Where is the World's Most Expensive Spice in Florissant?

When a recipe calls for a spice you’ve never heard or seen in a regular grocery store, where do you turn?

Well, Goeke’s Produce features more than fresh herbs and vegetables, it boasts a spice rack of more than 300 spices and growing.

Co-owners Karen Wibracht and Lynne Combest add to the spice offerings weekly, and Wibracht took Patch through the store’s spice rack and found a host of spices that people may not find in bigger grocery stores, such as:

• Saffron – Known as the world’s most expensive spice, according to the World Spice website, saffron comes from the yellow-orange stigmas of a purple crocus. It takes 70,000 of these flowers to produce a pound of saffron, according to the site.
• Vanilla Bean – While vanilla extract is a popular choice for many in a recipe, the vanilla bean is the hub for the fruit.
• Cardamom — Hailing from the ginger family, this spice comes from an Indian herb.
• Grains of Paradise – According to the World Spice website, this African spice crosses between pepper, ginger and cardamom, but has no actual relation to any. It’s used ina number of Middle East dishes.
• Himalayan Pink Salt – The mineral blend comes from the Himalayan Mountains and is said to be one of the purest forms of salt.

Wibracht also said that a number of spice brands such as “Slap Ya Mama” and Goya seasonings have been popular items with customers who have told her that only they carry it.

Goeke’s spices start at 39 cents, with the most expensive spice, saffron, topping at $7.50 for a gram. More than 100 spices are less than $1.