It seems each year one of my most popular posts is on gift giving ideas that come from products I have bought and used myself over the year. Farm life can be challenging, so products that survive in my household are a blessing to have.
This year my list includes 10 items that have made my life easier, and a few bonus products added for good measure.
Below you will find the “full name” of the product I purchased from Amazon and a convenient Amazon (affiliate) link. The full name lets you search for the product elsewhere if you don’t want to use the link, or you prefer to shop somewhere else.
I have only included products that I have purchased and used in the last 11 months – so my recommendations are genuine. These are my favorite additions this year.
Top 10 Gift Ideas for 2024
#1 Instant Pot Rio
Full name: Instant Pot RIO, 7-in-1 Electric Multi-Cooker, Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Sauté, Yogurt Maker, & Warmer, Includes App With Over 800 Recipes, 6 Quart
What I love: Multi-functional. Easy to use. Stainless Steel.
Getting a Rio began in a totally weird way for me. I wasn’t looking for an Instant Pot. I wanted to purchase a yogurt maker to use with my fresh farm milk. I have a very old plastic one that (given all we know about old plastics) needs replacing.
Unfortunately most cheap yogurt makers are still made with plastic containers. One of the key problems is that milk proteins easily stick to plastic which can cause the plastic to discolor, break down, and become unsanitary over time. And there is the ongoing risk of microplastics shedding into your food with every use.
Other cheap options have portion sized glass containers which solves the plastics problem, but what happens when you break one? I’m a klutz – I think about these things. Most come with unit-specific glass containers. For me, this means there is a significant risk of losing function over time due to glass breakage and the challenge of getting replacement parts over time as designs change.
That’s where the Rio came in. It’s stainless steel, and has settings to let you thermalize the milk, and then set the yogurt. No plastic to degrade. No glass to break. And flexibility in how much or how little yogurt I set on any given batch. Win-win-win.
And the Rio does so much more than just yogurt! Slow cook, pressure cook, steam – you name it. So while it is more expensive than a yogurt maker per se – it is not a one trick appliance which is what makes me glad that I added the Rio to my kitchen this year.
#2 Sparkel Bubbly Water Maker
Full name: Spärkel Beverage System | Cherry Red Sparkling Water Maker That Uses Fresh, Natural Ingredients | Carbonated Water Machine with New No-Leak Seal | Soda Streaming Machine | 5 Unique Carbonation Levels
What I love: Bubbly water any time – no plastic bottles to return; no gas canisters to deal with
I am addicted to bubbly water. I was buying 5 or more bottles a week to soothe my habit. As the price has nearly doubled in the last few years, this has gotten to be crazy. Plus so many bottles! Yikes!
I held off buying a system because I live in a small town and until just a few months ago, there was nowhere locally to even buy the cartridge style bubbly water makers. Besides – what a pain. Here we go again – a style change and presto – your expensive machine can no longer function because it doesn’t work without the CO2 tank. Sigh.
That’s where the Spärkel system is different. It uses two powders (citric acid and sodium bicarbonate) to create carbon dioxide gas that is then injected into the drinking water part of the system. I buy the pre-measured slips (carbonators) for convenience and because they are recommended for the warranty. I like the 90-pack carbonator option. I just snip them open (the two types come bundled together for ease), pour them into the top of the machine, set the water bottle in place and press the button.
The machine is a little noisy when it first starts, but I honestly love watching the bubbles enter the backlit bottle. And so far, the results are awesome. I run the machine at a 3 or 4 level (out of 5) and find the water is fizzy enough for me.
#3 Silicon molds for freezing soups and leftovers
I bought two sizes: 2 cup and 1 cup
Full name: Kinggrand Kitchen 2 Cup Silicone Freezer Trays with Lid 4 Pack Silicone Freezer Molds soup freezer containers Make 4 Perfect Soups, Broths, Stews, Sauces, Curries
Full name: Walfos Silicone Soup Freezer Containers with Lid, Extra-Large 1-Cup Soup Freezer Tray for Soup, Silicone Soup Freezing Tray For Storing and Freezing Soup, Sauce, Broth & Ice, 4 pieces
What I love: Portion control! And so easy to pop frozen food out.
I bought two sizes of these molds and I love them both! These have been game changers for me in the kitchen to make soup and leftovers more convenient. I just pour the cooled soup into the tray, pop on the lid and freeze.
Removing the frozen cubes is so easy. Just a light tap, or a quick rinse on the back with warm water, and the food comes out perfectly.
Now it is so easy to have homemade soup at the ready that I have stopped buying canned soups altogether (and good thing too because the quality of canned soup has declined noticeably in the last few years!).
You can use the containers for storage. Or transfer the frozen cubes to a bag so the trays are ready for re-filling.
#4 Pastry mat
Full name: Silicone Pastry Mat Extra Thick Non Stick Baking Mat, Fondant Mat, Counter Mat, Dough Rolling Mat, Oven Liner, Pie Crust Mat
What I love: Easy guide to rolling dough out to the right size every time
I don’t know why I waited so long to buy one of these! No more challenging dough mess to scrape off my counter. And the bull’s eye marks let me easily know when I’ve hit an 8″ circle or whatever size I am trying to achieve. I love this thing. I have noticed it does sometimes slide on my counter a bit, but I now use this mat every time I’m kneading or roll dough.
#5 Sourdough Starter Jars
Full name: Artcome Sourdough Starter Jar Kit with 2 Glass Jars – 45 Oz DIY Pro Glass Sourdough Starter Jar Kit, Airtight Food Storage Canister, Reusable Sourdough Bread Baking Supplies, Home Baking Supplies
What I love: The clear graduation marks on the glass and handy (cloth and hard) jar covers
I’ve wanted to start making sourdough for some time (check out: ‘Tis the Season for Sourdough), and this lovely little kit with 2 glass jars, temperature strip, adjustable days of the week band for tracking when you last fed the dough, and some right-sized tools was just the ticket to get me going. I love how the jar looks on my counter. It is very easy to gauge “doubling”. And it has a nice wide mouth for easy feeding and stirring.
And as a bonus tip – I bought this sourdough recipe book- and I’ve made the French bread, pizza dough and tortillas so far with great success: Lisa Bass – Daily Sourdough
#6 Stainless Steel Grill Baskets
Full name: 3 Pack Grill Basket Set – Grill Baskets for Outdoor Grill, Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Vegetable Grill Basket, Grilling Basket for Veggie & Kabob, 5-Star Grilling Accessories for All Grills & Smokers
What a love: No more aluminum foil! Re-usable baskets for veggies on the grill
So easy to use! And I’ve had just great results.
#7 Dog treat molds
Full name: Puppy Dog Paw and Dog Bone Mold for Dog Treats, Nonstick Food Grade Silicone Molds for Dog Chocolate, Ice, Frozen Treats and Cookies
What I love: These make the cutest dog treats out of healthy ingredients
You could use these cute little molds for anything, but I bought them to shape dog treats that I make from healthy ingredients like vegetables or meat. Freeze them. Bake them. They are easy to use, easy to get the treats out of and easy to clean.
#8 Tripod with grow lights
Full name: Gilouppe Grow Light with Stand, 120 LEDs Full Spectrum White Plant Grow Light for Indoor Plants with Adjustable Tripod Stand 16-63in, Auto On/Off Timing, 3 Switch Modes, Grow Lamp for Large Plants
What I love: Bright full spectrum lights that I can adjust in height and position
This set of grow lights has been great to brighten up my plant corner and provide extended light hours to my tropical house plants. There are two lights on flexible stems, attached to a fully adjustable tripod. I currently have this unit set on my bananas and papaya plants in the living the room.
You can set how many hours you want to the lights to run and essentially once you turn it on, the timer will restart the lights at the same time each day. I haven’t had to do anything else and the lights just do their thing.
There is one design issue I have with this unit though. For some crazy reason they made the little LED power light on the control box blink while it is on standby waiting to turn on again. That means on a 6 hour light setting, that stupid light blinks for 18 hours. What were the designers thinking??
Anyway, a friend suggested I could put a small piece of black tape over the light – and presto – problem solved. That little blinking light problem aside – I would definitely buy this unit again. It’s working great for the plants, and that’s the point.
#9 Affirmation cards
Full name: Outus 50 Pieces Affirmation Meditation Cards for Women, Positive Motivational Note Cards for Self Care, Help Yourself and Stress Relief, Inspiring Encouragement Cards (Bright Color Series)
What I love: Daily words of encouragement
Okay this might seem a little out of place but hear me out. In our crazy world, having some daily words of encouragement and affirmation to focus on can make a really big difference. I love these cards on all levels: The pictures, the colors, and especially the phrases.
I have the deck on my desk, and each morning as I am preparing to start work I choose a card and that one out where I can see it while I work. It makes me smile and brings me back into present, positive thinking. Great for yourself, or as a gift for someone you love.
Some of my favorite cards are:
- The universe always has my back
- I have a voice, and that voice matters
- I define my worth and I am worthy
- My future is an ideal projection of what I envision now
#10 Emergency fire blankets
Full name: Prepared Hero Emergency Fire Blanket – Fire Suppression Blanket for Kitchen, 40” x 40” Fire Blanket for Home, Fiberglass Fire Blanket – Kitchen Fire Extinguisher – Car Fire Extinguisher – 4 pack
What I love: Easy to use. Easy to store or take with you. Re-usable.
Okay this is probably another weird one to think of for a gift list, but hear me out. Safety in the kitchen is a number on priority. Kitchen fires can burn down your home or apartment way too easily. And fire extinguishers are complicated to maintain . . . you just have to hope your bottle is in good working order or replace it often.
So when I learned about the Prepared Hero fire blanket, I was very intrigued. Would they work? I’ve done a bunch of background checking and the answer seems to be yes. Luckily I’ve never needed to use one (and hope I never do!). But what really sold me in the end was seeing my local Brewery had one hanging near their pizza oven. Yup – this really is a solution for anyone, anywhere.
I bought the 4-pack so I could keep these safety tools at hand in every location where fires could start:
- one for the kitchen,
- one by the BBQ,
- one near my fireplace, and
- one for my car.
Give gifts that last
I love giving gifts that can enhance healthy lifestyles and wellness. I hope there’s something on my farm tested list that makes sense for your gift giving needs, or that inspires you with an idea of your own.
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