If you need to shop for your kitchen or homestead, here are some of my favorite things. For the most part, I try to buy quality items because they last so much longer than cheaper options.

Shop for your kitchen

One of the things that I enjoy the most is cooking and sharing food with family and friends. It’s my love language y’all! Here are some of the kitchen items I most often use.

White KitchenAid stand mixer.
White Nutrimill grain mill.
Berkey royal water filter system set.
5 gallon stainless steel stock pot.
Organic, white flour sack towels for kitchen shop.
Instant Pot, 6 quart for kitchen shop.
Set of three fine mesh sieves.
Lodge cast iron skillet with red silicone handle cover.
Lodge cast iron Dutch oven.
Set of three wood spoons, two are slotted spoons.
Anchor Hocking 8-cup glass measuring cup with red lid.
Stainless steel measuring cup set and measuring spoon set.
Light blue Lodge enameled cast iron Dutch oven.
Kitchen towel with "Live Simply" written on it.
White Corelle dish set.
Set of three glass liquid measuring cups.
Vitamix stainless steel immersion blender.
Cuisinart Pro Classic food processor.
20 piece glass storage container and lid set.
Norpro stainless steel lasagna pan.

Drinks

We try not to buy ultra-processed, pre-packaged drinks if we can help it. Besides, sweet tea is the most common drink you’ll find us southerners drinking! Fortunately, it’s super easy to make sweet tea right at home. These are our favorites.

Package of Positively Tea Company organic Assam tea.
Package of Positively Tea Company organic Nilgiri tea.
Package of Positively Tea Company organic stevia leaves.
Package of Positively Tea Company organic juicy peach black tea.
Package of Positively Tea Company organic blackberry tea.
Package of Positively Tea Company organic banana bread chai tea.
Package of Positively Tea Company organic herbal tea sampler.
Package of Positively Tea Company organic dessert tea sampler.

Shop cookbooks

Imitation is the highest form of flattery. The gals that wrote these cookbooks have truly changed the way that I cook! I love that their recipes are specific and easy to follow.

Nourishing Traditions cookbook.
Paula Deen's Southern Baking cookbook.
The Prairie Homestead Cookbook.
Mastering the Art of French Cooking collection.

Shop preserving supplies

If you go to the effort of growing your own food, be sure to start preserving your bounty to enjoy year-round!

Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving for book shop.
Preserving With Pomona's Pectin, by Allison Carroll Duffy. For book shop.
Water bath canner, rack, jar lifter, de-bubbler, and funnel.
Presto stainless steel pressure canner.
Ball pint canning jars.
Ball wide mouth quart canning jars.
Daika jar sealer set.
Cosori stainless steel food dehydrator.

Learn a thing or two

When answers are just a click away, you can never be too sure about the person (or AI computer) on the other end of the screen that’s giving the advice. These books, on the other hand, are from qualified experts. You can take what they say to the bank!

The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emory. For book shop.
The Vegetable Gardener's Bible by Edward C. Smith. For book shop.
Salad Bar Beef by Joel Salatin. For book shop.
The Homesteader's Natural Chicken Keeping Handbook, by Amy K. Fewell. For book shop.

Tools for beef and dairy cow owners

If cow ownership is in your future, I wrote some blog posts to help you. From How to Milk a Cow by Hand to How to Trim Cow Hooves the Easy Way, these tools will help you get there!

Wooden hard bristle grooming brush.
Leather work gloves.
Bevel chisel set.
White cotton wash rags.
Stainless steel milk bucket.
Tuffy 6.5 inch disk filters.
Stainless steel funnel and ring, plus disk filters.
Ball half gallon mason jars.

Harvesting chickens and turkeys

For my meat-eating friends, I wrote some blog posts on our setup for harvesting chickens. If you want to learn more, head over and read them!

Homestead Chicken Harvest Day! (Part 1)

Homestead Chicken Harvest Day! (Part 2)

Two stainless steel harvest cones.
Stainless steel evisceration or shop table.
Mobile chicken feather plucker.
BPA free poultry shrink bags, made in the USA.
Two black vinyl aprons for shop or evisceration.
Stainless steel pro boning knife.
Black heat proof gloves.
Green poultry shears.

Medicinal remedies

We have been making and drinking herbal teas for many years. We’ve also been making our salves, balms, syrups, and tinctures for many years. If you want to learn more, here are some posts you may enjoy!

How to Make a Homemade Herbal Tea Blend

Does Herbal Tea Expire?

How Long Does Homemade Elderberry Syrup Last?

Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health. For book shop.
Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs. For book shop.
The Healing Power of Essential Oils by Dr. Eric Zielinski. For book shop.
Materia Medica of Western Herbs, by Carole Fisher. For book shop.
Package of cut up organic astragalus root.
Black package of dried, organic elderberries.
Silver package of loose leaf organic echinacea purpurea herb.
Package of Positively Tea Company organic chamomile tea.
Package of organic comfrey leaf.
54 ounce jar of organic virgin coconut oil.
Package of organic shea butter.
Package of organic white beeswax.

Beginner homesteader starting point

If you’d like to learn more about homesteading, try these helpful beginner homesteader posts!

How to Start Homesteading: 20 Practical Steps

Why Living in the Country is Cheaper

How to Raise Chickens for Cheap!

About the author

Rivers Family Farm blog author Rebekah Rivers.

Hi! I’m Rebekah!!

I’m a city girl turned country mama and I love it! I didn’t grow up on a farm and I never raised or harvested livestock before moving to a farm in 2020. Now that I’ve tasted rural living, I’m convinced that there’s no other place on earth I’d rather be or live.

Read more about me by going to my About page.