One of the easiest ways to boost abilities and make certain activities easier in Stardew Valley is to eat cooked meals. These meals replenish players’ energy and health, but can also give different boots and better luck during specific activities, such as fishing or mining.
For players that focus on farming, the biggest issue is running out of energy early on in the day and, quite simply, not moving fast enough. Here are the best cooked meals for farming that’ll help players stick it through until the end of the day.
10 Complete Breakfast
Typical for a real-life farmer, a Complete Breakfast is absolutely essential. It’s made from a Fried Egg, Milk, Hashbrowns, and Pancakes. While this meal can be a bit of a process, with players having to cook/craft all of the ingredients, it’s worth it — especially for a farmer.
Besides +200 Energy and +90 Health, a Complete Breakfast also adds +50 to players’ maximum energy and gives a +2 Farming Buff. The Farming buff adds to the hoe and watering can proficiency, as well as raises the quality of crops harvested while the buff is in effect. The effects of a Complete Breakfast last for only seven minutes, but it can make a huge difference during the course of a busy farmer’s day.
9 Crab Cakes
Made from Crab, Wheat Flour, an Egg, and Oil, Crab Cakes are a great all-around snack for any farmer, no matter what their tasks are for the day. It provides a +1 Speed and +1 Defense buff, which can help players move and bustle around their farms. The Defense Buff is great for players that take trips out to the mine frequently, adding protection against the various monsters there.
Especially for those that use a lot of energy, Crab Cakes are perfect. They provide +225 Energy, which effectively restarts players’ energy for the day. It’s not difficult to make and can be extremely handy in any situation.
8 Triple Shot Espresso
Very simple and extremely effective, the Triple Shot Espresso is the perfect way to start a farmer’s day. It adds a +1 Speed Buff which lasts four minutes and 12 seconds, giving players a great head start to their day, especially if they need to go into town or travel around the area to forage for supplies.
They’re extremely easy to make — just throw three coffees together to craft a Triple Shot Espresso. With how cheap it is to make coffee, or even buying it from the Stardrop Saloon, this is a great speed boost to help farmers cut down on time in the day.
7 Farmer’s Lunch
It’s in the name — literally. The Farmer’s Lunch is intended for players that are dedicating time to farming. It’s made from an Omelet and a Parsnip (easy peasy), and yet it provides a +3 Farming Buff. This means that all crops harvested while the buff is in effect will automatically be of higher quality.
This recipe becomes available after reaching Farming Level 3, which doesn’t take that long for dedicated players. Because it’s so easy and cheap to make, it’s a great meal to have on hand to help with energy as well. It provides +200 Energy, which is a pretty hefty amount. Eat this halfway through the day and players will be ready to farm until the sun goes down.
6 Hashbrowns
Another meal with a Farming Buff, Hashbrowns are the ideal breakfast staple for farmers in Stardew Valley. It’s made with only two ingredients — a Potato and some Oil. With only those two ingredients, Hashbrowns still provide a +1 Farming Buff. It also provides +90 Energy and +40 Health.
So while it’s not the most exciting meal available to cook, it still provides enough bonuses to make it worth it. For Farmers, any meal with that Farming Buff is excellent and adds money to their pockets with every crop harvested and sold. So, even though it’s simple and classic, Hashbrowns are a great Farmer’s meal.
5 Maple Bar
The Maple Bar is a versatile, well-rounded snack for any type of Stardew Valley player. It adds +225 Energy and +101 Health — but that’s not all. It provides buffs for Farming, Fishing , and Mining. In addition, these buffs last for a whopping 16 minutes, 47 seconds. It’s made from Maple Syrup, Sugar, and Wheat Flour. So it doesn’t take much to make this outstanding snack. While it provides a Farming buff, it’s a great snack for players that also like to fish or mine throughout the day.
4 Pepper Poppers
Popping with both color and flavor, Pepper Poppers are a really easy snack to make that can help farmers throughout their busy day. Made from Hot Pepper and Cheese, it provides +130 Energy and +58 Health, among other buffs. Most importantly, Pepper Poppers provide a +2 Farming buff and a +1 Speed buff that lasts for seven minutes.
For efficient farmers that know how to maximize their buffs, the Farming and Speed buff is the best of both worlds. Not only can you move faster, which cuts down on time during the day, but players’ crops will be of higher quality. It’s a win-win snack for farmers.
3 Spicy Eel
Another meal with Hot Peppers, the Spicy Eel provides a little flash for players. It’s fairly filling, providing +115 Energy, but it comes with a +1 Luck and a +1 Speed buff. So, not only will players operate faster for seven minutes, but their luck will be increased as well. If players are hoping for Giant Crops, this Luck buff will help them increase their odds. For any task that requires a modicum of luck, the Spicy Eel is a perfect preemptive snack.
2 Super Meal
Aptly named, the Super Meal is made from fresh ingredients and comes with some awesome perks. It’s made from Bok Choy, Cranberries, and Artichoke, which makes it one of the most organic meals of Stardew Valley. It provides +160 Health and +72 Health, as well as +40 Max Energy and +1 Speed.
It’s super for a reason, with higher max energy and more speed, farmers can get more done during the day, even though the buffs only last for 3 minutes and 30 seconds. But that boost can make or break a day for a farmer that is running low on energy and wants to get their crops out the door.
1 Tom Kha Soup
What’s better than soup? Especially when it’s made from Coconut, Shrimp, and Common Mushrooms. The Tom Kha Soup, while it seems like the farthest thing from farmer’s fare, is actually an essential meal for dedicated and busy farmers. Apart from its average health and energy buffs, Tom Kha Soup adds a +2 Farming buff, plus a +30 Max Energy buff that lasts for 7 minutes. Equipped with more energy and higher quality crops, along with better hoe and watering can proficiency, the Tom Kha Soup enables true farmers to be ready for any busy day in the dirt.
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