Pick up one of these gorgeous hand-screen printed Preservation Society tea towels ($15) to show off your appreciation for all that is jarred and pickled.

Perfect for the picnics in the park or just to dry your hands with, the bold and fun canning print might even inspire you to try your hand at the traditional kitchen skill. If DIY cuisine isn’t your thing, you might as well order some jam or pickled preserves to arrive with your linens. —Kait Kucy

www.preservationsociety.ca

How much oil and vinegar does one person need? A visit to Oliv Tasting Room and you’ll start warming to the idea that you can never have enough.

With more than 80 naturally flavoured olive oils and aged vinegars, the store encourages you to taste the product, so be sure to set aside some time, because once you start combining flavours you will be shopping for awhile.

On my tasting tour I sipped white strawberry and peach balsamic vinegar and loved it. And I was convinced that black truffle garlic olive oil mixed with chocolate balsamic vinegar could replace my regular Caesar salad dressing.

A few minutes in this store and you’ll start rethinking your pantry. —Jaelyn Molyneux

Oliv Tasting Room, 100-1130 Kensington Rd NW., Calgary, 587-352-6050, www.olivtastingroom.com

Word on the street is that Scrabble is cool again. Not that it was ever uncool.

Now we can show off our love of the letter with Scrabble mugs by Wild & Wolf. The ceramic mug in simple cream has a black letter on the front and the complete letter distribution chart on the back. Treat it like a monogram and gift a mug to a friend or yourself. Or, if you have open shelving in your kitchen like I do, buy a collection and put your favourite word on display.

High score! —Jaelyn Molyneux

$14 at Steeling Home, 1010 17 Ave. S.W., Calgary, 403-245-0777, www.steelinghomestore.com

We have making soups and sauces from scratch down, or at least we’re on our way. It’s time to move on to cheese.

Ella Kinloch makes it easy with her mozzarella cheese making kit ($29.95). The box comes with enough citric acid, vegetable rennet tablets, salt cloth, cheesecloth and instructions to create 30 batches of mozzarella. With a little practice you’ll have cheese in 30 minutes with leftover whey to make ricotta. A poutine kit including gravy mix is also available and kits for blue cheese, Brie and Gouda are on their way.

If you prefer to start your cheese making surrounded by your friends book a cheese night with a hands on lesson for up to 10 people ($40 per person).

The things we’ll do for fresh ingredients. —Jaelyn Molyneux

www.makecheese.ca

We’ve tried it all: flash cards, lists and even the Fifty Nifty song. And finally, we’ve figured out what it takes to memorize the 50 states: cheese.

AHeirloom, a Brooklyn-based husband and wife team, has created the state series cutting and cheese boards. Made from butcher-block bamboo plywood (plyboo), the boards, each one in the shape of a state, are available in amber and a natural light tone. They’re continually adding to the series so if your favourite state isn’t yet there, requests are accommodated.

No word if that includes provinces.

US$38 at Etsy.

We love French cookware company Le Creuset because its cast iron wares are indestructible and oh-so-pretty.

It boasts over 70 cool colours like Elysee yellow, Cherry red and its just-launched Cassis, a regal shade of purple that’s right on point with fall fashion. Collect the entire enameled set including the Round French Oven (from $255) and Iron Handle Skillet ($175), or mix and match with classic hues like Kiwi or Dijon.

Now our kitchen will be aflame with colour (as opposed to actual flames, we hope).

For retail locations, click here.

Camel, nude, beige, taupe—call it what you will but all runway signs point at this neutral for fall’s hottest hue.

Although we’ll dress head to toe in Chloé beige any day, when it comes to our home, the pale shade is confined to the closet. Offset runway neutrals with the Pantone Universe mug collection ($66/set). From the “global authority on colour,” the glossy mugs come in a variety of sets including the original primary colours collection for a bright start to every morning.

At Steeling Home, 1010 17th Ave. SW, Calgary, 403-245-0777, www.steelinghomestore.com

At your next dinner party, add a little personality to your cheese platter with a wood cutting/serving board by German home accessories line Pension fuer Produkte.

Made of acacia wood, the boards come in different sizes (from $31) and each one has a little character engraved on the edge. Choose from an Eskimo, a skier, a golfer, a fisherman or an astronaut, among others. Great conversation starters, they’re also the perfect gift for the chef in your life who also dabbles in other extracurricular activities.

At Steeling Home, 1010 17th Ave. SW, Calgary, 403-245-0777, www.steelinghomestore.com

The sudden arrival of winter has us picturing warm nights at home curled up with a good book and steaming bowl of soup—it’s officially nesting season.

Stock up on all the essentials for hibernating (think: cozy blankets, big pillows and soft linens) at the new Crate and Barrel.

First on our domesticated wish list is a set of bright Parker bowls ($49.95 for set of five, pictured) we can use to bake pies (maybe) or feast on snacks (definitely).

We're feeling more Nigella-esque already.

Crate and Barrel, Southcentre Mall, 353-100 Anderson Rd. SE, Calgary, 403-278-7020, www.crateandbarrel.ca