We are going to get groceries tomorrow and I will get the stuff I need to try it.
I have never been able to get tahini here either.
I have never been able to get tahini here either.
Janie, maybe it's time you made a list. Then you, Sis, and I can get together in Lexington, and I'll show you where to find things.
Although tahini shouldn't be that hard. Even Walmart carries it down here, and they don't have much of anything.
Although tahini shouldn't be that hard. Even Walmart carries it down here, and they don't have much of anything.
I have kinda noticed Wal Marts tend to cater to the area they are located. Yours is probably in a more affluent area where ours is in a more rural location. It is like the two Wal Marts in Ashland. One is located in a more affluent area of Ashland so you can find so much more of a variety there. Especially in their seafood selection. I found garam masala there but neither carry sundried tomatoes in olive oil and you can only get the basic types of flour at either. I got a great new cookbook for bread called Crust. It even has a dvd with it. He uses a couple of different types of flour I cannot get around here unfortunately.
Ordering online would be the best option. Gas prices are so high it would be the cheaper route but I appreciate the offer very much.
Ordering online would be the best option. Gas prices are so high it would be the cheaper route but I appreciate the offer very much.
I don't know if it's so much affluence as what the manager percieves is the ethnic base. For instance, our Walmart has a fairly large Mexican foods department (and Kroger, on the other hand, has virtually none).
For flours, check out Wisenberger Mills, Weisenberger Mill They're right here in Midway, as it turns out. But you can mail order.
Like everyone else, they've had to raise their prices. But they're still affordible. 25 pounds of bread flour are something like 15 bucks. On another list somebody was complaining that he couldn't afford to bake, not when bread flour was more than a buck a pound. So I reckon Wisenberger still has the best prices.
Not only that, but all their wheat is purchased from Kentucky growers!
Until the big gas price run-up I would just drive out there (only about 45 miles, for me). It's a fun place---a water-driven mill on the banks of the S. Elkhorn. In fact, my next back-page column in Kentucky Gardener will feature them.
For flours, check out Wisenberger Mills, Weisenberger Mill They're right here in Midway, as it turns out. But you can mail order.
Like everyone else, they've had to raise their prices. But they're still affordible. 25 pounds of bread flour are something like 15 bucks. On another list somebody was complaining that he couldn't afford to bake, not when bread flour was more than a buck a pound. So I reckon Wisenberger still has the best prices.
Not only that, but all their wheat is purchased from Kentucky growers!
Until the big gas price run-up I would just drive out there (only about 45 miles, for me). It's a fun place---a water-driven mill on the banks of the S. Elkhorn. In fact, my next back-page column in Kentucky Gardener will feature them.
I know what you mean about gas prices. It's hard to go anywhere further then down the block, nowadays.
What I do is keep an on-going list of specialty items. Then we do a round robin in Lexington, visiting all the stores we need to. That might range from Fresh Mart, to an Indian shop, to the farmer's market, to Bed Bath & Beyond. Sometimes we hit as many as 7 or 8 different places, stocking up on stuff that's just not available in Richmond---which is almost everything.
We also joined Sam's Club, and that's a big help. The savings I realize on foodstuffs and other items more than makes up for the gas it costs getting there. For instance, a large bag (2 lb) of tail on raw shrimp is only 12 bucks, compared to as much as $15/lb locally. Last time I bough pork loins there they were like $2.85. Etc.
Working it like that, the gas cost sort of gets swallowed up. I would never consider driving to Lexington for just one or two items, though. Not like the old days, that's for sure.
"I found garam masala there but neither carry sundried tomatoes in olive oil "
Maybe I'm a snob? But I much prefer blending spice mixes, like garam masala, for myself. I know exactly what's going into them, that way. And I know the mix hasn't been sitting around on a shelf for several years.
I do the same with a lot of specialty items, such as sun dried tomatoes. I dry my own, and, if I need them in oil, put them up with some chopped basil and EVOO.
What I do is keep an on-going list of specialty items. Then we do a round robin in Lexington, visiting all the stores we need to. That might range from Fresh Mart, to an Indian shop, to the farmer's market, to Bed Bath & Beyond. Sometimes we hit as many as 7 or 8 different places, stocking up on stuff that's just not available in Richmond---which is almost everything.
We also joined Sam's Club, and that's a big help. The savings I realize on foodstuffs and other items more than makes up for the gas it costs getting there. For instance, a large bag (2 lb) of tail on raw shrimp is only 12 bucks, compared to as much as $15/lb locally. Last time I bough pork loins there they were like $2.85. Etc.
Working it like that, the gas cost sort of gets swallowed up. I would never consider driving to Lexington for just one or two items, though. Not like the old days, that's for sure.
"I found garam masala there but neither carry sundried tomatoes in olive oil "
Maybe I'm a snob? But I much prefer blending spice mixes, like garam masala, for myself. I know exactly what's going into them, that way. And I know the mix hasn't been sitting around on a shelf for several years.
I do the same with a lot of specialty items, such as sun dried tomatoes. I dry my own, and, if I need them in oil, put them up with some chopped basil and EVOO.