Palm oil

[Psalm 23]

Can you find Palm oil in Wal-Mart or any other grocery stores?
(The only reason I ask is we live quite a ways from the nearest town...can't exactly just take a little drive and check ) The only thing I found online was somboddy that said "they have everything at Walmart" I am quite sure that's not true....

I don't want to buy in bulk yet, because I dont' know if the recipe I'll use will be "the one" I'll really love. I'd like to avoid the shipping cost

 

[jadiebugs1]

Spectrum Brand "Shortening". Found in Grocery Store "organics/natural" food isle. Also found in Natural food stores. It's in a white tub (2lb. I think??) with a blueish label. I looked for a pic, but apparently I don't have it on my hard drive anymore. Sorry :cry:

good luck!

 

[IrishLass]

Yep- Spectrum brand palm. They sell it in my local healthfood store, Wholefoods Mkt, and at my local grocery in the natural foods aisle.

IrishLass

 

[Psalm 23]

Oh thank you SO MUCH! I am so HAPPY!!!!

 

[Manchy]

i don't use it, but i found it my store as a frying oil. only with little letters it said it was actually pure palm oil, so maybe you could try looking for that..

 

[carebear]

Palm oil is sometimes called "Vegetable Ghee" in Indian or Health Food Stores.

I only find the Spectrum palm oil (in tubs, it's like Crisco) in health food stores. Usually on the bottom shelf in the oils section or baking section.

 

[Psalm 23]

Ok

 

[honor435]

If you have a natural store, they disguise it as "shortening", i even asked them if they had palm, they said no, then i looked at their shortening, it was 100% palm.

 

[Absinthe]

I am curious about palm. It seems to have some mixed emotional opinions circulating. Seems that it looks a lot like lard or tallow on the charts, but I keep hearing talk about sustainability and ethics involving palm. What is the actual story on it, since I am not really up on all the current tree-huggage news and such?I am not necessarily overly sensitive to these issues, but would not go out of my way to use something that contributes to the downfall of the environment or society or whatever ...

 

[Psalm 23]

When I was searching on where to get it I read some things like "Save the orangatangs." people were even going as far as to say they are boycotting Wal-Mart becase they have cookies with palm oil in it! :shock: I didn't really want to wast my time reading through the whole thing though.
Some other people are just worried about how bad it is for you to eat.

 

[xyxoxy]

I am curious about palm. It seems to have some mixed emotional opinions circulating. Seems that it looks a lot like lard or tallow on the charts, but I keep hearing talk about sustainability and ethics involving palm. What is the actual story on it, since I am not really up on all the current tree-huggage news and such?I am not necessarily overly sensitive to these issues, but would not go out of my way to use something that contributes to the downfall of the environment or society or whatever ...

I'm no authority on it but what I've read indicates that there are poor countries who are producing Palm oil in very environmentally UN-Friendly conditions... burning and clear-cutting land (including wildlife habitats) just to produce as much as possible because of the great market there is for it. There is also tons of organic waste that is just left out to rot... adding significantly to greenhouse gases.

I don't know the details but there are some producers who farm in a more sustainable way, reusing land appropriately and I think in some cases using the waste products to make bio-fuels.

Again this is only a semi-informed perspective but I only buy my palm from sellers who specifically say that it is obtained from sustainable sources. If it costs a few more cents it's worth it.

 

[dagmar88]

It also has a lot to do with poor governments in the ropical regions, who can be very corrupt.
The fastest way for them to make money is to be payed for looking the other way while the country's rainforest are destoyed.
Remember; tropical hard wood brings in cash fast; it is readily available, it can be harvested in very large amounts and customers pay big bugs for it.
Than after the rainsforest is raided, there's noting but empty land.

That is where the palm farmers come in to make their long term investments; to make to soil usable, they have to plant the trees and wait till they grow, employ people for harvesting and processing...

You could argue that they prevent the rainforest from growing back; but others say the palm plants prevent erosion and are actually a good thing.

 

[mlipsey]

Is there a difference in extra virgin palm oil and organic palm oil? My local helth stores carry extra virgin and it's red. The palm oil I ordered online was green

 

[xyxoxy]

I never heard of Extra Virgin Palm but unrefined Palm is red.

 

[mlipsey]

I never heard of Extra Virgin Palm but unrefined Palm is red.

when I called they called in extra virgin. It may have been unrefined. Will it change a recipe if I use it in exchange for organic palm oil?

 

[jarvan]

If you have a natural store, they disguise it as "shortening", i even asked them if they had palm, they said no, then i looked at their shortening, it was 100% palm.

That is very good to know. I thought I always had to mail order for palm.

Now if PKO was in the store, I would wet my pants. :shock: