I was rummaging around in my refrigerator looking for some jalapeño peppers that I was sure were still there, when I came across a  jar of Greek olives.

Remember when I was looking for Greek olives just the other week when I was making Moroccan Chicken?

All I could find at the Acme and at Claudio’s were Castelvetrano Olives, which worked well enough, but they weren’t Greek olives.

Meanwhile, sitting in my fridge, minding their own business, was this leftover jar of Greek Calamata pitted olives. Just what I needed for that recipe. And I didn’t even remember it was there.

I checked the expiration date. January of next year. So they’re still good to go.

When did I get them?

Why did I get them?

Where did I get them?

I must have gotten them from Trader Joe’s. 

There was a period several months ago, or maybe it was a year ago, when I was snacking on olives and trying out various kinds. That must have been when I bought them. And these were left over from that time.

From now on, whenever I go looking for any special ingredients, I won’t go any farther than my own back yard, because if they aren’t there, I never really lost them to begin with.

Or something like that.