Ohdanigirl Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 This may sound like a silly thing to ask, but there are some things that are very important for Mexican cooking. Since we will be moving, I want an idea of how difficult it will be to find some ingredients and at what cost. I have decided I will make corn tortillas by hand, and even flour if the kids ever ask for them. So that was the biggest thing. Here are some of the places we may end up in. Sevannah, GA Boston, Ma Ny, NY Somewhere in Connecticut, and maybe somewhere in Canada. Common grocery items I will be looking for Tomatillos Dry chiles: Guajillo California Chile de arbol Pinto beans Black beans Peruvian beans Fresh Chiles Jalapeños serrano chiles Pasilla for stuffing Fresh (not frozen) shrimp Canned chipotle in adobo Nopalitos (Mexican fresh cactus) Queso fresco Queso Oaxaca Queso Panela I am sure there is more, but I can't think of it at the moment. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my question, and hopefully answer it. Danielle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckabell Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I know most cities have a Mexican store where I think that you could get those ingredients. I live in a mid-sized town and we have three to five Mexican stores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ohdanigirl Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 I know most cities have a Mexican store where I think that you could get those ingredients. I live in a mid-sized town and we have three to five Mexican stores. That's what I am hoping for. Thanks, this is reassuring. Danielle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMommy Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Not sure about the dried chiles, but I know I've seen everything but the Peruvian beans and cactus at Wal-Mart. I also know that our town has a Mexican market that carries pretty much everything you listed, and we're not in particularly cosmopolitan area. Certainly a place like NY would have everything you're looking for...at least I would assume so! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJCMom Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I live in Washington state and all of those things are easily found at the grocery store that I shop at. However, I should mention that the store I shop at is where the overwhelming majority of our Hispanic population shops, so I'm sure they are catering to their customers by offering those things. I don't know how easily those things would be found at other stores in our city. So, no matter where you are I would think that you could find those things, it just may be a matter of hunting down where the local Hispanic people shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I might not find everything at ONE place, but there will be a place with them. we also have mexican grocery stores nearby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Most of those are available locally (for me) in CT. The only ones I don't know about, because I've never used them, are the Peruvian beans, pasilla, nopalitos and the last two cheeses. They may be available, I'm just not sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 No problem here in Los Angeles. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoot Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 We have a HUGE Mexican farmer's market here and I've seen all of those items there regularly. Of course, I'm in Delaware so that doesn't really help you much. ;) I don't know about the grocery stores though; I don't shop there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 yes, no problem. But, I just had a quite a search recently trying to find jerk seasoning :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 (edited) None of that sounds exotic to me. I don't even live in a major city. I do love food shopping in NYC and Boston. On the shrimp. There is plenty of not- frozen shrimp available-- from Thailand. Local or gulf shrimp is only sometimes available, and when it is, $$$$. 15.99/lb I saw the other day. (Gulf) Edited July 10, 2012 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dealea86 Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 We have several Mexican stores around here. Honestly, I cannot imagine a decent-sized city in the US that doesn't have a dedicated Mexican grocery store (Canada might be more of a problem?). Most decent-sized cities have Korean grocery stores, and the Korean population in the US is so much smaller than the Mexican population. Now the prices might reflect the fact that it's a Mom & Pop store rather than a chain, but you shouldn't have trouble finding them. Fresh shrimp will be available anywhere that's near the ocean. You can get unfrozen shrimp in the landlocked areas, but in my experience they were usually previously frozen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Small town Indiana. I can get the following from your list: Tomatillos Pinto beans Black beans Jalapeños serrano chiles I'm sure they are available in our closest "larger" city 45 miles away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Yes, most of those items can be found at my local walmart. I'm in GA but the other end of the state from Savannah. We also have a mercado in the next town that carries imported brands of foods (and junk foods too). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise in Florida Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I can find most of those items. BUT they will cost more than you think and are not always the same thing. I love to cook with green chili (hatch preferably :)). We left New Mexico 18 years ago and I have not found satisfactory chilis since. I can find El Paso canned green chili but it is over $1 for a tiny tiny can. When I ask for green chilis in restaurants or food markets all they offer me are jalapenos. Those are not even the same thing. Sorry to be the bearer of mildly bad news. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThisIsTheDay Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I'm in a mid-Atlantic state in a metro area of 250,000. We have several Mexican grocers. Even the Walmart in a nearby county of 50,000 carries some of those ingredients. Oddly, we've had trouble finding large cans of whole green chiles. When we find them, we stock up. We've also ordered them from amazon. Coming from Denver, CO I was happily surprised to find many ingredients for Mexican cooking here in what I consider to be the sticks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 My sister lives in Savannah and all of these items can be purchased there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NASDAQ Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Vancouver, Canada: Tomatillos -- sometimes Dry chiles: Guajillo -- no California -- no Chile de arbol -- no Pinto beans -- yes Black beans -- yes Peruvian beans -- don't know Fresh Chiles Jalapeños -- yes serrano chiles -- sometimes Pasilla for stuffing -- no Fresh (not frozen) shrimp -- I think so? Easy to source anyway. Canned chipotle in adobo -- probably not Nopalitos (Mexican fresh cactus) -- no Queso, etc. -- not familiar with the dairy section Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpidarkomama Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 I'm in Savannah and we can get these things at the regular grocery story (Kroger/Publix) Tomatillos Dry chiles Chile de arbol Pinto beans Black beans Jalapeños serrano chiles Fresh (not frozen) shrimp (pretty sure; I keep kosher, but shrimp is ubiquitous here!) Canned chipotle in adobo Nopalitos (Mexican fresh cactus) (definitely available canned; sometimes fresh) Queso fresco (I've noticed at least this, possibly the others, but I'm not sure because of the keeping kosher thing!) There are also a couple of Mexican groceries here that would carry everything that you listed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caitilin Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 Even here in the frozen north, there are two or three mexican groceries in town, and I am sure you could find all those things in them. Heck, I can find 80% of them in my regular grocery, and sometimes with organic options! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.