what's ARE these ingredients in my recipes??

cjwolfjen
cjwolfjen Posts: 323 Member
edited September 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I shop at Wal Mart for my groceries. So many recipes call for foods like: fresh rosemary sprig, zucchini, chopped, bay leaves, fresh basil.

Where on earth do I find these kinds of foods? Does Wal Mart have them? I'm very new to this way of eating and cooking and I'm also very busy mom of 2 babies and a college student. I don't have a lot of time which is why I shop at Wal Mart, I can get everything I need in one stop. Do I need to start shopping at other food chains in order to get these items? Or am I simply walking right by them at Wal Mart?

This is all very new to me.

Thanks.

Replies

  • onawho
    onawho Posts: 196 Member
    fresh herbs will be in the produce dept. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I think BAY leaves are toxic and should be used whole so they can be pulled out of the food when its finished cooking.
  • ShellyMacchi
    ShellyMacchi Posts: 975 Member
    all that is at walmart ih the fresh produce section *S*
  • JulieBoBoo
    JulieBoBoo Posts: 642
    My Wal-Mart carries all of these things but I'm in Canada. The fresh herbs are usually by the green onions and perhaps the organic produce. Zucchini would likely be near the peppers and mushrooms.
  • tammyquinnlmt
    tammyquinnlmt Posts: 680 Member
    They are in the produce section. usually packaged in plastic bags or containers. I used more dried or grow my own..that way I can pick only what I'm going to use
  • lcoulter23
    lcoulter23 Posts: 568 Member
    rosemary can be found in the fresh produce section, bay leaves are sold in the spice section, zucchini is found in the produce section as well as basil. Walmart should have them if it is a super walmart, I know mine does.
  • onawho
    onawho Posts: 196 Member
    fresh herbs will be in the produce dept. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I think BAY leaves are toxic and should be used whole so they can be pulled out of the food when its finished cooking.
  • tammyquinnlmt
    tammyquinnlmt Posts: 680 Member
    Bay leaves aren't really toxic, but are sharp even after being boiled. I just pull them out when I serve the dish.
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 Member
    rosemary, bay leaves, basil are all in the spice aisle, BUT you'll pay much more for them in the spice containers than hitting up a bulk food section where you can get it by the scoop. You get 18 grams of say basil in a mccormicks spice bottle for $5 and can buy I think 200 grams in bulk for that price.

    Zucchini is in the veggie section its... cucumber like in appearance
  • Crystals422
    Crystals422 Posts: 382 Member
    The basil and bay leaves you find in the spice aisle
  • lcoulter23
    lcoulter23 Posts: 568 Member
    Bay leaves are in fact toxic and need to be pulled out after the food is cooked.
  • kirstinkrueger
    kirstinkrueger Posts: 346
    Most walmart supercenters will have them, but it depends. the one closest to me has the worst selection but the other one is great. if you can't find it there any grocery store will have them. They will all be in the produce section, except the rosemary MAY be with the spices (depends on if you want fresh or dried)
  • cjwolfjen
    cjwolfjen Posts: 323 Member
    Awesome. Thanks everyone. I am going to look like a duck out of water trying to find all the ingredients. Lets hope the hubby will actually eat some of this stuff. My guess... he will be going to Mcdonalds and leaving it all for me to eat. Oh well!
  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
    Bay leaves are in fact toxic and need to be pulled out after the food is cooked.

    False. If they were toxic, you wouldn't be able to buy them ground. Which I do. All the time. And I don't pick out the itty bitty pieces after I cook the food.
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 Member
    Most of what you indicated is spices, that you can use to flavour the food instead of salt, it's great, just watch some of the spice blends, I bought lemon pepper.... first ingredient when I actually looked? SALT... I bought it as pepper...

    zucchini makes a great alternative to banana in a banana bread recipe.

    I'm putting in a herb garden this year, summer savory, parsley, thyme... even planting Stevia this year to see how it does in the local conditions.
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 Member
    For the bay leaves it's more of a digestive upset than toxicity..
    "The leaves are most often used whole and removed before serving (they can be abrasive in the digestive tract)."
    the oft-repeated belief bay leaves should be removed from food after cooking because they are poisonous. This is not true - bay leaves may be eaten without toxic effect. However, they remain very stiff even after thorough cooking, and if swallowed whole or in large pieces, they may pose a risk of scratching the digestive tract or even causing choking. Thus, most recipes that use bay leaves will recommend their removal after the cooking process has finished
  • baisleac
    baisleac Posts: 2,019 Member
    fresh herbs will be in the produce dept. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I think BAY leaves are toxic and should be used whole so they can be pulled out of the food when its finished cooking.

    Bay leaves aren't toxic, but if you bite into one it's going to taste pretty nasty. I actually use fine ground bay leaves because I hate fishing them out. From a local specialty spice shop.
  • GypsyWagon
    GypsyWagon Posts: 82 Member
    Don't worry, everyone has to start learning somewhere and you'll pick it all up in no time. You can always Google stuff to get an image of what you're looking for, that always helps me. Hang in there. :wink:

    As for Bay Leaves, we always believed that it was lucky to find the bay leaf in your serving...but, we never ate it. Never thought it was toxic, just too hard.
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