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Ingredient Source 911


Anna Blume

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Thanks! Just searching around Amazon, I see what I'm looking for under "glass bottle swing top". Now... figure out how to make nice labels.

I'm glad you brought this up because now seems to be the time to start these infusion projects for holiday gifts.

This is place I have long gone to for labels when I was bottling limoncello to give at Christmas time:

http://www.myownlabels.com/

I also got bottles from specialtybottles.com

Maybe the cranberry liqueur will be more successful than the faux plum schnapps I made from a WaPo article last year.  Nobody liked it, including me.

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Giant White Beans:

Whole foods has a mariated giant white Bean salad that we are in love with. However, they do not sell the beans, anyone seen them? I will post a picture later, but they are an inch+ across.

Those are called gigante beans, and you can find them at Middle-Eastern markets like Yekta, next door to Joe's Noodle House.
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A pound of gorgeous, organic, kaffir limes is winging it's way to me from California, so I need some equally excellent lemongrass to make some curry pastes.  Has anyone seen any that was really fresh?  And for the really long shot, how about cilantro root? 

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I know that The Farm at Sunnyside was bringing lemon grass to the Dupont Circle farmers market a few weeks ago, and when they bring cilantro, oftentimes it still has the roots on. Last week they were selling young ginger, turmeric and galangal. You might contact them and see if they have any and can bring it next Sunday. They are located in Little Washington, VA. Dupont is the only DC area market they come to.

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A pound of gorgeous, organic, kaffir limes is winging it's way to me from California, so I need some equally excellent lemongrass to make some curry pastes.  Has anyone seen any that was really fresh?  And for the really long shot, how about cilantro root? 

Great Wall sells cilantro with and without roots (at both locations). Lately they have been trimming off the long parts of the roots, but they leave enough root to use, and the roots are big. They need to be washed well. The lemongrass at Bangkok 54 varies in freshness, but is usually fresher than other places with less turnover e.g. Shoppers Food etc. Though I haven't been in a while, I suspect Eden Center grocery may be a good source for lemongrass, due to high turnover.

I've taken to growing cilantro for the roots, as well. I also grow lemongrass, but it's all gone now. The freshness of just harvested lemongrass is hard to beat.

BTW where did you order your limes from? I need to do that.

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Posting again to say that I wrote the vendor about the mix-up and heard nothing back, so it may be that this is the amount of limes one received for $23.50. 

Just curious, when I was playing around on the website, it would not allow me to check out unless my order was over $10 (before shipping), and I think the limes were less than $10 a pound. I had to put 2 Lbs in my cart to see what the shipping would be. How were you able to make an order for just 1 lb. and then check out?

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Just curious, when I was playing around on the website, it would not allow me to check out unless my order was over $10 (before shipping), and I think the limes were less than $10 a pound. I had to put 2 Lbs in my cart to see what the shipping would be. How were you able to make an order for just 1 lb. and then check out?

Her picture doesn't look like 1 pound to me  :D

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Thinking about making pretzels, so I need food-grade lye.  Anybody know where I can find it, preferably in MoCo or NW DC?  Thanks.

Well, I've seen "lye water" at Chinese markets before. I think it's used for noodles. A quick search around the net someone said if you dilute it 5x, it's about equivalent to pretzel-dip strength...but that's the internet saying that.

Frankly, I had too much "experience" with NaOH as a chem student to want it near me in a kitchen. Nasty stuff.

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Has anyone seen betel leaves?  Ever?

Definitely seen them at Indian grocery stores.  I'm pretty sure I've seen them at the little grocery store in the same complex as Tiffin in Langley Park.  You might also try the one in Arlington, in that little row of stores with the two Bangladeshi restaurants - Gharer Kabar and Alladin.

Are you going to start chewing paan?  :D

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Definitely seen them at Indian grocery stores.  I'm pretty sure I've seen them at the little grocery store in the same complex as Tiffin in Langley Park.  You might also try the one in Arlington, in that little row of stores with the two Bangladeshi restaurants - Gharer Kabar and Alladin.

Are you going to start chewing paan?  :D

Nope.  At least not until next Halloween. :)  I found what is supposed to be an authentic Vietnamese recipe for lemongrass tofu, and the leaves are one of the ingredients in the recipe.  I'll try the little place on LRT at Braddock first - it's on my commute.  Thanks for the suggestion.

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I know I've seen them in the Annandale Giant, but they move around.  Could be shifted to the Hannukah cooking area right now.  I also have seen them in the far end of the baking aisle on occasion.  If you call the store manager, they can tell you if they're in stock and where they're being hidden currently.

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The poultry counter at Eastern Market has pretty much every kind of bird imaginable. I can't recall the name of the business, but I bet Hillvalley knows the one I am talking about. Try sending her a PM.

Market Poultry.  Mel Inman.  I had a neighbor who got a holiday goose from them in the past, but I don't know if they always have them.

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Anyone know of a local source (DC or VA, no MD) for piment d'espelette?

Bazaar Spices at Union Market has it available on their website, which leads me to believe that they'd have it at the UM shop -- I've had good luck finding hard-to-find spices there.  You can call them at: 202-379-2907.

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Where can I find fresh poblanos and tomatillos at this time of year?  Or am I living in a fantasy world?

Within the past few weeks, I've found tomatillos at Giant and poblanos at, I think, Whole Foods. I don't know where they're from.

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