mamma said there'd be days like this.

[bwt1213]

There is a local company here: Penzey's. They sell nearly any kind of spice you could think of, and I believe their quality is superior to what you could get nearly anywhere else. Fair warning: the owner of the company used to be a union shop steward at American Motors and is outspokenly liberal and known for his extremely fair treatment of his employees. If you are "conservative" in the modern American sense of the term, you WILL be uncomfortable buying anything from this company. There -- I've avoided the divisive "political discussion" post.

[John13verse34]

There is a local company here: Penzey's.

I *heart* Penzey's... my cabinet is full of their stuff! :-D Great place to find pretty much any herb or spice you're looking for.

[2cute]

Interesting that it is powdered. I use cardamom a lot in baking: bread, cinnamon rolls, apple pies, etc. Occasionally in coffee. Cardamom got really expensive for awhile, so I learned to dehusk the pods and grind the seeds, which is much more aromatic than the typical spice aisle bottle.

Yes, well in order to mix it w/the boiled water it needs to be powdered. You'd need the special type of shaped 'pot'. Its triangular esq. I make it @ home. I keep the coffee frozen. Then I take out however much I'm going to drink (it doesn't freeze solid). So you mix it w/the water in the special pot. I think the shape allows it to warm from the bottom & when it begins to boil, its done. Course you need to mix it continuously or it'll boil before its fully incorporated. I use cream in it but when you're served in a restaurant, its usually black.

[2cute]

There is a local company here: Penzey's. They sell nearly any kind of spice you could think of, and I believe their quality is superior to what you could get nearly anywhere else. Fair warning: the owner of the company used to be a union shop steward at American Motors and is outspokenly liberal and known for his extremely fair treatment of his employees. If you are "conservative" in the modern American sense of the term, you WILL be uncomfortable buying anything from this company. There -- I've avoided the divisive "political discussion" post.

Apparently Penzey's has other locations. I looked online & there's one in Falls Church VA which is sort of near me (I live in Maryland). Course to drive to VA to get spices ... probably wouldn't. Also seems you can purchase online & ship too.

When I searched Penzey's, I found another spice manufacturer that felt the same as you about the politics as that's how they advertised themselves ... 'spices w/o the politics'.

Screen Shot 2023-09-05 at 1.08.43 PM.png

[Arabesque]

Penzey's is available on line and highly reliable. I've been buying from them for years, usually in bulk - the 4 ounce+ sizes tend to be cheaper, and I just freeze most of what I buy, only keeping smallish amounts in my cupboard so the flavors don't lose potency . I'd post the link but don't want my post to be flagged as spam. You can easily find them with a Google search, though.

They are quite open about their political views and have basically said "hey, if you can't stomach our political views, that's fine. We'll be glad to sell you stuff, but we understand if you don't want to support us. This is a matter of ethical responsibility for us to speak up for what we believe in."

One recommendation: "Mural of Flavor." I do not generally believe in pre-mixed spices and would never have bought it, but they include free samples in their mail orders so I ended up trying it. That stuff is GREAT!

[BoggleOtaku]

When I searched Penzey's, I found another spice manufacturer

Apparentley, there is more than one differentiating so, and in one case is family (brother/sister). Who knew the spice world was so spicy!

[Arabesque]

Fascinating! As a big fan of Penzey's, my first reaction is, "hey, not fair to take advantage of another company's success to market yourself!" but on reflection, I'm not sure that's a legitimate criticism. Companies position themselves against a successful competitor all the time, though maybe not so blatantly. I suppose all is fair in love, war, and selling spices.

[BoggleOtaku]

Hmmmm, I just tried PHIN as in Vietnamese phin filter, and it was not accepted.

[bwt1213]

Penzey's is available on line and highly reliable. I've been buying from them for years, usually in bulk - the 4 ounce+ sizes tend to be cheaper, and I just freeze most of what I buy, only keeping smallish amounts in my cupboard so the flavors don't lose potency . I'd post the link but don't want my post to be flagged as spam. You can easily find them with a Google search, though.

They are quite open about their political views and have basically said "hey, if you can't stomach our political views, that's fine. We'll be glad to sell you stuff, but we understand if you don't want to support us. This is a matter of ethical responsibility for us to speak up for what we believe in."

One recommendation: "Mural of Flavor." I do not generally believe in pre-mixed spices and would never have bought it, but they include free samples in their mail orders so I ended up trying it. That stuff is GREAT!

I support their politics, so that's not a problem for me. My wife and I can make another recommendation for you: "Revolution". Not sure why it has that name, but we use it on baked butternut squash (cut into 1 cm cubes, coat with cooking oil, dust with Revolution, bake at 375F until done), AND on four-ounce chunks of baked salmon (under the thinly sliced onion which is under the thinly sliced lemon and the whole put into small aluminum-foil packets and baked at 350F for about 25 minutes), AND on sliced butter-fried potatoes. It's remarkably good on all three. Use small amounts until you're sure how much you want. The squash is about as addictive as potato chips, just healthier. We've used it on chicken and it tastes very good there, too. There's just something about it.

[leabhar]

We don’t have all of that here. We have Starbucks, but I never go there as they are waaaaay to expensive for what they offer. I don’t do fastfood. First time I ever went to McDisgusting was in 1977, when they just opened here and that was also the last time. I have had (and made) Greek/Turkish coffee on many occasions and it is nice. I brew my own coffee, make my own tea, cook my own food and get my veggies from the local biological farm. I make my own pizza with cauliflower crust. I try to avoid eating premade food and from stuff in package (too much sugar, carbs and salt in those).

[Arabesque]

Oh, brother. I just quoted bwt1213 and wrote a response, but my post got flagged as potential spam awaiting moderation, which means it will never appear. Let me try again with a few word changes. I'm responding to bwt1213's suggestions re Revolution, butternut, and salmon:

Oh my, you are singing my tune! (I'm also a supporter of Penzey's politics.) I have kabocha squash in the house constantly - there is one on my kitchen counter as I type. Butternut is delicious, but the nice thing about kabocha is that you don't have to peel it - the skin is edible too. And I am a huge fan of salmon. Your prep methods are a lot like the ones I use, so I'll definitely follow your Revolution suggestion.

I also planted some kabocha squash about two weeks ago (I live in Hawai'i, so I can garden year 'round). So far the seedlings are doing well but of course they are still at the cute itty bitty stage. Fingers crossed that in a couple of months, I'm drowning in squash.

[JedMedGrey]

Thumbs up for bwt, Arabesque, other Penzey's afficionados and those who support education, social & economic justice, clean environments, acceptance of folks whose skin color, ethnic origin, religion, gender expression or sexual orientation is different from their own. We'll have to try "Revolution" and "Mural of Flavor" as suggested and perhaps on cauliflower, too.

[JedMedGrey]

My friend was in Madison today, went to Penzey's and got both "Mural of Flavor" and "Revolution." Also to Vom Fass for pumpkin seed oil. Then to Wisconsin Cutlery - a wonderful kitchen shop. Word is that they will be opening a new store in Milwaukee . . . hope I got that right . . .

[bwt1213]

I think you're in for a really good time, dining-wise. And you have a very good friend! This is the time of the year for butternut squash and hubbard squash and kohlrabi and all manner of things those spices would be good on. Enjoy!

[JedMedGrey]

Looking forward to trying them on/in lots of things.