Housekeeping: conditioning your cutting boards

I haven't done a housekeeping post in a while, though I have been doing lots of housekeeping. Since I'm off in the summer, it's a great time for some deep cleaning and house maintenance projects.

A couple weekends ago, I picked up some of this oil from Crate & Barrel and was able to tick off another item on my to do list: oiling my wooden cutting boards. 

While I was at it, I went ahead and oiled the top of our kitchen island as well. We don't cut directly on the wood surface, but it does get a lot of wear and tear and periodically needs to be conditioned. I like this oil since it is all natural (I know a lot of cutting boards say to condition them with mineral oil, but I prefer this food-safe oil).

I have two wooden cutting boards (along with some plastic ones). I prefer the wooden ones for serving and use the plastic ones for food prep. The larger, longer one (seen in the top photo) is from the Phoenix Gallery in Lawrence, Kansas.

This little checkerboard bordered one is new; I got it this summer from Synchronicity Gallery in Glen Arbor, Michigan.

I did not buy this cutting board, which had a beautiful "plaid" pattern, and now I'm wishing that I would have purchased it! I think these sorts of cutting boards are really functional art, and they make great gifts, too!

The actual conditioning process is easy: wipe on the oil, let it sit for a few minutes, then wipe off with a clean cloth. I'm already thinking of a few other unsealed wooden items that I can condition: some salad bowls, wooden handles on serving utensils, etc.