My fridge is a mess. My freezer is worse, and my pantry is embarrassing–this is why we’re simply starting with a picture of my refrigerator. As I wrote today in my Whining & Dining column in the Food section, it’s time to get rid of all the food I’ve accumulated. But this time I’m not going to make it so easy on myself: Unless something is bad, I’m not throwing it out. Animals gave their lives and working men and women labored to bring food to my kitchen. I paid good money for it. The least I can do to honor them, Mother Earth (oh yes I did say that; I’m green) and my own hard work is to eat it.

Today we launched Eat Every Bite in this house. Unless I run out of something I really need, I’m not going to the grocery until I’ve gotten through the supply of food we have. I’ll replenish milk, eggs, fruits and veggies and so on–but not fresh if there’s frozen or canned in the larder. I have a lesson to learn here and frankly, I’m expecting truly interesting developments. As I found out today, I’m not the only one who has a kitchen-full. I’ve heard from several people today who also stock up (my fridge/freezer combo is 64 inches across). Most of them are like me: Cooks with good intentions. Some think they’re saving money (not me–I throw out too much). Others say they hoard everywhere (not me–I’ll throw anything out of a closet and can’t tolerate clutter).

So join me on my journey to Eat Every Bite. I’ll keep you posted on creative recipes and big flubs. I’ll tell your stories, if you share them with me. And along the way, I’ll reveal little tidbits that maybe I should keep to myself. Here’s one:

I have 24 containers of pickles–including one 1-gallon jar and six 3.7-ounce containers–in my fridge.

It’s a good thing I’m a pickle freak.