Let’s face it, after the garden chores are done the kitchen chores begin. It’s a fact of life, right? I mean, we grew all this food for a reason; to eat it! But does that mean it has to be difficult? Time consuming or wasteful? Not at all–not if you have the right tools. (According to my husband, every problem in my household stems from lack of the proper tool.)
But he has a point. We live in a day and age where innovation has gone extreme–attractive and useful–but extreme. There’s almost nothing that can’t be automated or made easier and I’ve reached the point where I’ve stopped fighting it. While a greenie-pioneer-woman at heart, I’m no fool. My life is busy and complicated and if I plan to accomplish half the things I set out to do, I’ll never realize success without a little help from technological advancements. From refrigerators to freezers, air-tight containers to sure-seal pressure canners, my garden bounty has benefited from the use of gadgets. My compost pile suffers, but my bounty spoils not!
And some of these tools are downright cute. Just look at this watermelon slicer/seeder. Is it the most adorable knife you ever saw or what? My kids think so. And it’s one of the few knives long enough to slice the length of our homegrown watermelons. Then of course there are the herbs to be cut. We bought a mezzaluna herb knife for ease and safety of chopping, but the darn thing is sharp. I’m afraid to let my kids anywhere near it! (Which doesn’t bode well for sharing kitchen duty and thus must not be tolerated.)
How about using your home coffee grinder instead? This one from Krups can reduce your fresh herbs and dried spices to a silky fine texture in no time, suitable for any gourmet soup or sauce.
But these are just a few! Whether it’s your harvest time now or something you have to look forward, check out this month’s Prize Picks section for more gardener must-haves in the kitchen.
My husand always says all you need is the right tool to do the job right…and the same goes for cooking. I find myself more likely to do things if I have good utensils to help.
They can make all the difference in time!