I was 20 years old the first time I had fresh garlic. My friend Ann had roasted some, smeared it on a slice of bread, and told me to try it. I ate it and fell in love.

Both Ann and I grew up in households where Lawry's Seasoned Salt was the preferred spice of choice. Our mothers were utilitarian chefs, and had kept things simple when teaching us cooking basics. It wasn't until we started making our own meals that we discovered flavors like thyme, garlic, and coriander.

Today, I treasure going to my local Penzeys Spices shop. Fresh spices of all kinds line the shelves and call to me to give them a try. I sort of understand now why nations went to war over spice trade routes.

When I was writing the entry last week on how to organize your pantry, I started thinking about how to specifically organize spices. If you're looking for an out of the box solution, here are a number of options I've found that I think could work wonderfully in many pantries.

Tin Magnetic Spice Rack

Spice Clip Set

Pull-Down Spice Rack

Expand-a-Drawer Spice Organizer

Spice Stack Cabinet Spice Rack

Feeny 4 Tier Spice Rack

Do you use any of these solutions? I'm eager to learn about your organization method in the comments.

The kitchen pantry says a great deal about a family. One quick look inside and you can often tell the ages of the people who live in the house, gauge if they like to bake from scratch, estimate how often they eat at home, and instantly know if they are vegetarian or have dietary restrictions.

What does your pantry say about you? My pantry says that I love to cook Southern Indian food, I eat a lot of whole grains, I either have a love affair or hatred for olives (there are five jars in there currently -- and it's love), I bake a great deal, I don't keep chocolate or nuts on hand, and nothing has passed its expiration date. Another tidbit you can discover in my pantry is that I'm organized.

If you're interested in having an organized pantry, too, here are some suggestions for whipping your space into shape:

• Go through your pantry and ensure that nothing is expired. If you're having difficulty deciphering the date code, you can go to the manufacturer's website and find out the shelf life of the product. If you're wondering about spices, check out this article for more information.
• If you have children, consider labeling the lips of your shelves. "Cereal," "Pasta," and "Sandwich Supplies" are a few I'd suggest. Younger children can see where things belong, and older children won't quickly complain there's nothing to eat.
• Depth of shelves can sometimes be a disadvantage because smaller objects may get lost or out-of-sight items forgotten. In cases where shelves are very deep, I recommend installing ones that pull out on rollers. The Container Store has a nice selection of these rolling shelves.
• Tall shelves also can be a disadvantage in some situations. If this is a problem for you, consider using shelf inserts that double your shelf space. A good rule of thumb is that if you can't see it, you probably won't use it.
• Think outside the box when it comes to organization supplies for your pantry. An index card file works wonders for wrangling seasoning packets. An over the door clear shoe bag can be used to hold cans of soup and smaller jars. Small bins you might use on a workbench can be repurposed for small bottles of food coloring and candy sprinkles.
• Try to group items by type. All of your flours, sugars, and baking supplies should be in the same area. Boxes of pasta and other instant meals should be in close proximity with each other. Spices should be grouped together and arranged in a way that makes the most sense to you.
• Additionally, organize these groupings of products by frequency of use and weight. Items accessed most frequently should be the easiest to reach. Storing cans above shoulder height usually isn't a wise choice, as if you accidentally lose your grip, you can wind up with a nice knot on your head. I put chips and similar, light, junk food on the highest shelves in my pantry to keep them away from eye level and if they fall it's no big deal.

Good luck with your pantry organization endeavors! I'm eager to hear from you in the comments about what you do to keep order in your pantry.