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I subscribed to their box.  I was hoping someone would post about it, so I thought I would share what I got in my first box.

9 ounces of California organic dates.  The corresponding recipe is Olive Brine Marinated Chicken with Date Relish and the recipe I will definitely cook.

10.6 ounces of a red miso paste.  The recipe is for sheet pan salmon and squash with Miso Mojo.  I may make this recipe.

2 ounces of wild rose harissa.  The recipe is for Pot Roast Brisket with Harrissa and Spices. I probably won't make this, but use it in some Ottolenghi recipes.  It can be mixed with water to form a paste.

2 ounce bottle of Nielson Massey Madagascar bourbon vanilla.  The recipe is for twice roasted squash with vanilla, maple and chile.  I won't make this as it calls for roasting a whole squash and serves 8. My husband and I like squash, but that is way too much and the recipe would be hard to scale back.

10 ounces of Dalfour Strawberry Fruit spread.  The recipe is Triple Strawberry Cheesecake which I definitely won't make as I don't eat dairy.  I'm looking forward to trying the jam as it is 100% fruit with no sugar or corn syrup.

When I went to sign up the pay by the year was "sold out."  The quarterly or monthly options were available.  I'm assuming they sold enough subscriptions that they took the most economical option off the market.

I think I will get $32 of entertainment out of this.  I was feeling in a rut and this will get me to try some new things. It is fun to get a present every month even if I did send it to myself.   I would love to hear what others think.

I'm in the UK so had to Google this.  I think it sounds great and I'd use it all apart from the miso paste.  We're not great squash eaters so I'd look for an alternative recipe for the bourbon vanilla,  otherwise I'd follow the recipe cards.

Like you I'd enjoy cooking something different, maybe challenging myself, sometimes we all get stuck in a rut. Also the idea of a cookery present to myself appeals.  I shall have to see if anyone does a similar thing over here. 

Enjoy.

That sounds so fun!

I appreciate you posting this. I hope you continue to post about your boxes. What a lovely gift to yourself and a fun way to explore and try new foods and recipes. 

I placed my order the first week in February and they sent me the January box.  I just got my February box.   This month I got:

12 ounce bottle of Acid League Tangy Yuzu Mayo.  The recipe is Crispy Pork Cutlets with Kimchi Slaw.  Not interested in the recipe, but this stuff is delicious!. I'm putting it on my turkey sandwich tomorrow and it would be great in tuna.  I won't have any problem using this up.

8 dried shiitake mushrooms from India 'Tree.  The recipe is I can't believe it is vegetarian Ramen.  This recipe looks good.

5.5 ounces of Muir Glem tomato paste.  The recipe is Weeknight Ragu. This is a pretty standard recipe. It will be interesting to see if expensive tomato paste is better than the Costco organic tomato paste that I usually use.

Le Kim Lee Oyster Sauce, 9 ounces  The recipe is Basil Chicken Stir Fry which looks good.  I always have oyster sauce so it will be fun to try a new brand.

Curio Spice Company Greek Oregano, 0.3 ounces  The recipe is Tofu Meatballs in Burst Tomato Sauce.  These don't sound very good or like they would taste anything like a meatball.  I'll pass on this one.

Thank you for posting!

My March box arrived today.  This month I got:

Tutto Crushed Calabrian Chili peppers - 6.5 ounce jar.  I'm very excited to try these.  The recipe is Ginger Garlic Cod, I will definitely make this.

Mike's Organic Red Thai Curry Paste, 2,8 ounces.  I will use this, but am doubtful if will replace my regular red curry paste that I buy at the Asian market.  The recipe is for Vegan tomato soup with cashew cream which I definitely won't make.  I have several recipes on my to try list that call for red curry paste so maybe this will motivate me to try one.

Foods Alive Nutritional Yeast, 1 ounce.  This is the tiniest package of nutritional yeast I have ever seen (3 Tabblespoons!) The recipe is Very Good Vegan Tacos which looks pretty dreadful.  I use nutritional yeast on a regular basis.  This is the first product I have received that I have thought wasn't a good value.  I can buy 3 Tablespoons of nutritional yeast out of the bulk bin for about 8 cents.   

Peppedew peppers, 14 ounces jars.  The recipe is for Chicken Sacrpariello which I won't make.  I love this product and they will get used.  Love them on pizza.

Spice House Ground Corriander, 1.8 ounces.  The recipe if for Afghan pasta and has a yogurt based sauce.  I don't eat dairy, so won't make this recipe.

What have you made out of the recent boxes that you would recommend? I didn't like the ramen recipe in the February box.

I thought the Ramen was really bland and the recipe was a lot of work and dirty dishes for the result.  I think the vegan ramen in Tenderheart or One Pot, One Planet are both far superior recipes.  

I'm plsnning on making the date and chicken recipe this weekend and the cod with ginger and chilies next week.

Last night I used the yuzu mayo on top of some leftover pork fried rice with a fried egg.  Yumm, it made leftovers sing.

The chicken with the dates was excellent.

Aspiring Chef - Beware the Ginger Garlic Fire Cod.  It is HOT.  If you don't order 5 stars at the Thai restaurant I would cut the chilies in half.  It was beyond our spice tolerance.

Thank you for posting about this!

I was unaware of the BA box and I am enjoying experiencing it second-hand!

My April box arrived today.  Yesterday I got notice that the May box will be the last box and they are discontinuing the service.  I'm a little bummed, but don't think they have really found the right market.  This month I have every single product in my fridge or cupboard.  In the 4 boxes there is only 4 products I didn't have.  I may not have the same brand, but they are in my pantry.  I'm sixty and the ingredients and recipes would have been new to me in my thirties which is when I was really starting to learn to cook, but it would have been a luxury I couldn't have afforded easily.  I enjoy getting the box even if the ingredients are not new to me. They didn't say why they were stopping the service.

This month:

Red Boat Fish Sauce, 3.38 ounces.  Such a tiny and cute bottle of fish sauce.  The recipe is Zucchini with Crispy Rice and Lime.  Way too fussy and time consuming for a way to cook zucchini.  I don't even think my 30 year old self would have fussed with this recipe.  There are so many great fish sauce recipes out there, why pick one that has  you deep frying cold cooked rice?

Bono Castelvetrano Olives, 5.3 ounces.  Love these olives, so they will be used.  The recipe is Sheet Pan Chicken with Grapes and Fennel.  Basic sheet pan recipe.  I'm not crazy about cooked grapes, so won't make this.

La Tourangelle toasted Sesame Oil, 8.45 ounces.  The recipe in One Pot Salmon and Shitake Rice. The porportions of rice to salmon is off in this recipe.  2 cups of uncooked rice for 18 ounces of salmon is way too much rice.  The method calls for putting the uncooked rice, seasonings and water in a Dutch oven, then the mushrooms and the salmon on top. I can't imagine the salmon isn't going to be over cooked by the time the rice is done.

Spice House Cumin, 2 ounces.  My jar of cumin is getting low, so this will get used relatively quickly.  The recipe is Cumin Steak and Scallions in Pitas.  This is seasoned steak stuffed into pitas with a yogurt sauce.  Pretty basic recipe.

Spice House Mustard Powder.  I have an opened container of mustard powder so this won't get used right away.  The recipe is for Broccoli Mac and Cheese.  Another very basic recipe.  If I make Mac and cheese it isn't going to be this recipe.

If anyone has the scoop on why they are discontinuing the box, I would love to hear it.

Sorry to hear they are discontinuing what you look forward to. I think there is a paid membership fatigue.  Besides my magazine subscriptions which I plan to cut back when expiration comes due, I only belong to one monthly membership that  I've had for a long time.  I pay $19.99 monthly for K&L best buy wine club selections of 1 white and 1 red which works out really well for me because I get the discounted prices on all their wine club selections (premium, French, Italian, Red Wines, champagne, and my own best buy).  I buy most of my wines through them. 

Certainly this year is going to be a tough one for subscriptions of all kinds, at least in the U.S. 

The item that sounded the most interesting to me was the harisssa powder that can become a paste with the addition of water. Harissa is something I'd like to cook with more, but with paste there's pressure to use it up before it goes off, and it's more expensive to order because of the weight (it's unavailable locally). I've made it myself at the peak of pepper/chile season, but there was still the pressure to use it up. My solution for the homemade was to give away tiny jars to friends. Will poke around online to see if I can find a dry version.  Any pointers welcome.

The brand is Collected Foods and is available on their website collectedfoods.com