Looking for cheap nuts and dried fruits

Title pretty much says it all...Where have people found the cheapest sources of nuts and dried fruits (particularly dates and figs) in Chicago? Thanks for any help.

I like Trader Joes selection and pricing.

Try the middle eastern groceries around Kedzie and Wilson:
Sanabel bakery on Kedzie just south of Montrose has pre-packaged nuts and dried fruit. Zeina/ Al Khayam--groceries/bakery
4738 N. Kedzie is a good source. There's also The Middle Eastern Bakery on Foster just west of Clark but they are a little more pricey than Al Khayam.

I always stock up on nuts at Patel Bros. on Devon. I'm headed there next week so I can get ingredients for the tasty-sounding Olive Oil Granola with Pistachios and Dried Apricot, along with my own homemade granola.

What are you making?

Patel Bros.
2610 W Devon Ave
Chicago, IL 60659-1804
(773) 764-1857

crrush wrote:I always stock up on nuts at Patel Bros. on Devon. I'm headed there next week so I can get ingredients for the tasty-sounding Olive Oil Granola with Pistachios and Dried Apricot, along with my own homemade granola.

I'm making that this week, too!

happy_stomach wrote:

crrush wrote:I always stock up on nuts at Patel Bros. on Devon. I'm headed there next week so I can get ingredients for the tasty-sounding Olive Oil Granola with Pistachios and Dried Apricot, along with my own homemade granola.

I'm making that this week, too!

Great minds...

I'm cleaning out the cupboards before the move, and oddly enough, this granola will help me get rid of some stray ingredients. (At least that's how I'm rationalizing the trip to Patel for nuts). Don't have dried apricot, but I have dried cherries I might use if I decide it won't be too weird with the cardamom.

crrush wrote:I'm cleaning out the cupboards before the move, and oddly enough, this granola will help me get rid of some stray ingredients. (At least that's how I'm rationalizing the trip to Patel for nuts). Don't have dried apricot, but I have dried cherries I might use if I decide it won't be too weird with the cardamom.

FWIW, I almost always put cardamom in my granola (except when I'm too lazy to grind some up) and have used dried cherries before. It's not too weird of a combination (or it's just really hard to go wrong with granola), but I think a less sweet and tart fruit works better, lets the cardamom sing more.

crrush wrote:I always stock up on nuts at Patel Bros. on Devon. I'm headed there next week so I can get ingredients for the tasty-sounding Olive Oil Granola with Pistachios and Dried Apricot, along with my own homemade granola.

What are you making?

Patel Bros.
2610 W Devon Ave
Chicago, IL 60659-1804
(773) 764-1857

Patel Brothers has been my go-to place, but I was wondering if there's something even cheaper out there. I was inspired to post because I recently made a few different things - pecan pie, cashew brittle and granola, all of which were delicious but ran up the grocery bill. The dates are just because I really like to eat dates.

thaiobsessed wrote:Try the middle eastern groceries around Kedzie and Wilson:
Sanabel bakery on Kedzie just south of Montrose has pre-packaged nuts and dried fruit. Zeina/ Al Khayam--groceries/bakery
4738 N. Kedzie is a good source. There's also The Middle Eastern Bakery on Foster just west of Clark but they are a little more pricey than Al Khayam.

Thanks. I've never been to either place. How does Sanabel's pricing compare to Patel Bros?

Sanabel and Patel are probably comparable, but I would give the edge (selection, price, quality) to Patel.

I haven't been to the Fisher Nut Outlet in some time, but you may want to call them and quiz them on their prices. Not sure if any of these outlets are convenient for you, but it may be worth a phone call.

Fisher Nut Stores
Church Point Plaza
9163 Gross Point Rd., Skokie
847-674-7252

Cass Harbor Center
6382 Cass Ave., Westmont
630-852-0214

Outlet Stores

906 S. Northwest Hwy, Barrington
847-382-4202

1703 N. Randall Rd., Door 1701, Elgin
847-214-4400

1717 Arthur Ave., Elk Grove Village
847-871-6662

Hi,

Costco for almonds, pecans, walnuts, pine nuts, pistachios and peanuts.

Regards,

While I doubt you'll find them cheaper than Patel Bros. I've had a lot of luck at Marketplace on Oakton - they do carry a LOT of different kinds of dates and dried figs, in all different places in the store. I usually note the price of pignoli, and IIRC they are just over $10/lb at Marketplace.

Garden Fresh has a pretty amazing selection of dried fruit and nuts, including figs and dates. Their prices are not always the best, but often are.

If you don't want Costco-sized quantitites, there is a little Russian-owned joint a couple of doors west of Marketplace on Oakton, although its name escapes me at the moment. I don't think they have pignolis, but for more mainstream stuff like walnuts, pecans, dried apricots, raisins, etc. they have fabulous prices, cheaper than Marketplace on Oakton for the things I remember. I don't remember whether they have figs or dates, because I wasn't looking for them at the time, but they do have macadamias, cashews, etc. (Chocolate-covered ones, too!) They are in bulk bins, so you can buy as much or as little as you want.

Have you tried Ricci Nuts? I don't know if they're the cheapest around, but they sure are darn good nuts at a very reasonable price. All of their prices are online so it's easy to check, http://www.riccinuts.com/productlist.cfm.

Ricci & Company
162 W. Superior Street
Chicago, IL 60610
Tel: (312) 787-7660

Because of this thread, I put some olive oil in my batch of granola the other night. It did add a nice, rather subtle, extra layer of flavor, although when you add milk, it became harder to detect the difference. I might try some more olive oil the next time, although I may well conclude that the marginal benefit in flavor is outweighed by the extra fat and calories it adds.

Jonah

While I doubt you'll find them cheaper than Patel Bros. I've had a lot of luck at Marketplace on Oakton - they do carry a LOT of different kinds of dates and dried figs, in all different places in the store. I usually note the price of pignoli, and IIRC they are just over $10/lb at Marketplace.

Yup, Marketplace on Oakton is great. There's a wall of nuts at the intersection of the produce and meat departments that's tremendous.

I also like the Fresh Market at Edens Plaza in Wilmette, the only store at which I have ever seen bulk black walnuts - and for a rock-bottom $9.99 per lb. (!), a fraction of what I paid at the Dane Co. Farmers Market in May. Everything is of the highest quality, too. Worth a trip.