We’ve been friends for a bit now, right? I blog, you read, sometimes you share your thoughts too. So I thought it was time we take the next step in our relationship. I’m inviting you in.

Whoa, whoa, don’t get so excited! VIRTUALLY inviting you in, I meant! I can’t actually fit you all in my little Brooklyn apartment. Maybe a few–I guess I could let a few of you in at a time. There would be a huge line outside my building. I’d have a bouncer and a velvet rope and a VIP list. It would be like one of those trendy clubs I always despise. But we’re getting off track here. Until I figure out my VIP list and where to find one of those velvet ropes, let’s focus on the virtual visit.

I’m a visual person. Seeing things makes them easier to understand. I hate talking to people I don’t know on a phone; I would rather meet in person and put a face to the name. I’m the same way with apartment hunting. All those pretty pictures realtors take to make a ‘cozy’ apartment look huge doesn’t mean much to me. I’d much rather see the floor plan, visualize how all my stuff would fit and see the place for real.

So I thought I’d give you the same benefit. You see my yummy food (at least I hope you think it’s yummy) and the final results, but you don’t really see where it’s made. Well here we go. Welcome to Brooklyn Locavore’s Kitchen!

My Beautiful Pot Rack

This idea I actually stole from a friend. My prewar apartment has a combination of plaster, cement and god knows what else kind of walls. Several attempts to hang a shelf resulted in huge (I mean HUGE) holes in the wall. Nothing would stay up. Then I noticed my friend had built a pot rack using copper tubing. I figured this could work for me too! All I had to do was locate the studs in the wall (much easier said than done), space enough hooks and hang the bar. I went with chrome first because it was cheaper, and second because it matched the pots and the hooks and appliances in my kitchen better.

Butcher Block Shelving

Ikea brand, surprisingly sturdy. Bonus: found it on Craigslist for just $100! This piece is a life saver! Pots and bowls on the bottom, cooking ingredients on the middle shelf (lazy susans for easy access!). And grains, nuts and dried fruits stored cutely along the top. Plus space for chopping and Kitchenaid easily accessible.

Chest Freezer – AKA Bessy’s Home

We bought a small chest freezer in the fall because we decided to buy a quarter cow. We only buy grass fed beef and it can get pretty pricy. By getting the meat in bulk, we reduced our costs tremendously. And I never realized how useful it would be for other stuff too. There was still plenty of room to store produce I froze, pesto, pasta sauce, etc. Plus. it’s a perfect surface for resting my canning jars!

Handmade Potato Box

Probably one of my favorite kitchen items ever. I didn’t make it, but it is handmade. Even better, it was made from an old barn in upstate NY. I had been looking for a potato box for a long time. Not really sure why they went out of style, but I love them! So this gorgeous piece I came across one day on Etsy (if you’ve never been on Etsy.com, check it out, NOW! They have amazing handcrafted items from all over the world).

Walk in Pantry

I’m not sure this is common in a Brooklyn apartment. I certainly haven’t seen anything like it as we shop to buy an apartment, but our current (rented) apartment is pretty amazing. We also have a six foot deep closet that my husband’s bike easily fits in, but that’s besides the point. I almost dread buying a new place and having to figure out how to store everything. This closet has ample space for cooking tools, lesser used appliances, wine, beer and most importantly all my canned goods!

It should probably go without saying that of course I have a refrigerator and stove and about a foot and a half of counter space (hence the need for the butcher block), but that all came with the apartment. I wanted to show you the cool things, what I think really makes my kitchen special and makes it me!

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