ottawa foodies

Hello,

Fall has arrived and I will be starting an 18-month ham curing project over the long weekend. The pig is being butchered today and I plan to start the cure on Saturday. Anyone have any knowledge regarding where I could find dried juniper berries for the first stage?(preferably downtown)

Thanks, hopefully my result will end up something like this ham in a market in Porto-Vecchio, Corsica...

Oops forgot the pic...

A shop I'm very fond of, Market Organics - previously The Natural Food Pantry - at 126 York Street, has them (100 grams for $5.50).
Happy curing! Nice!

Tracinho I would second Market Organics. Their dried spices are very fresh. If all else fails there is also Herb and Spice on Bank and Grace Ottawa also on Bank. Good luck with the curing project keep us posted. And feel free to add food porn!

Thanks for the recommendations guys, right in my neighbourhood. In return, here is a pic of a rather visceral Sardinian ham/ guanciale combo...not sure if you can spot the teeth...hahaha

And yes in case you were wondering the spindly one is goat prosciutto ;)

I found dried Juniper Berries at the Middle East Market on St. Laurent. They also have many dried spices, lentils, beans, etc. there.

found some juniper berries at kardish. 5 locations in ottawa

where are you going to hang it for 18 months?? what recipe are you using? have any helpful links on doing it?

Eastcoast...the ham was cured for almost two years, sliced and all I have left is a 4 inch piece of bone in my freezer for a cocido madrileno or feijoada or something like that. It was excellent, I currently am not curing any hams but I have an acquaintance who is raising pigs this year for exactly that purpose. My knowledge was pieced together from a bunch of different sources I`d be happy to provide more info if you wish, but the basic concept was pack in non iodized sea salt until properly dehydrated and then hang in a fruit cellar until ready. Really not too tough to pull off...

I just bought some organic juniper berries today at Herb and Spice on Wellington St.