I always feel lucky living in the age of the Internet because no matter where you live, you can get almost anything delivered right to your door. Various versions of oat, spices, extracts and oils are just a few clicks away on the web!
If you are having trouble locating oats in your local grocery, you can order online from one of these companies.
• Bob’s Red Mill
• Coach’s Oats
• Country Choice
If you have a nearby co-op or shop that sells spices in bulk, then that should be your first stop. You can get tiny amounts this way so you aren’t stuck with something you may end up not liking.
Indian groceries are a perfect and inexpensive source for spices. Hispanic groceries are a playground of fresh and dried chilies. You can toast the whole dried chilies in the oven until crumbly, but not burnt, and grind them in a spice grinder for the freshest chili powder you will ever taste!
These are the brand you’ll usually find locally in bulk bins, but you can also order online:
• My Spice Sage
• Savory Spice Shop
• Penzeys
• Frontier
My favorite source for pure citrus oils and other extracts is Boyajian. I actually met the founder at Longhouse, a conference for food writers. He was as delightful as his oils. You can get them online at Amazon.com and in some wholesale stores, like Costco. You can get more details on them and their other products at boyajianinc.com.