What’s In The Box? July 5-11

Midsummer Splendor
As summer produce continues to ripen apace in the garden—from fennel and zucchini to crisp lettuces and fragrant fresh herbs—this week’s box puts the seasonal bounty to delicious use in a salad-ready menu starring Lummi Island Keta smoked salmon and our own housemade mustard vinaigrette, plus all the ingredients for a show-stopping appetizer of stuffed and fried squash blossoms. Pain au Levain bread, rich, silky duck eggs and an easy-drinking Italian wine also help to anchor this summery menu.

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

Lummi Island Smoked Wild Keta Salmon

Tender and perfectly flaky, this top-quality, reef net-caught Keta salmon is hot smoked over alder coals and kissed with just the right amount of sea salt and brown sugar.

Squash Blossoms

Along with summer squash season come these dainty, edible orange flowers perfect for frying! See this week’s recipes for instructions on how to craft a classic summer starter with these bright blossoms.

Fresh Ricotta

Rich and mildly sweet, this lovely fresh ricotta is crafted in our farmstead creamery from cow’s milk whey and heavy cream. Use this versatile cheese in this week’s fried squash blossoms recipe, or sweeten lightly with honey and enjoy with fresh melon or peaches.

Pain au Levain Bread

This slightly-nutty, slightly-sweet sourdough loaf 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.

Podere Ruggeri Corsini Dolcetto d’Alba 2012

An easy-drinker with modest acidity, Dolcetto is often enjoyed in its native Piedmont, Italy as a casual dinner wine. Lively and exuberant, it possess delightfully fruity flavors of red cherry and blueberry, with an almond-like bitterness at the end and occasional hints of chocolate and licorice.

Farm Fresh Eggs

Our small flock of heritage breed laying hens gives us fresh eggs in beautiful shades of brown and green. The “girls” are enjoying the long summer afternoons and accompanying warm evenings, chasing bugs and eating tasty green weeds we pull from the garden.

Orange Star Farm Duck Eggs

With near-transparent egg whites and color-rich oversize yolks, duck eggs are a chef’s dream, lending flavorful appeal to a variety of dishes. This week, we’ve rounded up a few of our favorite ways to use these local beauties from Monroe’s Orange Star Farm—see recipes for ideas.

Mustard Vinaigrette

Just add fresh tarragon! Wake up your palette with this bright housemade vinaigrette crafted from whole grain mustard, herbs and olive oil.

Seasonal Organic Greens

Truchas mini red Romaine lettuce and escarole.

Seasonal Organic Vegetables

This week’s produce selection also includes zucchini, red beets, Chioggia radicchio, Hakurei turnips, Piracicaba sprouting broccoli and fennel.

Fresh Garden Herbs

Enjoy a bountiful selection of fragrant herbs this week: French tarragon, parsley, rosemary, mint, and garlic.