Outside Vendors Part 1: Supplies

If you talk to any macrobiotic person OR chef, at some point in the conversation they'll refer to something as "Ginny's _________" or "Ginger's ____________."

No man is an island. The thing about starting a new way of cooking is that when you're perhaps away from one of the large health-supporting cities in America such as Boston, New York, and San Francisco, it can be really baffling to see a shopping list like this one below, and have any idea where to get any of it:

Kuzu Root

Wakame

Hijiki

Umeboshi Plum Tablets

Chickpea Miso Soup

Powdered Rice Flour

Mochi

Burdock Root

It's hard sometimes for me to remember this, because I was more or less raised in a Macrobiotic family. While you can find many of these things at your neighborhood Whole Foods, Wild Oats, Trader Joe's, or independent health food grocery store, many of these are best ordered off the internet. Here's how the Paxtons do it:

The Natural Import Company: Kuzu (bulk because we go through it like toothpaste), sea weeds, umeboshi plums, plum paste, plum vinegar, and plum tablets

Local Japanese Grocery Stores or Asian Grocery Stores (In Nashville, try Sonobana): Mochi, Burdock Root, daikon radish, fresh fish, seaweeds, great Asian dipping sauces and instant rice packs, rice flour.

South River Miso Company- Chickpea miso, garlic and chili pepper miso, 3 year barley miso, sweet brown rice miso, and pretty much any other kind of miso that you could possibly want forever and ever. NOTE::: This miso is only available to ship seasonally during the cool months!