If you’re anything like me, you live by the golden rule that “variety is the spice of life”. Sometimes the more food choices the better…well, because you want to taste it all, right? If you relate, then Hatchery, a subscription food box purveyor, is your hall pass to a monthly tasting and cooking adventure.
They are the creme-de-la-creme artisan food matchmaker – introducing the products of local food artisans around the country to foodie thrill-seekers.
Securely nestled in their fun, eco-friendly wrapping (everything is recyclable!), samples of small batch, handcrafted artisan food gems in my box ran the gamut of organic Ohi’a Lehua Blossom Honey from Big Island Bees, to a spicy Habanero jam from Diane’s Sweet Heat in McKinleyville, California; lavender-infused extract by Meso Nutso in Coburg, Oregon; a small tin of dried herbs specially crafted for eggs by Gourmegg; and an amazing Virgin Vanilla Bean salted caramel sauce from Saucy Sister in Vista, California; and a cool Toasted Coconut White Balsamic Vinegar from Olivelle in Bozeman, Montana. The latter was my favorite since I make my own vinaigrettes and lean to salads full of exotic flavor.
I was so excited to see that even one of my local food artisans, Lori Forrest, owner of The French Connection in Ashland, Oregon, is featured on the website. A bottle of her amazing Salt Caramel Syrup is in my refrigerator right now! You simply must try it! You never know when a food gem in the box might literally be from next door to your door.
With such a star-studded lineup of ingredients, I felt a little out of my league on figuring out how to use a couple of the items. Hatchery solved that problem for me, and other home cooks, by partnering with chefs to curate each box and develop easy and delicious recipes. Even if your kitchen “chops” are well established, though, you’ll still love discovering new products and sharing the cooking results with friends. The enclosed product detail card showing expiration dates and ingredients allayed my concerns about personal food sensitivities. Woo Hoo! Nothing in the box was on my no-no list. When you taste a product you like, head back to their website to purchase more….you can even shop by special dietary need.
What really excites me about Hatchery is discovering the products AND the amazing artisans who stand behind their creations, many of which you can read about on the Hatchery site. At The Local Dish, we decided to get up close and personal with one of their artisans, Vangie White of Meso Nutso, so we went on location to capture the backstory about her family’s farm and how local sourcing can make all the difference in quality and taste. Read all about it here.
Editor’s note: Product for this story was generously provided by Hatchery. As always, though, opinions and impressions are fully my own.
