(no subject)

[curiositykt.livejournal.com]

Does anyone know anywhere to get good spices locally?

I do have a car, so it can be a little further away..

Comments

[slinkr.livejournal.com]

Try Penzey's on Mass Ave in Arlington Heights.

[lizzielizzie.livejournal.com]

Seconded!

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

Penzey's, on the Arlington/Lexington line, is a nationally recognized mail order spice business that's only been in the area a year or so. It's very good.

[sairaali.livejournal.com]

Been there more than a year. It's where I bought all my spices when I moved to Boston about four years ago.

I second the rec though -- love Penzey's.

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

Just what the other two have said. I've been using Penzeys for years, and not only do they have excellent products at reasonable prices, they are just an amazing company besides, in the ideals they follow and in their community spirit.

[thespian.livejournal.com]

While many people (as above) are Penzey's fans, I myself really love Christina's in Inman Square. While Penzey's does provide more info for the person who is completely new to spices, or who needs more handholding, or wants 'spice mixes' and things like that, Christina's is fresher (most of their stuff, if it's ground, is ground there, some of the dried herbs are grown by them) and cheaper if you do know what you are looking for.

They're at Cambridge and Prospect.

[ron_newman]

Is this the same Christina's as the ice cream store?

[m00n.livejournal.com]

They are connected to one another, and I second this recommendation.

[myselftheliar.livejournal.com]

Yes! this is one reason they have such amazing flavors (like licorice made with actual licorice!)

[curiositykt.livejournal.com]

Do either of them have spices in bulk (namely, can I buy little bags instead of pre-sized jars?)

[thespian.livejournal.com]

Christina's is in bags, but not 'bulk' per se; they measure things out for you (they wouldn't really have the space for the variety they have if they had bulk bins).

For things that I need in larger quantity (ie, I use straight peppermint for tea, and buy it 2-3 cups at a time), or much, much smaller (ie, when I need a tablespoon for something and I'll not need it again for half a year), I go to Harvest in Central Square, which has an excellent bulk spice section. I've been able to find some pretty good stuff there, and some obscure things, like grains of paradise. It's not quite as fresh/varied as Christina's, but it's great for that.

Since Harvest is right near Prospect and Mass Ave, and Christina's at Prospect and Cambridge, I often hit them both on the same trip.

[jamiesquared.livejournal.com]

Do you know price ranges at all at Christinas?

[chenoameg.livejournal.com]

Penzeys sells spices in "bulk" -- bags around 4 ounces or up to a pound (for heavy spices).

[klingonlandlady.livejournal.com]

For some things, you also get better value in bulk at the Indian store in Central Sq.

[curiositykt.livejournal.com]

which and where exactly... I tend to get a bit lost and overwhelmed by Central... (I'm a small town girl)

[klingonlandlady.livejournal.com]

hmmm. If you are in the main intersection, face the Starbucks front door on Mass Ave. It's to your right, about 2 blocks down, on the same side as the Starbucks.

[agharta75.livejournal.com]

It's called Shalimar. They're next door to the food coop, on the east side of Mass Ave.

[sairaali.livejournal.com]

I've found that Shalimar's spices are often old or stale. I've had problems with their red pepper just being. . .not hot. At all.

[schpahky.livejournal.com]

Penzey's and Christina's for bottles and bags of high-quality spices, or maybe six different kinds of paprika.

Shalimar if you need a giant bag of cinnamon or ginger or anise or cardamom.

Harvest if you only need a teaspoon of something and don't feel like committing to a bottle.

[nhradar.livejournal.com]

The indian store past teele on Broadway next to/part of Guru also has some bulk indian spices, FWIW.

I go to Penzey's, and have been quite happy with them, especially since I go to trader joe's with some frequency and they are on the way.

[ruthling.livejournal.com]

To get an idea what you can get at Penzey's, check out http://www.penzeys.com/

The store has kind of restricted hours, but it's a lot of fun (I call it the museum of aroma):
Boston Area
1293 Massachusetts Ave
Arlington, MA
(781) 646-7707

Mon.-Fri.: 9:30AM - 5:30PM
Sat.: 9:30AM - 5:00PM
Sun.: 11:00AM - 5:00PM

[sonofabish.livejournal.com]

Penzey's, Christina's, and for certain bulk items, if I remember correctly, the bookstore in the Porter Square Mall next to Shaws has some.

[abilouise.livejournal.com]

I think that you're thinking of Cambridge Naturals' which is next door to the bookstore

[dariusk.livejournal.com]

Any Indian grocery should do especially for things like cardamom, mustard seed, cumin, cinnamon, pepper; but Pezney's is the place to go if you'd like to be overwhelmed by an amazing array of spices that you can purchase at good prices and whatever quantity you like.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

The Harvest Food Co-Op in Central Square has bulk spices that are generally quite fresh.