Where to find whole nutmeg?

[phipsi102]

Can't recall having seen it anywhere, was hoping to make Alton Brown's eggnog recipe, which specifically calls for whole nutmeg freshly grated. Anyone seen it recently? I live in Belmont, so hopefully close to home?

[djr222]

pluse one for Penleys

[CapeCodGuy]

Every supermarket spice section I've ever seen has it. That includes the awful Shaw's and Stop and Shop.

[UzbekiFoodie]

I have seen it at Stop and Shop.

[tartandfit]

Christina's in Inman Square has it. I'm pretty sure Formaggio Kitchen does as well.

[hazel240]

Seconding Christina's--very inexpensive compared to Whole Foods!

[CapeCodGuy]

I don't get this thread at all. A jar of whole nutmeg, with approx. 10 whole nuts per jar, is $2.99 at Stop and Shop. Do we really need to travel miles to save $$$ or find an extremely common item that's available anywhere?

[Bellachefa]

I agree. Someone mentioned that you can find it at every grocery store and I agreed with them and for some reason those posts have gotten sucked into the vortex. I imagine vacuum sealed nutmeg will be fresher then the bin nuts.

[Karl S]

FYI, you should always use whole nutmeg where you care about its flavor. It keeps far better than pre-ground - years (it used to take years to ship it around the world, after all) - and is supremely easy to grate on a microplane.....

AND, has been noted, it's cheaper that way.

[gourmaniac]

Highly recommend not going to Whole Foods or Supermarkets due to cost. If you need a lot , buy from the Armenian markets in Watertown or Indian Markets in Waltham. If you only need 1, try bulk spice sections at Harvest Coop, It will cost you about 10 cents vs. $4.00 for a bottle containing a couple.

[Allstonian]

Yep. BTW, I've found whole nutmeg MUCH cheaper than the inflated spice-section price, both in pretty much any neighborhood Latin market, even the tiny ones, and in the "Hispanic" part of the international aisle in the very same supermarkets that are charging an insane price in the official spice section. Go figure.

[Pumpkinseed]

Penzey's (located in Arlington) sells whole nutmeg.

Even though I only use fresh whole nutmeg and grate my own as needed, my guess is that for this recipe freshly-grated vs. powdered-from-a-jar wouldn't make such a huge difference.

[Allstonian]

Big, big, big disagree - freshly grated nutmeg ALWAYS makes a difference.

[StriperGuy]

Yah, particularly in Egg Nog where you are not going to bake it, or cook it but rather just slurp it down. All the more important to grate fresh.

[emannths]

From time to time I like to use nutmeg as a "finishing spice" (is that a term? is there a better one?) on baked winter squash and green vegetables like steamed spinach. Freshly grated over hot food, it becomes so awesomely aromatic.

Which is my long-winded way of saying fresh-grated is better. Try the bulk bins (Harvest, WF) or Badia brand (MB, Shaw's) for a cheap buy-in.

[yarm]

Harvest Co-op in Central Square Cambridge had it in their bulk spices as of yesterday.

Also, the Indian spice story next door to it did too. Probably for a lot cheaper.

[UzbekiFoodie]

How long does a whole nutmeg nut stay fresh? I have some in a drawer.

[CapeCodGuy]

Virtually forever.

[BobB]

No kidding - I bought a jar of whole nutmegs back around 1980. I'm barely a third of the way through the jar and whenever I grate some it's still as pungently intense as ever.

Problem is, I don't drink eggnog and most recipes that include nutmeg call for a tiny amount, so this jar is likely to outlive me. For anyone buying it now, I strongly recommend buying one at a time from a bulk bin.

[Science Chick]

Guess it depends how my baking you do. I go through a jar of whole ones about every 2 years

[BobB]

Good point - I rarely bake these days.

[justbeingpolite]

Throw a little into tomato based sauces, like a Bolognese. It adds a nice flavor and will be your new "secret ingredient". Also, you'll use up your jar a little faster.

[Science Chick]

Yup, that's one of my main uses too. Also, my DH is a fiend for pumpkin bread, so alot goes in there...............

[Allstonian]

It's also great in just about any kind of sauteed greens such as spinach or chard. Again, just a little grating, no more than 1/8 of a teaspoon.

[StriperGuy]

Hate to tell ya, but those are stale.

[BobB]

My nose says otherwise.

[StriperGuy]

Even whole spices gradually lose their zing over time.

Get a fresh one from WF or Harvest Coop or even Star and compare.

I promise you you will be blown away by the complexity, spiciness and zing of the fresh compared to the bottle you got at that Flock of Seagulls Christmas party grab bag in 1984 ;-).

http://imagemmusic.com/media/58314/a+...

[Bellachefa]

that was funny! and true

[cutipie721]

I've found a few recipes that calls for "moroccan seasoning" or ras el hanout. Searched online and came up with a few recipes for this mix which calls for quite a bit of nutmeg. I know it's probably not the real deal, but it's still delicious and I can use up the spices I have at home.

This mix is good for many savory preps - stews, roasted winter squash, beans, tagine....... I also gift a bottle of this mix to whoever loves my food :-)

I just bought myself a 1lb bag of organic whole nutmeg online for $25. I don't think it will last very long.

[StriperGuy]

A pound... I don't think I've used that much in my entire life thus far.

[DrMag]

I'll second Penzey's. They also have an online store.

[Science Chick]

I always get it at WF. They sell bottles of whole nutmegs right alongside the ground in the regular spice isle.

[phipsi102]

Beautiful, I'll stop by Fresh Pond WF and see, thanks!

[bear]

If you go to Whole Foods, make sure to check the bulk spices next to the bottled ones. They usually have whole nutmeg and it's much cheaper that way.

[phipsi102]

That's where I found it- 2 pieces for $.36!

[bear]

Awesome. It's amazing how much less expensive bulk herbs/spices can be.

Let us know how the eggnog comes out. Love Alton and eggnog!