Sunday's paper included an ad that inquired - "Do you know the signs of aging?" What were they peddling? A skin care product? Pharmaceuticals? Geriatric dog food? Wrong on all accounts. The ad was for McCormick spices and it involved two photos - a bottle of fancy imported ground thyme and a tin of ground cinnamon. Next to the photos, these warnings:

• If you see "Baltimore, MD" on the label, the spice is at least 15 years old.
• Except for black pepper, McCormick spices in rectangular tins are at least 15 years old.

Fifteen years old? Who in the world would have 15 year old spices? Caraway seed isn't my favorite seasoning (okay, not even in the top ten), but I use it often enough to finish off a bottle of it every 15 years. You know that I was compelled to investigate. I grabbed my notepad, my camera, and Liza, my trusty research assistant, and we headed for the pantry.

We found two spices well past their shelf life - indian curry powder (mild) and rubbed dalmatian sage. Liza thought we needed somebody older who has lived in their house a long time. So I called my mom. She unearthed ground mustard, fancy marjoram, celery salt, and poultry seasoning. I'm sure they've been tossed and replaced by now. 

And, then, I thought of Cheryl. Ah, Cheryl - the woman who has enough Jiffy cornbread mix in her pantry to feed a congregation of snake handlers at a good old fashioned southern tent revival. Certainly Cheryl would have something remarkable lurking in the dark corners of her spice cabinet. She warned me that she was forced by a mutual friend to purge a large number of old spices three years ago. But, still, I found five past the 15 year mark - turmeric, cream of tartar, tarragon leaves, and these two prizes ... a jar of marjoram with a 77 cent price sticker and a jar of saint vincent arrowroot with a 49 cent price tag. Today, the same jar of arrowroot (although they now call it gourmet arrowroot) goes for $6.39. Cheryl's explanation? "You don't need it often, but when you do, you really need it." Guess what Cheryl's getting in her stocking this year?

Have I piqued your interest? Want to know if your spices are past their prime? Go to www.mccormick.com/freshflavor to carbon date your ancho chile pepper and parsley flakes.