Ok first off, sorry for being MIA to this blog for so long! My only excuse is that during spring and summer, I tend to blog less as I’m occupied elsewhere. So forgive me if posts are few & far between between now & fall.

But I had to write today my quest for a butter bell. What’s a butter bell? It’s an ingenious little ceramic crock that sits on a counter and stores butter. Yes, stores it on the counter. As in not in the fridge. A bell-shaped area is attached to the lid, and you put the butter in that, then invert it back into the crock that holds fresh water. The water creates a seal and keeps the butter fresh—the best part is that it keeps it soft and spreadable. Mmmmm.

I love this idea; I’m taken in by all the ways that people did things before things like refrigerators. I don’t like being so totally dependent on a refrigerator, an appliance that costs so much money to buy, to operate, and to fix/replace. We think of these things as “necessary” for life, but people lived for millions of years without them (and plenty still do). I often wonder how I might live without one (because I’m odd and I think about such things). Part of my simplifying and looking into homesteading ways includes considering how I might do without things I have been conditioned to think I can’t do without.

Little “gadgets” like butter bells are one way. I’d wanted one a few months back, but for varying reasons ended up forgetting about them. But then today the (awesome) blog Chickens in the Road posted about them, and my interest was renewed. Must. Have! Admittedly, I want one if for no other reason than to shock and surprise friends who come over…first they’re always surprised that I bake my own bread daily, but then to top that off by offering them butter that’s stored right there in the kitchen, not in the fridge…*cue maniacal laughter* I can see the expressions now! Priceless! Perhaps I should learn the words to the Sweeney Todd song sung by Mrs. Lovett, “Worst Pies in London,” so I can sing it while I offer bread and butter bell butter…hehehehehe.

So I went to buy a butter bell on Amazon.com, and oy.  There are lots of butter bells out there! Egad. I had no idea. I was going to get the one that Suzanne blogged about, since it’s inexpensive, but then as I looked I found not one but THREE that I like. Goodness, how to choose?

There’s the plain, inexpensive one, which is lovely and rustic and would do just fine…

Then there’s the adorable one marked “butter” and comes with its own spreading knife! Now that’s really cute. And there’s no mistaking what’s in it:

But then there is the Le Creuset model. In case you didn’t know (and I’m not sure I’ve blogged about it on here, actually), I love Le Creuset. LOVE it. I’m slowly collecting it as I can. So I almost have to get this one:

But…but…this one is three times the cost of the plain one. LE sigh.

Whenever I do finally make a choice and get one, I’ll be sure to blog about my experiences with it (including any guest reactions when they first see it…hehe).

Forgive me another video post right after the previous! But I found this video on Twitter today, and I just had to share it. It’s Joel Salatin, of Polyface Farm, the amazing, outspoken farmer who is doing things right. He’s been featured in Michael Pollan’s book The Omnivore’s Dilemma and in the movie Food, Inc., and he’s written a few books himself. The title of the talk is “Pathways to Relocalization,” but in it Joel hits on everything from our disconnection from each other, the importance of hearth & home, the sham of government “food safety” regulations, and why we need to reconnect locally in order to survive globally. This was recorded just a few days ago, too. The more I read from and listen to Mr. Salatin, the more I love him. This man is just full of awesome!