Stocking up on TF stuff in LA/San Diego

[Smokering]

So early next year we may be going to Disneyland, and (never having been to America before, at least not since I was 5 months old) I'm ridiculously excited about your health food stores.

Shipping things from the US is expensive, so I was hoping to use the opportunity to get hold of things like high-vitamin butter oil and FCLO, kefir grains, yoghurt culture and so on.

So, a few questions:

Can I get this stuff in LA or San Diego?
Can I bring the abovementioned items on a plane? Not carry-on, obviously, but would they let me take live bacteria home at all?
What about raw honey?
Any suggestions for TF/whole foodsy products I absolutely must try when I have the opportunity? Things you can only obtain from one small store in LA, f'rinstance?

[hjrowan]

Hope I can help with this from an expat's perspective, but can't give specific LA advice:

The most well-known and and largest chain of organic/health food stores is Whole Foods Market - the ones round here (Seattle) don't have FCLO or Butter oil, I have to buy that online.

That being said you should try and visit one because it will blow your mind!! My DH is a Kiwi, I'm a Brit and the choice over here is staggering compared to our native lands!!

BUT NZ is incredibly hard to bring foodstuffs into, like the strictest country I've ever visited. I don't think you can bring honey in at all and there are sniffer dogs all over the airport checking for all kinds of foods - you could check the NZ customs website and see what you can bring in. I got told off once for bringing in unwashed hiking boots

Maybe you could just enjoy the bounty while you are here OR buy something online, have it sent to your hotel then post it home Good luck! Maybe someone else has some more specific ideas.

[weliveintheforest]

Originally Posted by Smokering

So, a few questions:

Can I get this stuff in LA or San Diego?
Can I bring the abovementioned items on a plane? Not carry-on, obviously, but would they let me take live bacteria home at all?
What about raw honey?
Any suggestions for TF/whole foodsy products I absolutely must try when I have the opportunity? Things you can only obtain from one small store in LA, f'rinstance?

It looks like honey and cultures may be a problem, but I would call and ask. If it's properly labeled and packaged it might be fine.

The HVCLO should be ok, but you may only be able to bring a small amount. Friends of mine have had trouble ordering HVCLO from the USA in bulk because then it looks like we are importing it to sell it.

Is raw honey hard for you to get at home?

[Smokering]

Raw honey is inconvenient for me to get, simply because I don't have a car; but not impossible. So yeah, I guess that isn't a priority! I know people in NZ have had kefir grains shipped to them; I should ask my crunchy friend.

hjrowan: Look up Bill Bailey on the subject of Customs declarations in Australia. He's hilarious. "Did you ever leave a country gate SLIGHTLY AJAR? Have you ever knowingly misdirected a hen to an incorrect location?"

[JMJ]

What you can bring in has more to do with New Zealand than the US. Most of the CLO comes from Norway, and the good stuff is not usually in stores. I've never seen BO in stores, but I buy pastured ghee in stores. If shipping is cheaper to the US, you could order it to be shipped to your vacation address, but you'll want to order it early so that you can be sure that it gets there before you leave. Raw honey, I really recommend you get locally. Local bees feeding on local flowers make raw honey that can help prevent allergies to those local flowers. California raw honey will still be nutritious and help keep you from being allergic to California pollen, but it's not going to help you with your NZ allergies.

[serenbat]

as others have said, stick with your local honey

What you are unable to get at home I would buy here and repackage and look into freight shipping (DSL, UPS, etc), not USPS. It might be much cheaper in the long run and you can pack items the way you want them. I wouldn't deal with the mess of using the airlines to ship they stuff in your bags. You might even find a deal on the weight for shipping.