Kitchen tools that earn their keep.

Are you ready for the cold?!

We are working extra hard on the farm to prepare: deep dry bedding, extra hay and fed, making sure waterers and heaters are up to snuff for everyone from our newest baby piglets to our old brood cows- they all need extra attention and care in this weather.

As I sit here watching the snow rip across the ridge- I’ve been thinking about the tools in my kitchen that quietly make real food possible—especially on busy days when everyone’s cold, hungry and energy and moods are low.

Here are three I’m currently loving right now:

Instant Pot
This thing earns its counter space over and over again. I’m actually on my second one I’ve used it so much over the last few year. Why?
• Frozen pork or beef roast → fall-apart tender in under 3 hours. No really. I’m not kidding.
• Turn it on in the morning, walk away, come back to a house that smells amazing
• Throw together a couple simple sides and it feels like Sunday dinner… without the fuss

We also use it constantly for:
bone broth, rice, potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, soups—and as an extra pot when every other dish is dirty, apple sauce, overnight oatmeal… seriously makes my life so much better.

Yeast bread (not sourdough)
I know sourdough is all the rage, but it doesn’t fit my life right now.
My kitchen is too cold this time of year, and I don’t need another “child” to take care of.

Yeast bread is my on-demand option:
• Homemade bread tonight
• Simple, forgiving, delicious
• So much better than store-bought and what would go better with all the amazing strawberry jam I’ve been cooking up?!?

No hate on sourdough- maybe at another stage of my life.

Immersion blender
I don’t use it every day—but when I do, I LOVE it.
• Smooth soups and sauces
• Creamy healthy homemade mayo at a fraction of the cost as the premium brands at the store.
• Dips that feel fancy but aren’t

It’s one of those tools that makes cooking from scratch feel easy instead of intimidating.

I share this because feeding a family well doesn’t have to be complicated—it just has to work for real life.

I’d love to know:
what’s one kitchen tool you wouldn’t want to live without right now?

Grateful to be feeding your families alongside you,

Darci

P.S. We won’t be at the La Crosse Farmers Market on Saturday because of the weather and Justin’s work schedule. There’s no market on 2/7 so we’ll see you on 2/21. We just love to see some familiar faces in the “big to us” city.