What’s In The Box? December 4-10

Winter Comforts
Along with busy days and festive nights, December marks the arrival of winter, never truer as the farm was treated to its first snowfall of the year on Saturday. Come in from the cold this week to a classic soup-and-salad menu highlighted by warm, handcrafted potato leek soup, crisp Gruyère cheese bread and peppery arugula topped with a light poppy seed vinaigrette. Accompanied by pantry provisions and a new crop of winter produce including turnips, parsnips and more, this box will do wonders to ward off the continuing chill.

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

Housemade Potato Leek Soup

Freshly-chopped leeks and creamy golden potatoes pair beautifully in this soul-soothing soup, crafted in our farmhouse kitchen with savory fresh herbs, sea salt and pepper. Serve with grated Tomme, chopped parsley and cheesy Gruyère bread for dunking!

Gruyère Cheese Bread

Crafted in nearby Snohomish by one of our favorite bakeries, this freshly-baked loaf balances sweet, nutty Gruyère with a light, crisp crust. Absolutely wonderful re-warmed in the oven—just sprinkle with a few drops of water and bake at 350° for about 15 minutes.

Poppy Seed Vinaigrette & Arugula Greens

For a fresh, bright side salad to pair with this week’s soup, toss peppery arugula greens and sliced apples or pears with our light housemade dressing made from poppy seeds, olive oil, garlic, shallot, and parsley.

Ritrovo Selections White Balsamic Vinegar

This barrel-aged Italian vinegar is made from Trockenbeerenauslese wine, which is crafted from the late harvest white grape varietals Sylvaner and Riesling. With a balanced acidity and delicate aromatic notes of sweet apples and raisin, it is spectacular drizzled over roasted winter root vegetables.

La Bella Angiolina Ligurian Herb Blend

This fragrant herb seasoning blends flaky sea salt with chopped rosemary, sage, bay leaf, parsley, thyme, oregano and basil. Faithful to local traditions while using a deft hand and the best quality ingredients, the La Bella Angiolina brand recreates traditional Italian favorites in the sun-drenched Riviera.

Domaine Tabordet Sancerre Blanc

A classic example of Sancerre, the Tabordet is 100% Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley of France. Crisp and with lots of minerality, Sancerre is often thought of as a summer wine, but it pairs beautifully with winter potato leek soup. Domaine Tabordet is run by brothers Yvon and Pascal Tabordet, who took over the small family vineyard in 1981 and have since then grown the operation, turning out beautiful Sancerre.

Farm Fresh Eggs

Our small flock of heritage breed laying hens are on an early-to-bed, later-to-rise schedule with the cold temperatures and 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.

Jersey Tomme

Made in our farmstead creamery, this Alpine-style cheese is crafted with raw whole milk and extra heavy cream from pasture-fed Dungeness Valley Jersey cows. Naturally high in butterfat, the golden yellow cheese is then aged in our cave for six months or longer, lending to a creamy taste with bright, grassy notes.

Fresh-Picked Apples

The last of the McIntosh apples from the trees at Bella Luna Farms.

Organic Fruits & Vegetables

This week’s produce selection also includes organic red D’Anjou pears, plus Gillfeather turnips, Bolero carrots, red beets, red Cipollini onions, parsnips, and Treviso and Castelfranco radicchio.

Fresh Garden Herbs

Rosemary, parsley, thyme and shallots from the greenhouse and walled garden at Bella Luna Farms, plus spectacular German Hardy white garlic bulbs from Local Roots Farms.