September 2013 Gourmet Taste Trunk

September marks my third month with Taste Trunk, a new foodie subscription service.  Each month Taste Trunk offers four different trunk themes: the Gourmet Trunk, the Health Trunk, the Sweet Trunk, and the BBQ Trunk.  For $29/month (plus a $5.99 shipping charge--these heavy trunks ships USPS Priority Mail so they arrive punctually every month on or before the 15th), you receive "5-10 products, discount coupons, backgrounds on the companies and amazing recipe ideas."  With your Taste Trunk subscription, you are free to change trunk themes each month, as long as you submit a request to do so by the 25th of the month.  In July I received the BBQ Trunk, while I received the Gourmet Trunk in August and September.  Next month I'm trying out the Sweet Trunk.  I really love and appreciate the variety of offerings that Taste Trunk provides.

Each month the Taste Trunk of your choice arrives safely and beautifully packaged, perfect as a little treat to yourself or as a present for a loved one.

This month my Gourmet Trunk included 5 products in addition to cards with coordinating recipe ideas:

1849 - Artichoke Pasta Sauce with Merlot ($5.50/34 oz)
"In 1849, Pasta Sauce was clean, natural, fresh and delicious, just like our 1849 Pasta Sauces... in 1849 the average man ate pasta hot or cold, more than 10 times a week.  Miners in the hills came from Northern Italy, and when they weren't digging for gold, they were cooking their tomatoes, adding their basil, and getting the pasta ready.  The original carbo-loaders, Italian miners in 1849 were better known for their cooking than their skills with the gold pans!"

I have to admit, I was both intrigued and hesitant to see this Artichoke Pasta Sauce with Merlot.  I'm usually not the biggest fan of wine used in recipes and Burgundy is listed as the second ingredient on the sauce.  I was a little... scared.  However, I served this for dinner while entertaining a girlfriend and it was great.  The wine and artichoke flavors were more of a supporting act rather than the main show and I found the flavors subtle and approachable.  This wasn't my favorite pasta sauce I've had, but it was certainly yummy and the unique flavor made it memorable.

Amphora - Premium (Traditional) Balsamic Vinegar ($7.00/200  ml)
"For the purists, we offer our finest ages balsamic vinegar from Modena, Italy.  Aged up to 18 years, using the Solera Method, this rich, dark balsamic can be used as a dessert topping, a salad dressing base, or an every day condiment!"

My hubby isn't a fan of balsamic vinegar, so I don't use it a ton in cooking, but I'm curious to try out this product maybe drizzled over a caprese salad.

Amphora - Premium (Arbequina) Extra Virgin Olive Oil ($7.00/200 ml)
"Well balanced and complex, our early harvest Spanish Arbequina is loaded with green olive aroma.  Notes of red apple are followed by a creamy, green center.  A considerable amount of pepper lingers on the finish."

The description of this olive oil pretty much left my mouth watering.  I want a loaf of crusty bread and some italian seasoning STAT.  I'm really looking forward to putting this to use as it sounds amazing.  I also have to note that I thoroughly enjoy the style and packaging of these Amphora bottles.

The Pasta Shoppe - Vineyard Pasta ($5.50/14 oz)
"Vineyard Pasta makes a beautiful and colorful pasta dish... great for everyday entertaining!  This is the ideal pasta salad to have in the fridge for a snack or as a side dish at any occasion."

I served this Vineyard Pasta to company (along with the 1849 Pasta Sauce) and I really enjoyed it.  While I didn't notice anything special about the flavor of the pasta, the shapes made a fun and quirky experience.  This product is from the Pasta with Personality range from The Pasta Shoppe which includes pretty much every shape of pasta you could imagine.  I think these shapes would really shine served up as a pasta salad when entertaining guests.  Something with a thin sauce would really allow the shapes to pop.  These would be PERFECT if you have kids.  They would be so cute floating in a cup of soup as well.  I'm really glad to have discovered this unique range.

Terrapin Ridge Farms - Sweet Beet & Horseradish Mustard ($6.70/10.7 oz)
"A perfect marriage of beets and horseradish combined with while grain gourmet mustard create a distinctive condiment, perfect for roast beef, steak, grilled salmon or crab cakes.  All natural and gluten free."

Hands down, this wins as most unique/exciting product from my September Trunk.  I look forward to slathering this on sandwiches, meat, etc.  This mustard is a really unusual but pleasing contrast of sweet and spicy.  The bright color and the texture of the whole grain mustard creates a beautiful presentation as well.

Total value of my September Gourmet Taste Trunk: $31.70

Overall, I'm really pleased with my September Taste Trunk contents.  This month didn't wow me as much overall with highly unusual products (except the mustard), but the products were great, practical, and high quality staples.  I'm really looking forward to receiving my first Sweet Trunk next month (anyone who follows my blog will know I have quite the sweet tooth).

If you'd like to try Taste Trunk, you can save 25% on your first trunk with the code "winsomegirl25" which will bring the cost down to $21.75 (plus $5.99 shipping).  If you do decide to sign up, please kindly provide my name (Amy Kelly) as your referral during checkout.

*Full disclosure: I paid for the Taste Trunk subscription with my own money.  I receive no commission or any other benefit if you use the discount code that Taste Trunk provided me to share with you.  I will, however, receive a 10% discount on the purchase of future trunks if you decide to enter my name as your referral during checkout (which I would greatly appreciate as I enjoy saving money as much as the next gal.)