dig this sponsor: Earlywood

And here I get to welcome back Earlywood as a sponsor! Hand-crafted kitchen utensils, made in Montana. Behold:

Any time I share my kitchen, my food or photos of my kitchen or food I am asked about the ladle, the spoon, the cutting board, the beautiful, functional array of objects on my counter. It’s all Earlywood, which would make sense when one of my dearest friends makes kitchen utensils (Earlywood owner and maker, Brad, grew up with my husband. I wrote about Andy and the NASA Posse here). We love these little gems, really we do. In fact, they are all we use, with the addition of a rolling pin and a copper slotted spoon. Literally, c’est tous.

clockwise, from top: xl flat sauté, m and l sauté, ironwood cutting board, guilty raggedy anne with ladle, tomatillo salsa with ladle (my canning holy trilogy: ladle + xl sauté + long server); not pictured but every mama’s oatmeal go-to: giga scraper

The multi-taskedness is what I love most. Well, and the beauty. These dudes are so fun to swoop and swirl! Soon, we found we no longer needed rubber spatulas or metal serving spoons (this). We didn’t need salad tongs (two of these) or pie servers or butter knives (this). And the ladles! Perhaps the most complimented item in my kitchen (ahem, besides my cooking). And, will you please read about how Earlywood plants 100 trees for every one they use? Awesome.

When buying your stocking stuffers, workplace secret santa gifts, presents for your loved ones: Earlywood is your bff. And I say this as a friend to Brad, a lover of good tools, a swooner over handmade and a cook.

And! You lucky ducks get 10% off your purchases. Use code DIG WOOD 2012. Shop away, friends.