mail order foodstuffs

[applecore]

hello hounds,

i live abroad in beijing and would like to send my mother in los angeles something special for her birthday. ideally, the company will have a website i can order from and use my credit card for purchasing.

i was thinking some kind of special fruit.. similar to harry and david but something else? or some kind of special nut?

thanks in advance

[ninrn]

I know it's rather late to reply to your post, but if you're still looking, Frieda's is a mail order co. for unusual produce, particularly exotic fruits: http://www.friedas.com/

Diamond Organics is also very good, and right in California: http://www.diamondorganics.com/

Some other great food mail order places:

Zingermans: http://www.zingermans.com -- Lovely selection of gourmet foods with unusual items like fennel pollen in tins.

Mondo Foods: http://www.mondofood.com -- Large selection of dried fruits. spices and other interesting things.

Collin Street Bakery: http://www.collinstreet.com/ I've never been disappointed in anything I've received from them. Everything is fresh and well packed: They make one of the best cheesecakes I've ever had.

Kakawa Chocolates in Santa Fe: http://www.kakawachocolates.com/ They're a small operation that makes very high quality chocolates, often with traditional Meso-American methods and mainly sweetened with raw agave. Kind of expensive (but not more than Teuscher and other high end chocolate places). Perfect for the hardcore dark chocolate connoisseur/addict.

Also here in New Mexico, Heidi's Raspberry Farm. They have a very easy to use mail order system, and their jams, particularly the raspberry-ginger and the red chile raspberry are outstanding.

[gaffk]

I don't live in Beijing, so I don't know if these sites will work, but . . . try :
http://www.winecountrygiftbaskets.com/
http://www.igourmet.com/

I have had excellent results from both.

[Delucacheesemonger]

Blenheim sun dried apricots are wonderful, a few websites are listed for various growers in Ca and they ship.