How Long Do We Have Before Halloween Candy Goes Bad?

On Halloween day, my youngest son asked me what he should do with his old Halloween candy. I said, what do you mean? You haven't gone trick-or-treating yet. He tells me he still has candy left over from last year in his closet.

After my initial surprise, I told him to show me the candy. He opened the closet door and pulled out last year's Halloween trick-or-treat bag, which was full of individual plastic sandwich bags full of Snickers, Twix, Butterfingers, M&Ms, Whoppers and so on.

I have to admit, my initial inclination was to consume them (no, I didn't), then I had a passing thought to re-give them out to trick-or-treaters (of course I would not do that).

My son told me we should throw them away because they were old. But I hate throwing stuff away that's still good, so I decided to keep the candy and take a closer look at their "best before" dates.

So what exactly is a "best before" date? There is no mention of it on the Snickers or Mars websites, but the Hershey website indicates this is the last date a product can be expected to be at its "peak freshness." Hershey goes on to indicate that most candy products maintain their best flavor for up to 12 months after they are made and that there may be flavor loss or texture changes past the "best before" date.

But there is no mention of "thou shall not eat candy past the best before date." So it begged the question, are these dates required by law?

The USDA confirms that "Best if Used By (or Before)" dates are not required by federal law (with the exception of infant formula) and indeed relate to best flavor or quality, not safety. So...yes, it's generally OK to eat candy (and other foods), past that date.

My son, who is not a Snickers fan, thankfully (for me, indeed a Snickers fan) scored a full sized Snickers bar last Halloween as well as this Halloween. I devoured last year's Snickers bar, with a "best before" date of May 2015, a full 5 months after said date. It was not bad. Not quite as good as this year's Snickers bar, but quite edible. 

Full size Snickers bars received by son this Halloween and last halloween display "Best Before" Dates

He also gave me numerous Snickers "fun size" bars from last year's Halloween stash. These ones for some reason have no dates on them. The quality was slightly lower. I might not eat them now, but perhaps would save them as a pick-me-up in the event of a zombie apocalypse.

On to Nestle Crunch bars. According to nestlecrunch.com, the recommended shelf life of a Nestle Crunch 1.55 oz bar is 15 months. I see no such date on the mini size bars.

The Reese's Peanut Butter Cup made by Hershey does show a date, though given their popularity in this household is usually a moot point as they are usually consumed within hours, if not minutes.

According to StillTasty.com "Your Ultimate Shelf Life Guide," you can generally keep chocolate covered candy bars in the pantry, refrigerator or freezer for 10 to 12 months. And the site reiterates that such storage times are for best quality only - in most cases, it will still be safe to consume your candy if it has been stored properly.

On that note, I better run off and eat a salad or something to counteract all the candy I just ate.

Camarillo Water-Wise Gardening Website a Great Resource for All Local Residents

The City of Camarillo sponsors an excellent website, Camarillo Water-Wise Gardening, as a resource for local residents looking to create water-wise, drought tolerant landscaping for its residents. But the site is free of charge and available to anyone looking for information.

The site has information about how to design and install a water-wise garden, irrigation methods and equipment that will help you to water your landscape more efficiently, and suggestions on how to easily and effectively maintain your garden.

The Garden Tours section of the site contains hundreds of photos from 24 different gardens. If there is a particular plant you'd like more information about, simply click the box and the next screen will have detailed information, including plant name, size, color(s), sun/water requirements and more. Click the "Add" button and the plant will be added to your "List." You can also click the Add button on any of the garden photos to be added to your List (described more below).

The Plants section includes plants categorized by Low Maintenance Trees, Low Maintenance Shrubs, Vines, Ground Covers, Low Water Perennials and Ornamental Grasses/Clumping Plants.  Again, there are literally hundred of photos in this section of the site. Click an item of interest and add it to your List.

The "My List" section of the site contains the various photos you clicked in other sections of the site. Click one of the report formats and you'll see a printable report you can bring on your next trip to the nursery.

The Garden Resources section of the site has extensive information about how to design a garden, including design principles, a questionnaire, creating the design, drainage, plant design, installation and working with professionals. The irrigation section discusses plant water needs, smart controllers, irrigation systems and eliminating overspray and runoff. The maintenance section covers mulch, irrigation maintenance and other tips.

Overall, this is remarkably useful, informative and easy to use website! Check it out at www.camarillogardening.com.

Conejo Valley Guide Facebook Followers Share How They Are Saving Water

Governor Jerry Brown issued mandatory statewide water restrictions with a mandatory 25% reduction in water use through February 2016. This 25% reduction is a statewide, aggregate goal, not a specific goal directed at individual residences. That said, we all need to do what we can to cut back water use.

In a recent drawing on the CVG Facebook page, local residents were asked what they are doing to cut back on use of water. Here's what they said:

• No more car washes

• Watering lawn less

• Put in artificial grass*, flush toilets less, take shorter showers

• Shorter showers and gave up flower bed

• Water lawn once a week instead of twice a week

• Stopped watering lawn...planning to change the landscape

• Turn the water off when brushing and washing

• Bricks in the toilet tank to reduce water per flush

• Took out the grass

• Rain barrel system

• Shorter showers was mentioned numerous times

• Washing more clothes in bigger loads

• Put buckets out when it rains

• Rarely wash the car

• Using water saving shower heads

• Showering together (hmmm)

• Shower timers

• Showers instead of baths

• Take baths every other day instead of every day

• Soaking and washing dishes with half-filled sink instead of running water

• "If it's yellow, let it mellow...etc."

• Got rid of lawn and installed drip system

• Fixed all leaking faucets

• Buckets in showers to collect water as it warms up to use outside

California American Water provides low flow shower heads like this one as, well as faucet aerators and other conservation supplies to customers.

There are a variety of water conservation rebates available for Southern California residents under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Water District.  Visit socalwatersmart.com for more information. In addition to turf replacement rebates (which due to huge demand, as of May 12th stopped taking applications...but they they indicate checking back May 26th for possible new funding, terms and conditions), rebates are available for items like properly implemented rain barrels, high-efficiency clothes washers and toilets, weather-based irrigation controllers and rotating sprinkler nozzles.

* Artificial grass: California American Water explains why artificial turf is not included in turf exhange programs. Artificial turf is not a living landscape and does not increase biodiversity of plant, animal and insect populations, provide habitat for local fauna, foster healthy soils, cool surrounding air temperatures (artificial turf can get significantly hotter than surrounding air temperatures) or sequester carbon or produce oxygen like living plant material can. Artificial turf is not water free. It must be watered periodically for cleaning and may require chemicals periodically. And because artificial turf can get very hot in direct sunlight, water may be needed to cool it for comfortable use.