Hands down, my favourite place in NSW to buy snacks. Even with the distance from Sydney and…read moreconstant season-independent fog and rain factored in, there's nothing like being able to buy as much or as little as you want of delicious food unsullied by corporate greed and glaring fluorescents.
The Blue Mountains Food Co-op is the largest and most well stocked Food Co-op I've come across. I could lose hours examining all the different varieties of flour, exotic spices and dried fruit in their clean perspex tubs and jars. They have a great range of oils and condiments like mirin, tahini and Pukara Estate vinegars, plenty of locally grown, seasonal organic produce, a few hard-to-find bush foods and even fresh yeast in their fridge.
Coming back to the snacks, I never visit Katoomba without buying some of their delicious dried fruit. It's none of that sugary, sulfur-y junk you get in weirdly greasy plastic bags in supermarkets. Nope, just beautiful fruit, dehydrated to lock all their glorious summer flavours and colours in. The dried apple slices and dried mango are my favourites, but I got my friend hooked onto their dried pineapple rings. The tamari almonds are super addictive too, and who can pass up freshly ground, natural peanut or almond butter - getting to operate the machines yourself is half the fun!
And don't forget to bring your own clean jars and tupperware! Saves yourself a pretty 5c per paper bag and all that plastic waste.
