Yes, dear readers, some time has passed since I last posted. There are a few reasons for this, the most excellent one being that I was visiting my parents in Florida and communing with my spirit animal, the manatee (quiet, gentle, vegetarian, spends most waking hours eating). But the blog was on my mind while I was traveling, as my mother, Nancy, introduced me to a new batch of fun kitchen gadgets.

A couple of these were a blast from the past, like this rad hand-carved tasting spoon from the Berea College in Kentucky. This place is worth checking out; they give scholarships in exchange for work in their crafts studio, and the students make some beautiful stuff. But back to the spoon: you use the big end to stir with, and instead of slobbering all over it with your dirty mouth, you tip it backward and the soup or sauce runs backward along the channel where you can taste it from the little spoon. Apparently these have been used in France for ages, and the ones from Berea have a nice old-fashioned feel, meaning that they make great gifts for both those with Little House on the Prairie sensibilities (me) or germophobes (you know who you are).

Another find from Berea was this little baker’s broom that you hang in your kitchen. “What do you sweep with it?” you may be asking. Nothing! Ha! Got you! When you bake a cake, you’re supposed to snap off one of the bristles and use it to test if the cake is done. Seriously, how did my mom know that Jason tried to use a chopstick to test banana bread last week? Anyway, she thought that this might have been an old Shaker invention, and though I couldn’t find any proof of that, I believe her, the Shakers being notorious for their furniture-making, riotous dancing and cake-testing.

This next one looks rather futuristic, and since I am a bit of a Luddite, I’ll admit that I was skeptical of this vegetable keeper. I’ve tried those discs that are supposed to keep your veggies fresh, and I feel like they’d be put to better use as hockey pucks. But Nancy swore that this is the ticket to crisp lettuce. It features a water tray, as well as a little vent you can open or close, and a key on the front tells you what combo of water/no water/open/shut you’re supposed to use for different vegetables. If the veggie you’re seeking to preserve is not on the list, I’m not sure what you’re supposed to do. Consult Yoda, perhaps.

And now one last gadget, timed perfectly for the present: this adorable daisy bottle stopper. Nancy, a wine enthusiast, has tried a number of these, but this one seals the best. My question about bottle stoppers has always been, “Why can’t you just drink the whole bottle?” But spring is coming, friends, and won’t this daisy look charming packed in your picnic basket? Besides, if you’re drinking in the park, this will allow you to cork the bottle fast and flee the cops. At least, that’s what my mom said.