Wanderings (eyes) - March 2014 Hatchery Box!

Through reading one of the blogs I follow (Lovin' From the Oven), I came upon this niffy little subscription box of tasty treasures known as Hatchery. Then upon more research aka Google, I realized there is a whole world of monthly box subscriptions from cosmetics to puppy chow, there is a box for everyone and a box of everything!  

Here is a little background in case anyone who's never heard of these monthly box subscriptions before (like me): the subscriptions range from about $20-$80 a month depending on the program/company and each month you get a box of goodies in the mail, generally samples and tad bits of products that fits the genre of that particular subscription. It's a rather brilliant idea, sometimes we just want small samples to try things out, test the water if you will. Anyways not to get carried away, lets get back to this particular box.

Curious and quite intrigued by its contents, I decided to give Hatchery a try. Their cute packaging might have had something to do with that too but for $20 a month, its not that bad. So what is in the box of goodies? From what I have gathered through numerous blogs reviewing it, each month you'd get about 5-6 sample sized items of artisan ingredients or condiments. Its a pretty neat program, they go around different places gathering goodies from all over the country and then you get the sample sized version for trying. If you happen to like something, then you can purchase the full sized version on the website and if not, well its a small size so you won't feel like the rest will go to waste because there may not be leftovers. This not only allows the kitchen enthusiast like myself to try things I'd otherwise not come across, but it allows the small businesses to get more face time across the country. Each box also comes with a tasting guide that describes each of the ingredients, its origins, where to get more, and recommended recipes for each item. All the items are neatly wrapped and stuffed into a lively bright red box so you can't miss it!

Now what are we waiting for!? Let's see what's in the box for the month of March shall we? 
For my very first box, I recieved:

• Strawberry Chipotle Jam (Potlicker Kitchen, Bethal VT)
• Causey's BBQ Sauce (Causey's BBQ, Atlanta GA)
• Ohia Lehua Honey (Big Island Bees, Captain Cook, HI)
• Jalapeno Garlic Olive Oil (Calivirgin, Lodi CA)
• Original Blend Spice Rub (Ole Man's, New Orleans LA)
• Fuego Salsa (La Fundidora, Brooklyn NY)

There will definitely be future posts for when I play with these but for the time being, here is some eye candy. Though all of the stuff combined is probably not valued to $20 but if you think about it, you're also saving yourself time because under normal circumstances, how long would it take you to hunt down all these things and it'd cost you way more if you wanted to try them because you'd have to get the actual size. I also like having small samples sizes because it allows me to try more different things without having to "finish" a certain product first before venturing out to another new product.