CELEBRATING THE ART OF LIVING WELL,
AS THE FRENCH DO,
BY USING ALL FIVE SENSES
TO APPRECIATE EVERYTHING ABOUT LIFE

(FOR MY JOIE DE VIVRE PHILOSOPHY, READ MY FIRST THREE POSTS FROM JUNE 2009)






24 September 2010

Sweet & Spicy - Atlantic Spice Company

We recently took a field trip up to Truro, to visit the Atlantic Spice Company. This wholesale herb and spice outlet is bound to boost any cook's energy level and inspire a load of new creative ideas.

Located just south of Provincetown, which is at the Northern tip of Cape Cod, Truro is a sleepy town, which has been the home of artists, both famous and not, for generations. It is also currently home to two interesting businesses for food and wine enthusiasts: Truro Vineyards of Cape Cod and The Atlantic Spice Company. We have yet to visit the vineyard, but I'll let you know when we do.

 A view of the inner beach at Provincetown, just minutes north of the spice mecca.

Browsing through all the offerings at the Atlantic Spice Company could take hours. In addition to common herbs and spices that we see frequently, there are also many items which beg further investigation - some of which I had never even heard of before!
 Seeds, pods, leaves, powders, sticks, grains, petals, stamens, roots, buds...
 Nuts, dried fruits and grains.
 Single herbs and blends from around the globe.
 Teas - herbal and caffeinated.
Everything is sold in bulk.
 Rose buds in both pink and red.
A gorgeously colorful array!

Extracts and oils.

 A huge selection of different salts from around the world, each with its own unique color and taste characteristics, based on the terroir it comes from...
 ...including one of our favorites: the incredibly delicate and flaky fleur de sel.

Another favorite of ours: lavender flowers for infusing both savory and sweet dishes with the flavor of Provence.

 The unassuming facade gives little hint of the treasures to be found inside. In addition to the comestibles, there is a selection of kitchen gadgets, teapots, cookbooks, etc. which complement the spices.

Back home, I was inspired to make two kinds of pickles, and Jack made sausages, using some of the items we had purchased.
(The orange color in the sausages is from the addition of smoked paprika.)
Toasting fennel seeds went into my fennel jam, which was a wonderful accompaniment to Jack's sausages - sweet with salty and spicy!
A happy ending: lunch on the terrace, including homemade sausages, roasted fennel, local cherry tomatoes and freshly made fennel jam.
(The olives and mustard came from France.)

Add a little spice to YOUR life! To download the Atlantic Spice catalog, go here. You can order online, and they will ship within the United States and Canada, as well as to some overseas destinations.
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