'Sup with the price of cardamom?

Have I not been paying attention lately? Has Afghanistan interfered with the flow of cardamom? Is India shorting us?

Went shopping today and stopped in the spice aisle in the local grocery. Small jar of cardamom was over $15!!!

Is that recent, or has it been that way for a while?

[Jenise]

Dunno! Your question made me realize I didn't even know where cardamom is grown, so I went to Penzeys.com to see if their listing was specific. And it is. They sell green and white from Costa Rica and black from India. As well, they sell seeds only, and that product comes from Guatemala. Not exactly the Middle East, is it? Oh, price. A jar that contains half a cup, which I presume would be about equivalent to what you were looking at, will set you back $7.09 for the green and 9.29 if you insist on having the white (preferred by Scandinavian cooks for baking).

Dunno! Your question made me realize I didn't even know where cardamom is grown, so I went to Penzeys.com to see if their listing was specific. And it is. They sell green and white from Costa Rica and black from India. As well, they sell seeds only, and that product comes from Guatemala. Not exactly the Middle East, is it? Oh, price. A jar that contains half a cup, which I presume would be about equivalent to what you were looking at, will set you back $7.09 for the green and 9.29 if you insist on having the white (preferred by Scandinavian cooks for baking).

Well,I got ripped off then, didn't I?

Especially when the Penzey's shop is not too awful far from where I live.

It's just "up" nowadays, dude. I'm not a Penzey's fan--World Spice in Seattle has more pungent ( = fresher) offerings. But just about any net source is superior to the stale herbs of McCormack or Spice Isands and the like sold in grocery stores.

[Jenise]

Well,I got ripped off then, didn't I?
Especially when the Penzey's shop is not too awful far from where I live.

As Michael points out, in more ways than one. But that's typical of the price difference between supermarket and Penzey's for the same but fresher item, too.

Michael--I'm surprised that you claim someone else to be fresher than Penzey's. "As fresh" I can easily understand, but fresher? I've always found Penzey's freshness impeccable. At least when buying mail order (can't speak to the brick and mortar experience since it's not an option in my area).

It's just "up" nowadays, dude. I'm not a Penzey's fan--World Spice in Seattle has more pungent ( = fresher) offerings. But just about any net source is superior to the stale herbs of McCormack or Spice Isands and the like sold in grocery stores.

This surprises me. Penzey's is stellar as far as I'm concerned and I have been dealing with them for years. Great customer service and the freshness of the herbs and spices I get is tops. I buy some things in bulk, and even though I have a nice herb garden, there are times when it is inconvenient to go to the back garden to pick. In winter, many herbs are not available until spring. I keep all my Penzey's product in Food Saver bags. They keep well, and I have had a few of them for 18 months.