How it Works
First of all, how does it work? A handcrafted wooden box will be hand-delivered to your doorstep, where it will remain throughout the duration of your subscription. This is where your weekly Farm & Larder goods will be placed each week.
Into the Woods
This week’s box celebrates one of autumn’s most fleeting pleasures: the wild mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest. White and gold chanterelles, aromatic matsutake, and rich, meaty porcini take center stage, ready to be sautéed simply or tangled with ribbons of fresh pappardelle, savory guanciale, garlic, and parsley. A beautiful assortment of Italian greens—from agretti and radicchio to Swiss chard and frisée—joins late-season peppers and tomatoes, while freshly picked Bella Luna apples add a sweet taste of the orchard. It’s an earthy, abundant box that brings the flavors of forest, field, and farm together for the season.
Here’s what you’ll find in your box this week:
Foraged Fall Mushrooms
This week’s locally foraged mushroom bounty brings together four distinctive autumn treasures. White and gold chanterelles offer delicate, woodsy flavor with subtle fruity notes and a tender texture; matsutake are prized for their unmistakably aromatic, spicy fragrance and firm bite; and meaty porcini bring deep, earthy richness to the mix. Sauté them simply in butter or olive oil with garlic and fresh herbs, fold them into pasta, or cook each variety separately to appreciate the flavors that make these wild mushrooms so special.
Fresh Pappardelle
This lovely, fresh handmade pasta is made by our favorite local pasta maker in Bellingham. Perhaps enjoyed with sautéed mushrooms this week, these broad semolina noodles should rightly earn their name, which is derived from the Italian verb ‘to gobble up’.
Smoking Goose Guanciale
This delicious guanciale is made from pork jowl, slowly cured with garlic, juniper, black pepper, bay, nutmeg, and red wine. Rich and deeply savory, it renders beautifully into pasta, vegetables, soups, or eggs, adding plenty of depth with just a little bit.
Pain au Levain Bread
This slightly-nutty, slightly-sweet sourdough bread epitomizes French country-style baking with a chewy crust and light, airy interior. Baked by our favorite bakery in Snohomish, this traditional Pain au Levain is crafted using the bakery’s own sourdough starter.
Momento Cellars 2021 Malbec
Crafted from Malbec grown in Washington’s Wahluke Slope, this small-lot red from Momento Cellars offers a lovely pairing for the earthy flavors of the autumn table. Rich and expressive, Malbec is a natural match for roasted meats, aged cheeses, and savory mushroom dishes.
Farm Fresh Eggs
Our small flock of heritage-breed Black Copper Maran, Ameraucana, and Delaware hens provides us with fresh eggs in beautiful shades of brown and green. As October brings cooler days and the first signs of autumn to the farm, the hens still spend plenty of time outdoors, happily pecking, scratching, and foraging in the fresh fall air.
Agretti
Sometimes called “monk’s beard,” agretti is a distinctive Italian green with long, slender stems and a pleasantly tangy, slightly mineral flavor. Tender yet retaining a lovely bite when cooked, it needs little embellishment: quickly blanch or sauté with olive oil and garlic, then finish with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of sea salt. It’s also delicious tossed with pasta, or served alongside fish or roasted meats.
Seasonal Organic Greens
This week’s fall greens also include Bietole Italian Swiss chard, frisée, di Luisa radicchio, and baby lettuces.
Fresh Organic Fruits & Vegetables
This week’s selection of produce also includes Gatherer’s Gold peppers, heirloom tomatoes, and freshly-picked apples from the Bella Luna orchard.
Garden-Grown Herbs
Shallots, fragrant garlic, thyme and flat-leaf Italian parsley from the walled garden and middle field here at Bella Luna.