A Ceramic Knife and a Hobgoblin

New ceramic knife

An impromptu after-gardening meal gave me the opportunity to try out my co-gardener's new ceramic knife. It came via Fed-Ex today and I had never seen one before. I demo-ed it on a ripe tomato and an onion. It sliced the very ripe tomato handily. It was plenty sharp enough for the onion too, but the blade was a little short and I was afraid to push down too hard, because I didn't know exactly how it would cut the onion. It is very sharp and very light. My friend told me that the prices have dropped drastically in the last year.

The knife has some draw backs. You can't pry or cut on frozen food or bones. The blade is brittle and can break if it hits something or is dropped. One of the advantages is the non-porous blade material which means easy clean-up and it rarely needs any sharpening. This particular knife requires sharpening only once every two years. You send it back to the company for sharpening. Also, the blade won't stain or discolor due to reactions with the food you slice.

Thin and easy slicing

Today we harvested and cooked up the last of the collards. It is time to replant the bed. The old plants, which were going to seed, were ready to be replaced. Time for the old to make way for the new. Maybe the same thing for the ceramic knife. When I need my next knife replacement, I will probably purchase one. I like the best of both worlds. Tried and true crops. Saved seed, some heirlooms. New seeds, some hybrids. Old gardening methods and new technology tricks. I love that quote by Emerson “"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...”. There is no virtue in refusing to try anything new or different and yet how often we act as though it is to be commended that we “always” do something a certain way. Silly us.