over a month. We are told often that they only last a couple weeks and if you look at the expiration dates, they sometimes are only for a couple weeks, although some of them go for more than that. I make my own buttermilk and don't eat it all that fast. I have had it last over 1 1/2 months without going bad. And I have had store-bought sour cream last over two months.

2. Dressings made with olive oil can be kept in the pantry for whatever length of time the other ingredients can stand. If you use dried seasonings and vinegar, they can keep for a couple months or more, just keep the container sealed tightly. And they will get stronger as the oil and vinegar draw the flavor out of the spices. Oil, vinegar, and mustard are all three condiments that do not need refrigeration.

I'm sorry for the rant, but it seems to me that we have become a throw-away culture who is also so afraid of food contamination that we don't rely on many foods' natural preservative properties (i.e. mayonnaise's ability to prevent spoilage because of it's acidity - it's acutally the sugar that promotes spoilage in prepared foods).

So my next post will be my favorite Ranch Dressing.

;-Deb