I'd Rather be an (Urban Wood) Spoon

I’d Rather be an (Urban Wood) Spoon

If you were a city tree lost to urban sprawl, what would you rather end up as - a wood chip or a beloved wooden kitchen spoon?

Wood chips have their purpose. They provide a softer, safer landing spot for kids on playgrounds and they help protect and hydrate plants and shrubs. But trees lost to urban sprawl can also be turned into lumber or "Urban Wood." And Urban Wood can be turned into all kinds of useful stuff, including wooden kitchen spoons. Since wooden spoons have their own unique identity and become a beloved tool in the kitchen, that would be my choice. 

Different Kinds of Spoons

Spoons come in a variety of sizes, each with its own special purpose, but they have one thing in common. They’re all workers! You have your soup spoons and your teaspoons (a personal favorite since these are often used for dessert!), your serving spoons, your stirring spoons and, let’s not forget, your measuring spoons. You also have baby spoons, sugar spoons, grapefruit spoons (prickly little fellas!) and even iced-tea spoons.

While each type of spoon has its own job description, some people, like me, are not that particular and use whatever spoon we have at hand, or we have our favorite - the one we reach for almost every time while cooking. Other people play by the book and use the appropriate spoon for the job at hand. Some spoons are called in for special duty during meal prep to mix and measure, while others get right into the heat of the kitchen, stirring, sautéing and scraping. Finally, you have your tableware spoons. Their purpose is part utilitarian and part show. They dress up your dining table and help convey food into hungry mouths. I told you spoons were useful.

Urban Wood Spoons are Extra Special

Think about how special a city tree is. It’s special enough to have a book written about one (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn) and a movie (of the same name). City trees add nature and greenery to a concrete and asphalt environment, bringing color - and life - to an otherwise gray, artificial world.

City trees are tough. They must be. They grow under unpredictable conditions that affect their size and shape - and their character. Yet, we lose tens of thousands of city trees each year either to urban development or natural causes. Though trees might be lost, they can be salvaged and turned into Urban Wood. Then a talented craftsman can turn the strength and character of that city tree into a customized, one-of-a-kind kitchen utensil that anyone would be proud to use and display. A win both environmentally and aesthetically.

When a wooden kitchen spoon is made out of Urban Wood, it gives it that extra special spirit of the tree it was made from.

For some examples of the distinctive beauty of Urban Wood, check out our wooden utensils handmade in Rock Island, Illinois by Artisan, Tim McGuire.