What’s In The Box? December 6-12

‘Tis the Season
The first week of December has brought the trademark busy days and festive nights of the holiday season, as well as equally-seasonal weather with chilly nights and icy mornings. Come in from the cold and take a much-deserved break this week with provisions for an cozy pasta supper—earthy mushroom confit, handmade bucatini and pumpernickel bread—plus our housemade Southwestern vegetable soup to fuel you up for a quick lunch. Accompanied by winter produce such as Red Kuri squash, Lacinato kale and Chantenay carrots, plus creamy blue cheese salad dressing and locally-grown chestnuts, this box will do wonders to buoy the holiday spirit.

Here’s what you’ll find in your box this week:

Fresh Bucatini Pasta

Hand-crafted in nearby Bellingham, this spaghetti-like semolina pasta has a hole running through the center—hence the name bucatini, which comes from the Italian buco, meaning “hole”, while bucato means “pierced”.

Mushroom Confit

A chef’s mixture of mushrooms including Chanterelle, Portobello, Crimini, Shiitake and other varieties, bathed in olive oil with shallots, Mad Hatter peppers and herbs. Try it tossed with pasta and seasonal vegetables—see this week’s recipes for details.

Southwest Vegetable Soup

Need a quick, hearty lunch this week? Look no further than our housemade soup, which will warm you up in no time thanks to such Southwestern-style ingredients as chorizo, rice and chile peppers.

Pumpernickel Bread

Baked fresh just for us by a small bakery in nearby Snohomish, this slightly-sweet rye bread loaf is wonderful served alongside this week’s veggie soup, or made into croutons to toss into salads!

Bodegas Ontañon Crianza 2013

Bodegas Ontañon is a family-owned winery located in Spain’s Rioja region—the country’s most well known. A beautiful blend of 90% Tempranillo and 10% Garnacha grapes, this particular red blend displays notes of black fruit and spice with natural and delicate acidity.

Farm Fresh Eggs

Our small flock of heritage breed laying hens are on an early-to-bed, later-to-rise schedule with the shorter daylight hours. As they spend more time snug in their coop, the “girls” are enjoying an extra helping of grain to supplement their diet, continuing to give us fresh eggs in beautiful shades of brown, blue and green.

Blue Cheese Dressing

Creamy with just the right amount of tang!

Apricot Jam

Our organic jam is crafted from gorgeous, bright orange Harglow apricots. This particular variety boasts an exceptional flavor and texture, making it ideal for cooking and preserving—enjoy!

Seasonal Fruit

Juicy Cara Cara oranges, plus a beautiful medley of apples from the orchards here at Bella Luna.

Seasonal Organic Vegetables

This week’s produce selection includes Chantenay carrots, Red Kuri squash, red beets, fennel, leeks and purple kohlrabi.

Seasonal Organic Greens

Lacinato kale and Castelfranco radicchio.

Fresh Garden Herbs

Italian parsley, thyme, cilantro and shallots.

Seasonal Chestnuts

Perfect for roasting, these gorgeous little chestnuts are grown and harvested by the Lazy Squirrel Nut Farm in Mount Vernon.