Bulk & Beyond

Parm to Table mixed nuts will improve your snackitude. And a local java fave is now in bulk in Ambler.

Get ready, seasoned nut lovers: Bobby Sue’s of Chappaqua, NY, has gone from two bulk bins to four at The Incredible Bulk in Mt. Airy. In addition to their Nuts Over Olives and Some Like it Hot, shoppers can scoop up Parm to Table, a blend of glazed and spiced almonds, cashews and pecans dry roasted with Parmesan cheese and basil, and Everything Goes Nuts, with sesame, poppy, onion, garlic and salt — basically, the nut version of an everything bagel. Bobby Sue’s donates a portion of its proceeds to helping animals in need. Nuts Over Olives, Parm to Table, and Some Like it Hot are also available packaged in Ambler.

Closer to home, many shoppers are fans of Lansdale-roasted Backyard Beans coffees, especially Punch in the Face dark roast. It comes bagged in all our stores, but has now reached gravity-bin status in Ambler. Punch in the Face cold-brew, canned on nitro, can also be found in all our locations.

Coffee is one of the pillars of daily life, and so is salt. The Himalayan pink variety, available in coarse and fine grind in Mt. Airy and Ambler, will add some pop to your grill rubs or entrees. Mt. Airy now has both in bulk bins, while Ambler keeps it in spice jars. Only have one salt grinder, you say? We sell them upstairs in Mt. Airy.

Going On in Grocery

Protein Pucks score in Chestnut Hill. And two brands of vegan cheese roll into Ambler.

OK, maybe the name needs work. Protein Puck protein snack patties from Spokane, WA, are a gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO alternative to the current crop of bars. They’re chock-full of oats, peanut butter and assorted seeds. Three types are located near the bakery case in the Hill, below the packaged cookies.

Meanwhile, in Ambler, vegans can delight in the arrival of two dairy-free “cheeses” — Kingston, NY’s Treeline, made from cashews, and Seattle’s Field Roast, mainly chao tofu. Treeline offers both soft and aged seasoned selections, while Field Roast has slices in three flavors. The deli in Mt. Airy carries the Original variety of the chao slices, while the Hill has all three. Field Roast also makes a Mac ‘n’ Chao frozen entree, available in Ambler and Chestnut Hill.

The Daily Deli

In the Hill, a Belgian cheese washed in iconic Chimay ale. And flavorful new crisps from Rustic Bakery.

At some point after 1850, the Trappist monks of Scourmont Abbey near Chimay, Belgium, thought to combine the fruits of their dairy with the output of their brewery. The result is a collection of cheeses washed in various ales, including the A La Chimay Premiere that recently appeared in the Hill deli. It’s a mild, buttery cheese with a hint of bitterness toward the finish. Pair it with your favorite brew or an able-bodied red.

For a new bottom to your favorite soft cheese, look opposite the Hill’s deli service case for Marin County, CA’s Rustic Bakery artisan crisps. The two varieties, Citrus, Ginger & Thyme and Tart Cherry, Cacao Nib and Almond, have a bit more snap than sweetness. Either would do well with fresh chevre, mascarpone or, my newest guilty pleasure, English double cream.

— Karen Plourde, Weavers Way Communications Staff