Sarah and I were talking about buying different cooking products, and I thought I'd get some suggestions from people (and offer a few of my own).
Quinoa and faro, I've found Costco is actually the best place. You can get a 4 lb bag of quinoa for $10, which is cheaper than I've seen anywhere else. The faro is a little more expensive per pound, but still relatively a good deal. Costco also has a pretty good deal on strawberries ($5 for a 4 lb flat).
For those of you in the bay area, do you go to Milk Pail Market in Mountainview? It's my go-to place for produce now - tons of variety, lots of fresh herbs, lots of it local, and very inexpensive. They also have things like flour, grains, and legumes that you can scoop out and buy by the pound. Lots of international foods too.
I think Trader Joe's is good for things like sweeteners (agave, raw sugar, honey, etc.), oils and butter, wild & brown rice, sauces, salsa, etc. Their frozen foods are amazing, but not quite as "natural" as I would like.
I've found, however, that when I go to make a recipe, the thing I most often don't have is nuts. Because I intend to buy them, but then I see how much they cost, and I figure it can't be worth it. But then I don't make the recipe... Sarah suggested Costco for raw almonds, which she keeps in her fridge and last a long time. They have a 3 lb bag for $9, which is pretty decent. They also have walnuts and cashews and pecans in large quantities, but then I wonder, do I really want to spend $50 on a large nut pantry? There must be another way... Suggestions?
The main dilemma we both had was where to buy pine nuts, which seem to be worth their weight in gold. The 1.5 lb bag at Costco is $22. Is there something I don't know about the process of harvesting pine nuts? Do they have to compensate the families of the workers who died falling out of pine trees? Does anyone know a good place to buy them?
Lastly, I hear lots of people saying you should use coconut oil. Does anyone know a good place to buy it?
I do Henry's here for nuts when I just want a small quantity, because I also have trouble making a large investment for a really big bag that it will take me a long time to use.
ReplyDeleteAs far as coconut oil, my sister got a gallon for $60 from a woman who has a natural health blog that discusses foods and lots of other things out in AZ. She does mass order for that and essential oils and supplements and such. But she only does local orders for the oil. I just hunted down the gallon size of the same brand she got. It's $75 on amazon, which is not too bad if you get the free shipping. That's too much money for me right now, but a gallon is a lot of oil, too. Here's the amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/1-gallon-Gold-Label-Virgin-Coconut/dp/B000VVTTPK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1307675380&sr=8-3
Thanks Sally! I do miss Henry's, another good reason to move back to San Diego. Sounds like coconut oil will be one of those things I'll have to gulp and make an investment in. I'd imagine a gallon would last a long time.
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