miliation is finally bearing fruit? Or could it be that when we got back from vacation on Sunday, I was so aghast at the state of my refrigerator (when compared to the pristine condition of the one at our vacation cottage) that I had to dump things right then and scrub out the bottom shelf and the vegetable bins?The second scenario, of course, would be the correct one. I should have taken a picture on Sunday, but Larry was there and I felt silly. Still, in order to make up for the fact that I have only 2 bottles of yucky salsa (but, of course) that no one will eat and half a dried-up red onion to share with all of you, I added to the picture a very special something that I found yesterday in a basket on my counter, trapped beneath 2 spaghetti squash that I've been meaning to cook for several months now.
Incidentally, does anyone know how to tell if the spaghetti squash are still good? Just wondering...
Anyway, that black something ensconced (for display purposes only) on the paper towel - anyone care to guess what it is? You may want to think twice about clicking on the photo to enlarge it - it looks sort of scary that way. The answer will be in tomorrow's post (or maybe I should wait until next Wednesday?)...
Oh, and don't worry - just today I placed yet another sacrificial egg sandwich (half, that is) in the refrigerator after lunch. The tradition has been preserved. I'm sure next week's picture will feature the sandwich and several other interesting items. I mean, look at the potential.
(Please note how clean the bottom of the refrigerator is - I am very proud of that. Oh, and the jar of salsa in the center of the top shelf? We bought that on vacation. I mean, we wouldn't want to go an entire week without any salsa, right?)
Bananas! Yes we have no bananas, we have no bananas today! And yes, I am old. Honey you are an amateur at scientific experiments in the fridge....lol...or...since I am a latecomer here...maybe you are a reformed scientist?
ReplyDeleteI think it's a banana. But I couldn't begin to think how old it is!
ReplyDeleteBlack things are bananas. Yes? What do I win?
ReplyDeleteI vote banana, too!
ReplyDeleteSpaghetti squash are icky when they look like they have leprosy. All blotchy all over. They don't even have to be particularly squish then. I get them as blemish-free as possible and eat them quick.
Dead bananas.
ReplyDeleteI am certain that is a banana. I just don't understand what it would have been doing in the fridge.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing banana, too, because that is what happens to mine.
ReplyDeleteReally, the salsa addiction has to go. Do we need to stage an intervention?
That is SO a banana! And I only know that because I threw out a whole bunch that looked JUST like that two days ago! I would be afraid to take pictures of my fridge! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a very clean fridge you have.
ReplyDeleteWow - I didn't know it was going to be a quiz. My first thought, though, was "Wow. That's the most rotten, dried up banana I've ever seen. A mere shell of it's former self. It's as if you made banana bread and then just left the peel to rot?"
ReplyDeleteOooh - is that it? It's not a banana but in fact a dried up icky banana peel?
Not a banana - An eggplant! To go with that squash! And I say, if you can't stick your thumb through the squash, it's still edible,...
ReplyDeleteI think it's two bananas. But what do I know? I keep mine on the counter, and they turn out like that, too--long after they reach the point of being perfect for banana bread.
ReplyDeleteI wish the bottom of my fridge looked like that...
I believe that was a banana in its former life.
ReplyDeleteJust how old IS that banana?
ReplyDeleteI thought it looked like two bananas.
ReplyDeleteMore salsa?
Banana...but it probably isn't that old tho' it looks like it. They get that way mighty quickly! :)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! Your improving refridgerator maintenance skills are an inspiration to us all........:-)
ReplyDeletealright, i'm taking a guess. this black thing is a banana maybe? my guess is someone started eating it, then put it in the fridge and well, that's what it turned into. might be wrong though. could just be a bunch of salad leaves
ReplyDeletefranzi
I say banana, too, although it looks like just the skin, which is mystifying. Why would you save that? I don't buy bananas in the summer. They attract those little fruit flies after only a day, and if you put them in the fridge, they turn black. As you know.
ReplyDeleteNot sure on the spaghetti squash. In general, if veggies are a teensy bit soft but have no moldy spots, they're fine to cook. You wouldn't eat them raw, but cooking them is fine. If they're leaking anything, well, get rid of them, obviously.
That's just the problem, Amy - I don't buy bananas in the summer, either. These are older than that (and it isn't just the skins). And they weren't in the fridge at all. Petrified bananas...
ReplyDeleteAre those the same bags of carrots that came back with you from vacation?
ReplyDeleteAnd the photo...really, really roasted garlic?
We get frogs finding their way into our house and then are unable to get out... they end up looking sort of like your banana, but slightly more frog shaped.
ReplyDeleteFrogs! Okay, things could be worse, then...
ReplyDeleteIf that is a banana, FYI you're not supposed to store them in the fridge. They die very quickly if you don't keep them at room temperature.
ReplyDeleteOrange! Orange you glad I didn't say banana again?!"
ReplyDeleteHahahahaha! I crack me up! Who ever knew I'd be able to use that IRL?!
Oh. This isn't IRL, is it? Still.
I think if you're wondering if spaghetti squash is still good, it's not.
ReplyDeleteI bet the spag squash is fine. Unless it's cooked. Then I'd only give it a week.
ReplyDeleteWhat's up with your salsa stash?
Perhaps Suburban Correspondant could give us a Salsa Investigation a la Consumer Reports? Given the myriad of salsa options at the local grocer, I would welcome some direction into the finer nuances between brands & ingredients.
ReplyDeleteEnable much? Me? Never...
I vote for banana.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing some sort of pepper. Really, I think it was a banana, too, but ... just to be different, y'know.
ReplyDeleteoh dear God. if you enlarge that picture, it looks like a mummified cat!
ReplyDelete"mummified" is the word that sprang to my mind, also.
ReplyDeletees una banana...
ReplyDeleteThats alot of eggs...and what are those green and red bottles tucked way in the back..if they are that far back I don't know if you "need" them
ReplyDeleteGreat question! If I threw them away, I would feel guilty, because the kids gave them to me as a birthday present 2 years ago to make snowcones with (they are snowcone flavorings - cherry and lime). Yet, we rarely use them.
ReplyDeleteThat's ok, I found some aspirin in our cabin that expired in 1974. Yes, that actually was 1974!
ReplyDeleteSpaghetti and most squash can last an eerily long time if they are stored properly. When you cut it open, you will be able to tell.
ReplyDeleteKEEP BELIEVING
We seem to empty our fridge *before* I do groceries ~ it's a full size fridge! The kids eat all the fruit, they make bowls of pickles/olives/beets and use those for snacking...I swear the only thing left over is our salad dressings.
ReplyDeleteHmm, I think it's time to do groceries yet again.
Definitely banana, and I think you said it was in a basket on the counter. Unfortunately, I have lost bananas behind bread bags on the counter so I know the look. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteIt's obviously a Vegetable Bought with Good Intentions, much like the spaghetti squash. I'm going to have to say it's an eggplant.
ReplyDeleteOne time last year, the vent for our range hood/microwave lost its screen, letting critters into the microwave through the outside vent. One day we heard a whirrrr, thump-thump-thump-thump, hummmmmmmmmmm, then the motor burned out. Guesses? ;) It turned out to be a $250 lizard. And there were several more little lizard mummies in there... I miss the northeast.
OK, I've done that to bananas too...sad, really.
ReplyDeleteNice fridge.
looking forward to next weeks sacrificial egg sandwich (even my DH thought that Elijah's egg sandwich was pretty funny)
Pax, E
Totally a banana...
ReplyDeleteEveryone else is saying bananas but I think it's a dead mouse!
ReplyDeleteYou know, maybe I should have looked at that a little more closely...
ReplyDeleteHey, I forgot to tell you one of my favorite refrigerator tricks. Spread Saran wrap on the top of it, and when it gets dusty and cruddy, just peel it off. Presto! Instant clean. Then cover it again.
ReplyDeleteI can't exactly explain why this draws me in every week like a magnet...but it does. I'm sure hoping the weekly clean-out is not going to render the fridge ultimately use-by current. I like this little tour stop during my week!
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
I think my fridge is the same kind you have...big whirlpool model manufactured something around 10 years ago? And take Mrs G's suggestion for the top of the fridge, and use it INSIDE the fridge. Wait, nevermind. If it gets gross you have to take absolutely EVERY thing out of it to remove and replace the saran wrap. Way more work than it's worth.
ReplyDeleteits a dried up banana peel. I find those all the time so dont worry about it.
ReplyDeleteLong before bananas get to that point, I try to either get hubby or the kids to eat them. If you peel and mash them, then measure what you need for a batch of manana bread and freeze them, they don't spoil and are ready for any baking urges when you have them. I have enough banana's in my freezer for 12 loaves of banana bread. I made 3 loaves Thursday when I had some free time.
ReplyDeleteI knew right away what it was...even w/o reading your later post explaining it. ;) I freeze my old bananas till I feel like making bread. So I usually have several black disgusting-looking things in my freezer.
ReplyDelete