June 25, 2023 - 7:32am
Good source for spices?
I just started selling sourdough and sourdough sweet Buns and sweet breads at the local farmers market. And am realizing that when baking in bulk buying spices at a local supermarket is unaffordable. I buy bensdorp Cocoa from Amazon olive nation reseller, but they don't have spices. Can anyone recommend a good source for good quality (preferably organic) spices? Thank you!!
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This is a worldwide forum so it would be helpful to know what country you reside in.
In the USA, Mountain Rose herbs is well reviewed. HERE is the link. They sell bulk.
Again in the USA, I use PENZEYS SPICES but they are not sold in bulk but more for the home cook that cooks a lot.
Good Luck!
Thanks so much! USA it is. Just getting back to this forum after a couple of years, forgot it was international (forgot my password, had to create new account, etc. LOL).
A related quotation - your suggestion for good source for nuts? Say raw hazelnuts? Thank you!
I’ve had good dealings with Savory Spice Shop using their website, especially on major holidays when they offer a free shipping incentive.
https://www.savoryspiceshop.com/
Smart & Final, if they are in your area, might be a good source also. Over the years as they transitioned from commercial supplier to “just another grocery store” seems to have been downsizing their packaging sizes.
common spices, mostly for savory cooking, in bulk packaging really aren’t difficult to find in big city grocery stores. I’ve found more in “ethnic markets” than the mainstream supermarkets.
Thank you! I'll check out Savory Spices! Smart and final seems to be a west coast thing. I know what you mean about living in a big city - I miss NY for its availability and choices! Currently I'm in the comparative middle of nowhere Las Cruces NM and it looks like the closest Smart and Final is a 6 hour drive away...
A related question - your suggestion for good source for nuts? Say raw hazelnuts? Thank you!
Gordon Food Service might be a source for you. They are primarily a vendor to restaurants, bakeries, and other commercial food preparers but also sell to the public through their stores. I don't know whether any of their spices are organic.
Store locator link
Paul
Thank you Paul! Just checked out Gordon Food Service, and they seem to be in the east area of the county. I'm in the southwest - Las cruces nm. Learned my lesson here - will include location when asking a question lol. I'm just so used to the fact that it's impossible to find most things here locally so if course I use online sources. I forget that not everyone does!
It does make it easier to respond to some queries when you know where the poster is located.
Best of luck with your search for a source. You might find a restaurant supply source somewhere within reasonable driving distance.
Paul
A related question Paul, if I may impose a bit more - your suggestion for good source for nuts? Say raw hazelnuts? Thank you!
I've ordered from them before and received good quality products.
If you do a search for 'raw nuts bulk' on-line, you'll find a lot of purveyors. There are bound to be some who have what you need.
Paul
Gordon is similar to Sysco, which does service New Mexico: https://sysco.com/Contact/Contact/Our-Locations/New-Mexico
Seconding the suggestion of a South Asian/Indian grocery store for spices. From a quick search, it seems King Market (1001 S. Solano) predominately sells Middle Eastern foods but also has common Indian groceries. I'd definitely check them for spices, and also nuts and dried fruits. They seem to be selling a lot of the familiar large food brands (Shan, Sadaf, etc.) so they probably have a good relationship with a grocery distributor for these foods - if you need something you don't see in their store, they might be able to point you in the right direction or add it to their grocery order with their distributor.
Atlantic Spice Company has bulk quantities at reasonable prices. Good luck.
Thank you, I'llcheck them out!
Have you thought about Costco online? There is a $75 min for no delivery charge.
https://www.costco.com/spices-seasonings.html
Yes I have - love Costco! But they only have Cinnamon. I'm after also Nutmeg and ginger and especially cardamom!
Amazon has sellers offering ground cardamom. What have you found by searching Amazon?
Please list the spices and the form (ground, whole, fresh, etc.) that you are looking for.
I'm presently after cardamom, Nutmeg and ginger, all ground, all ground. Although that depends on the amount - if it makes sense to buy in quantities it would take me a while to use I might switch to buying them whole and grind them myself.
I don't think I've seen great deals on cardamom on Amazon... And the thing about Amazon - there is no way to know what the quality is, and it's an expensive experiment as Spices in bulk add up. There are usually both good and bad reviews or no reviews and there's just no way to know for sure.
Walmart?
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Value-Organic-Ground-Cardamom-1-8-oz/109761212?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222222700007343&wmlspart...
Thank you! I dunno is this considered cheap? I used to buy organic cardamom from Sprouts Market, a chain present in the southwest, for something like $3.20 an ounce when I baked with it occasionally. Now for one recipe I use maybe 8 teaspoons, so I would be going through these jars a bit fast...
A related question - your suggestion for good source for nuts? Say raw hazelnuts? Thank you!
I also buy spices from Penzey's, and have also used The Spice House (similar selection, distant relatives). Frontier Co-op has a good selection of organic spices.
I just did a google map search "spices near Las Cruces,NM" and came up with multiple possibilities. It doesn't mean they will pan out but it is a start. There were several Asian markets and there was a Sprouts (semi organic "farmers market" grocery store chain). Other map searches may prove helpful,also.
Good luck!
Have you visited your nearby Indian grocery stores? They often offer cardamom and other spices at more affordable prices compared to other places.
Yippee
Many of our spices come from India anyway, and these shops often have bulk quantities for sale.
You might need to know the names of the spices though. Eg. Cardamom will be called elachi. Nutmeg is jaiphal.
I’m second generation indian. My mom told me to only buy whole spices at indian stores and grind them at home. This way you can make sure that 1) it’s fresh and 2) it hasn’t been mixed down with some cheaper other spice. It could just be prejudice, but I still follow this advice
I am fairly experienced with whole Indian spices through cooking Indian food.
Green cardamom is the one in question in this thread, as opposed to black cardamom.
I would think the seeds, and not the pod, are of interest. The pod is a husk and is fibrous.
Try dry roasting the whole pod, then cool and separate the seeds from the pod, then grind in a spice grinder or mortar & pestle. Very tedious and not worth the effort unless you need only a small quantity of ground cardamom. However, the flavor from this method will be otherworldly (good).
My daughter lives right up the street from the Oaktown Spice Shop in Oakland CA. They have virtually every spice you would ever need and a bunch of blends. I regularly get things when we are out visiting.