Making a fire to cook is a great lesson on the ins and out of good, honest material. Basically, you want things that are made to take a beating naturally, that are simple but work - like a great wooden spoon. Here's a selection a few basics made in small batches by young designers (except the cast iron pan) along with a few memorable pics.
Butter knives by Arial Alasko. Get it HERE
There is always one cast iron pan on my range. One cast iron pan wherever I cook. You only need one. Do it - you'll never turn back. Pinky swear.
Aside from John Berger essays, I read alot of Rumi poetry in Vermont. For how dreamy he sounds, he also has the tendency to be quite the provocateur - crack open a couple of his poems, let it ruffle your feathers a bit
Coffee and tea become essential in the fall, whether or not your outside. This teapot and Pour Over take heat really well - Food tastes better in ceramic vessels, really.
In my online wanderings, I came across the work of Chelsea Miller, Northern Vermont bread Brooklyn based knife maker. She gets her chops from blacksmithing and woodworking alongside her dad on their family farm. Using horse rasps and wood from her family's farm, Chelsea culls her know how to make a fine line of real beauties. The kind of know how that makes you wish you'd drop everything and find something to widdle.
This bourbon was perfect for late afternoon hikes and kept us warm under the moon - warm and boozy.