State of the Onion

Update: October 2011
We are nearing the end of the Saturday Market season for this year... only 3 left! Really this is a perfect time to cook up a big pot of your favourite Monsoon Coast dish - Mahavira's Dal anyone?

We are now busy preparing for the Christmas Craft Show season and restocking our stores. Check out the Shows page to see where we will be. Alas, we will not be travelling this Christmas, but don't delay in ordering your gifts; avoid the Canada Post crush as the season draws closer. We will be sending a thank you gift of a resuable Monsoon Coast shopping bag for any order over $20. Supplies are limited so get your order in early.

Update: November 2010
Like they say... "time flies when you are having fun"! Another Market Season has passed by very quickly. It was great to see a lot of our fans drop by to restock. We spent some time working on our BBQ Rub and are really happy with the result. We have combined it with Monsoon Balti and Moroccan La Kama in our new BBQ Gift Box. These three work well on the grill or BBQ and will have your taste buds doing a little dance!

For the Holiday Season we will once again be at the Fulford Christmas Craft Show (December 3, 4, 5th). This is a lovely time to make a trip to Salt Spring to chill out and take in the fabulous Craft Fairs. In addition to our usual stores on Salt Spring (Country Grocer, NatureWorks, Admirals and Waterfront Gallery) we will have our Gift Boxes for sale at WinterCraft from December 3rd to 19th. For stores on the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island please check our Sales page

We will be heading to warmer climes on December 10th so if you need gift boxes for Christmas, please order early.

Wishing you a peaceful end to 2010 and a happy and joy-filled 2011.

Andrea


Update: July 2009
Our Salt Spring weather has been unbelievable throughout June and July. Sunny, warm, absolutely beautiful. If you haven't made it out to our little bit of paradise yet, this is a great time of year to come visit. The Saturday Market has been hopping and we are sampling our Monsoon Coast Butter Chicken sauce. As a result, our Curry Boxes (which contain the spices you need to recreate this masterpiece at home) have been flying off the table!

I am really happy that Laura Stewart (Maggie's daughter) has become our newest "Spice Girl" for the summer. Since she spent her last school year on an exchange in Strasbourg, France we have dubbed her "Frenchie Spice". Drop by for a visit and a bilingual chat!

As promised I have added two recipes for Chai Martinis in the Beverage section of the Recipes page. Try them out and let me know what you think.

Finally for all you Balti (and BBQ) fans, we have added a quick recipe for BBQ Balti Pork Tenderloin which I am sure you will love.

Have a super summer. Remember to send your original recipes and I'll send you a complimentary jar of spice!

Salut!
Andrea


Update: May 2009
Spring is in full bloom on Salt Spring. Ian cut the lawn for the third time this weekend and we had beautiful weather for the Saturday Market. The May long weekend is looming and Salt Spring is always buzzing with people who come for the Around Salt Spring Sailing Race. Ian and I have recently added some new recipes for Moghul Curry, Arabian Baharat and Mahavira's feast to the Recipes page so be sure to check them out soon.

On May 1st the Royal BC Museum in Victoria launched its newest exhibition Treasures: The World's Cultures from the British Museum. Laura Waters of Snowdon House Design chose three Monsoon Coast spice mixtures to be part of the gift collection for sale in the Museum Giftshop. Laura designed special hand-made paper flat-packs, so while the product looks a bit different, the packages still contain our famous Arabian Baharat, Moroccan La Kama and Durban Curry spice mixures. If you are in Victoria do check out the exhibition and the great local BC products for sale in the gift collection. Treasures runs until September 30, 2009.


Update: April 2009
The Salt Spring Island Saturday Market started on April 4th. So far we've been dry and reasonably warm. The Chai has been flowing and we've had lots of friends and loyal fans drop by to stock-up on their favourite spice mixtures. A few people have tried our new product "Mahavira's Feast" and I'm looking forward to their feedback.

If you haven't been to the Market before, it is worth a trip to the Island. For those of you who want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Salt Spring now has public transit that runs Monday to Saturday serving various ferries. (More info on this and Salt Spring Island can be found on the Chamber of Commerce website). If it isn't Saturday you can still get a Monsoon fix at Barb's Bakery & Bistro, who serve up a terrific Railway Chai Latte, and Salt Spring Gelato who use our Chai in their delicious, creamy, to-die-for Railway Chai Gelato.

We are happy to add a store in Salmon Arm and two stores in Calgary to the list of places where you can purchase our products. Click here to see a complete list. If you have a recommendation for a store let us know! We are always looking to expand the number of stores that carry Monsoon Coast products.

Check with us if you don't find your hometown listed, if there is not a store near you, and you live in Canada, we can ship you whatever you like for the cost of the product plus shipping by Canada Post. Simply send us an email with your order and full shipping and contact information. We will send you an invoice and you can pay by cheque.
Click here for the product price list.

Thanks for joining The Cult of Curry. May your cooking always be transcendental and the world a continual surprise.

Happy cooking... Andrea & Ian