It is shockingly cold in Toronto right now. If you have a fireplace you are probably keeping it stoked – nothing warms a body like a beautiful crackling fire. Barring that there are cozy woolens, hot soup and everybody’s favourite – the fireplace channel.

Here are a few tips to help you stay as warm as possible until this ridiculous weather evens out.

When it is this freaking cold soup is key. We recently published a recipe for the greatest soup of all time. No lie, it truly is a great soup, best of all it is guaranteed to warm you right through. This is also a good time to do some low and slow cooking, a nice long braise is an ideal winter technique.

Have you ever braised a pork shoulder in milk? It’s an old Italian method that is just about the most delicious recipe we’ve tried lately. It is so good it came in 3rd for TasteCooking.com’s Top 20 recipes of 2017.

Try it.

The secret clothing item that will warm you up faster than anything – it is not a down coat, nor is it a mohair toque or a fur cape. All you need to maintain a toasty core temp is a very simple pair of classic wool socks. Here’s some boring science about why feet matter to overall temperature regulation, but you don’t need that. Slap on some socks and start cooking!

If you have a fireplace, this post on Mother Earth gives some great ideas that can make it more efficient, but they are kind of involved and maybe something to tackle in the spring so you can ensure maximum fireplace enjoyment for next winter.

One thing you can do right now to get the most heat out of your fires is to use properly cured firewood. Cured wood just means that the wood is cut and has time to dry – preferably at least a year – before burning. The best wood for burning is maple, birch, ash and oak. If you’re using the right type of wood, and it’s been cured, then you get a cleaner burn. That means more heat and less maintenance required when it comes to chimney cleaning.

Luckily Fiesta Farms is now delivering just that. You can pick up at the store, order delivery and even have the Fiesta team stack the wood for you. We are currently breaking world records for how cold it is in this province. If there was ever a time to treat yourself to a cord of wood – it’s now!

Here’s your checklist:

-homemade soup

-braise something

-wear wool socks

-crank up the fireplace (or fireplace video!)

Thank you to everyone on our staff and all of our wonderful customers for being so fantastic in 2017. Stay warm and have a happy new year.