Do you think about spices when you want to plan your backpacking meals for the trail? One meal can be made into a variety of others with just a change of spice added to a familiar at-home meal or back-country dish.
Let me tell you about my favorite place in Seattle for spice inspiration. It is sure to get your creative juices flowing, not to mention your mouth watering.
One of my and my husband’s go-to activities to do for our regular Wednesday Night Date Nights is to head into downtown Seattle on transit and walk around Pike Street looking for fun places to eat and pick up ingredients for dinner. I also like to keep an eye out for foods that would make good meals for the trail.
World Spice Merchants
We always try to get into downtown in time to stop by World Spice Merchants before they close. It is our favorite place to stock up on any spices we have run out of and see if there are any new fun ones to discover. They are located on Western Ave that runs below the public market, a pedestrian overpass carries you over and down to the street.
World Spice Merchants offers a wide variety of whole and individual spices, herbs and salts. They have quite a few blends conjured up from cuisines both local and around the world to spice up just about any meal you can think of.
How It Works
They have small clipboards up at the check out counter you can pick up when you enter the store. As you wander the counters piled with glass jars filled with tantalizing contents , you can jot down the spices you plan to take home. I usually pick up some Alderwood smoked salt and cumin, two seasonings I am always running out of.
Each spice is labeled with the price per ounce and gives you a relative measurement of how much that would be. It is surprising how much spice you get with just one or two ounces. Buying in smaller quantities means your spices won’t lose their flavor before you can use them all. And it is a great excuse to come back.
The store is laid out with different cuisine themes and often paired with cookbooks and kitchen gadgets that add to the cooking inspiration. You will also find gift sets perfect to send to love ones (or just keep for yourself!).
It is marvelous how the aroma of spices and herbs can transport you to another part of the world or bring back memories. Families and friends gathered around steamy bowls of homemade dishes passed down for generations. Smell is such a powerful tool for the imagination.
Going On A Spice Hunt
I try to buy at least one new blend each time I go but it is hard when there are some that I love and find versatile enough to use with range of dishes. These are two of my most-loved that are nightshade free and are great with fish, eggs and roasted with vegetables: Pacific Seafood and El Greco.
One of my secrets is to take pictures of some of the blends so that I can mix up a version at home without the nightshades (quite a few of the blends contain chili pepper, paprika, etc.). I often find ideas for my backpacking meals from the blends and descriptions. There are so many combinations I would not have thought of, like orange and tarragon together.
I love to wander the store and smell the various blends and think about what dish I might create with it. It’s a little miracle when you can transform a familiar dish with a unique spice blend from an unfamiliar cuisine. I may even make several rounds of the store just to make sure I didn’t miss anything…
You can buy jars at the store to keep your spices in but I usually just come home and transfer mine into glass containers I have designated for spices. They say that the shelf life of spices is about 6 months, after that you lose a lot of the flavor and any health benefits. If you can buy it (or grow it) whole and grind it when you need it, even better.
Cooking With Your Spices
If you do decide to give World Spice Merchants a visit, make sure that afterwards you head up to the fruit and vegetable stands in the public market and find something fresh to pair with your new spices.
I found some Romanesco broccoli which I roasted up with El Greco and lemon juice, then it tossed with fresh basil, kalamata olives and grilled chicken for the most delicious dinner back at home. There is something about going on a “hunt” for your ingredients and then making up a dish that adds to the dining experience, even if it is just back at your own kitchen table!
But even better, they can be used to add variety to your backpacking meals. If you have a meal, say like my Cashew Curry Broccoli Rice, you can easily swap out the curry spice blend for another one like Ras El Hanout or Garam Masala and have an entirely different dish.
Fresh spices and distinctive spice blends are the perfect way to add flair to your favorite meals. Don’t be afraid to try new spices or blends and a spice shop like World Spice Merchants makes it easy.
The best way to shop is by visiting the store (you can smell everything first hand) or you can order online if not in the area. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that they also carry a tea selection, as well. You can find World Spice Merchants in downtown Seattle below Pike Street Market:
1509 Western Ave
Seattle, WA 98101
Phone: 1-206-682-7274
hello@worldspice.com
Mon-Sat: 10am-6pm
Sun: 11am-6pm
Do you have a favorite spice blend that you could put on just about anything? Where do you like to get your spices?
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