What do love that you use most?
What products do you use most in the kitchen, in your garden, in your yard, on your acreage or your farm? Can you list 10 to 15 things in order of importance? What can you just not live without because it is so perfect for your purposes?
To spark some ideas...
• Go through our categories and perhaps think of one item per main category...I like that idea. It makes a great challenge.
• What is the most useful?
• What is the most handy/convenient?
• What makes life easier?
• What is absolutely amazing?
• Is there an organizing system (house, yard, garage, workshop), somethong for canning, tilling, implement or machine, big things, small things that may get overlooked, livestock, yard or plant oriented, etc.? It doesn't just have to be tools, but could even be stuff like a favorite sun hat, birdbath, tea strainer or animal feed/treat...or maybe a treat for you.
What are your favorite source(s) to find these wonderful things (if you have a favorite)?
Please share with all of us so we can consider adding these to our own lives as well. Please add BRANDS because not all are created equal. Have fun assessing & brainstorming!
Comments
-
Great post @LaurieLovesLearning , could take some time to list what I really appreciate. In the kitchen, the blender gets used everyday & makes life easier. I have a favourite knife, herbal teapot, wooden spoon, cup & Chassuer cooking pot.
In the garden I have my favourite weeding tool, Morav knife, watering wand & garden fork. On the property I am absolutely in love with my Kubota side by side 4x4 most excellent vehicle. It will go anywhere, has a low point of gravity, so very safe, has a tipper tray which comes in handing for unloading, firewood, soil, poo,
bark-chip etc. The ride on mower/tractor makes my life a lot easier & is super reliable. My Makita cordless drill/driver combo is very handy. I have my fav fencing pliers & socket set.
When I really need some time to myself, I have a special place on our property that I visit & sit & just take in the sounds & smells. This really grounds me & I always feel better for being there.
And I would be absolutely lost without my constant companion Jedda, my most gorgeous dog. She is a Labrador x stumpy tail red cattle dog. She kinda looks like a chocolate lab without a tail (born like that) she is nearly 6 yrs old & we know each other inside out. She is always “just there” understands when I speak to her & understands just a look or a movement from me. She is almost human & I adore her.(my wife understands!)
-
@JodieDownUnder Could you list brands? I added this to my original post. I ask because it can be difficult to know the quality of a product sometimes, in spite of reviews.
-
For the garden I love my Hori knife and my new vertical planters.
For the kitchen, I love my toaster oven and sharp knives.
-
In the kitchen I can't be without my Vitamix blender and my Progressive salad/lettuce spinner.
As for garden, homestead, etc we're still in need of many things. So I'm looking forward to hearing from others about their favorite, must have items in these areas.😊
-
I love all of my silicone cooking tools. I have been able to replace so many single use items in my kitchen with silicone. I especially love all of my silicone baking supplies. They get better results and are easier to clean.
-
Garden - Horo Hori Knife, Graden claw, good old fashioned pitch fork. cold frame made from pallets and small greenhouse.
lawn care - Scythe, loppers. Regular garden tools I try to get at auctions or garage sales.
kitchen - cast iron pans, small toaster oven. Grinder for coffee or herbs.
DIY. old sheets from sales for dragging grass to compost or covering crops. Old plates from sales for crafting garden art or birdbaths. Pallets for sheds, cold frames, fencing, trellises, crafts. Aly old barn item for carts or funky garden gate.
-
@LaurieLovesLearning What a post! You had my brain scrambling for ideas! lol
My old teapot gets used every day, honey is a must have (thank goodness my son raises bees-so I guess somehow he is on my list of necessities!)
I need to check out @JennyT Upstate South Carolina Vitamix blender!! I know that would be used a lot!
I have to have time every day just to sit looking outside or if it's warm enough, to sit outside and play my harp or Native American flute. It relaxes and grounds me and looking at the other posts, maybe I am relaxing a bit to much and need to get more done!
-
In the kitchen I love my cast iron skillet, Instant Pots, and Vitamix (that I found at Goodwill for $19).
@water2world Thats really cool! I play the flute. I can imagine your Native American flute is a very different. Not many people play the harp. That's great! I'd love to hear you playing if you were my neighbor.
-
@kbmbillups1 Oh wow---I would love to find a Vitamix at that price! Lucky you!!
Lol---I'm not that good, but it is interesting/fun to see the birds get quite and seem to listen! Even the cows will come closer (don't know if they are wanting to listen or just trying to figure out what the heck I'm doing! lol)
-
@Monek Marie you reminded me about cast iron pans which I seem to have a bit of an obsession along with coffee grinders (I have different ones for different things I grind).
-
@water2world oh yes, my teapot!!! I use it multiple times a day.☺️
-
@water2world LOL! I would love to see you and the cows!
-
I use a stainless steel tea strainer & drip cone coffee filter (often also used for finer ground teas in my giant cup as it goes right down inside). I like the tiny holes in both items and the ultra fine mesh at the very bottom of the cone filter.
I can't find the tea one anymore, so I'll have to post a picture later. Below is a link to the great drip coffee filter. Reusable, easy clean...awesome. These are both true favorites and often used.
-
Please post brands and respective uses for your coffee grinders. I am very curious. It is great when you can find a machine that fits your specific needs.
-
@LaurieLovesLearning Thanks for the link to the filter. I also use a stainless steel strainer and always end up with a little in my cup---a bit annoying! I had not thought of using a paper filter-- that should make me enjoy the last sip of tea!
-
@kbmbillups1 I'm hoping that one day, they will come closer and graze---I take a chair (when playing my flute, not the harp!) and put it in the pasture! lol
-
@water2world LOL! The picture in my mind of you sitting in your chair playing your flute hoping to attract the cows! I hope you get your wish!
I love driving down the road seeing the cows, horses, goats, etc which are becoming less and less. They're selling and huge subdivisions are being built there instead.
-
@kbmbillups1 Oh I plan to get my wish!! lol
My husband's grandfather had over 450 acres and half was left to his 2 children. Neither child sold the land and now we half 1/2 and hubby's cousin has half. The land joins each other and we are far enough from the road that we hear nor see anyone. We refuse to sell to developers and so does his cousin. Our son feels the same way! Believe me, we constantly get mail wanting to purchase. It will soon be a 100 year old farm!
Hubby said he never saw a deer or coyote there when he was growing up -- but so much land has been developed, the animals are now looking for places, so we always see them.
-
One of my most favourite things that I couldn't do without (or not easily) is my collection of knives. I have a thing for knives and over the years have managed to grow my collection. They are all (for the most part) Victorinox. This is the company that makes Swiss army knives.
I have worked at a large number of restaurants plus worked with chefs who have their own knives, so I've had the chance to try out many different brands of knives. Victorinox is hands down the best I have ever used. My two favourites that get the most use (besides all the different paring knives I have for different uses) are the long, thin filleting knife and a large French knife.
I also have a collection of cast iron. Several different sizes of frying pans, a long griddle, a smaller round griddle, one with ridges for searing steaks, a waffle iron, a muffin pan, a tiny pot (for melting butter, etc.) and a rectangular baking pan. My frying pans are in constant use. I burn everything if I use any other kind of frying pan. Some are Lodgestone but others don't have makers marks.
-
@LaurieLovesLearning I have a Capresso that is called a "cool" grind and I use it for Cacao nibs and baking type herbs & spices, another Capresso that is used for medicinal herbs & spices and finally a magic bullet that has a small blade for grinding herbs & spices that are more pungent such as cumin, etc.
-
@water2world That sounds wonderful! Don't sell no matter what! I wish we could move to a nice plot of land and get away from the city that's catching up with us!
-
Another favorite that I'm really glad we've had for 5 years is our Berkey.
-
1) scissors
2) soil/compost
3) jars
4) sea salt
5) vodka
6) seeds
7) plants plants plants
8) hammer
9) gloves
10) grass fed beef jerky😋
-
One upvote for the Vitamix. All the women in my family have them and they have lasted for literally decades. Expensive upfront, but I went through enough cheap blenders trying to make smoothies in my single/young married days that I wish I had just gone straight to the Vitamix.
Also agree on the salad spinner. Use that quite a lot and love it. I currently use this brand, and like it just fine: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GH6GTH4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I also like and use my collapsible silicone colander a lot. Not a name brand, really, though. It's this one off of Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XRBFTNH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I also have several Lodge cast iron pans we use frequently, and I love my Blackstone griddle.
-
Thanks for this discussion! Right away I thought of Coconut oil (Trader Joes); Vegematic for vegetables; oven mitts; water filter; garden, soil, raised bed and seeds; the car (older model);
-
I agree on the vitamix, I bought mine used through a newspaper ad 20 years ago and it still works like new. I love my steel knives and cast iron but my greenhouse is my special place. My newest love is a freeze dryer from harvest right! Because of our medical weirdness we have to eat a ton of fruit and vegetables and I can use it to keep fruit with 97% of the nutrients intact right by my dad’s chair. Bananas, apples, strawberries, pears and even yogurt drops make a much better snack than the chips and cheezits (unfood!) he’s been munching.
-
In the lawn category, my favorite might be our DR mower trimmer as it can be set low to take weeds right down to the soil or even below it. I also like our John Deere mower tractor, but I don't operate it because our land is so uneven and I get afraid. However, it is great for someone else to use on our land. We also have a DR brush mower which does less than the John Deere but more than the trimmer mower. Each has its own use. To mow and pick up grass or leaves, I like our Neuton electric (battery) mower.
I'll tackle a different category later.
-
@owl Your freeze dryer sounds interesting. I'd love to have one but they're way out of my budget.
This Week's Leaders
Categories
- All Categories
- 35 Our Front Porch Welcome! (Please Read Before Posting)
- 27 Introductions & Region-Specific Discussions
- 355 Educational Opportunities & Resources
- 460 Current Events & Breaking News
- 49 Emergency/Disaster Preparedness & Resiliency
- 1.4K Our Garden: Growing Food
- 1.7K Our Apothecary: Natural & Home Medicine
- 516 The Back 40: Animal Husbandry & Harvesting
- 40 The Bush: Wild Game and Survival
- 530 Our Kitchen Table: Food Prep
- 396 The Homestead: DIY
- 1.2K Personal Journals
- 106 The General Store: Sell, Buy, & Barter