Nestled in the far corner of the Stardew Valley map are The Mines, where players must explore, extract ores and gems, and fight various monsters. Mining in Stardew Valley is one of the most important aspects of the game, especially in the first couple of years, when players start to unlock valuable resources to upgrade their tools and farming equipment. When first dipping their toes into The Mines, new players may go in with nothing more than a rusty sword and optimism, only to waste an entire day by not refreshing their energy levels.

To be successful in mining, especially in the first year or two of Stardew Valley, it is critical to bring the right foods down into The Mines. Due to restricted funds, early-game players will only have access to the crops they grow or forage. Knowing what food will help the most, and how to access it to keep those energy levels high, can make mining a much more fruitful experience.

Best Food For Early Game Mining

It's Not Cheesing The Game, It's Just Cheese

The easiest item to bring into The Mines for a successful trip is cheese, especially of gold quality. Keeping up the farmer’s energy is important, as players want to make the most out of every day, especially during that first year. Bringing a small stack of cheese to snack on as energy levels deplete will extend any mining trip to the very last minute, allowing players to go deeper and extract even more ore. The biggest plus for cheese, beyond the high level of energy it provides, is how easy it is to obtain for players who might not have enough money to buy pre-made food from the Saloon.

Cheese is an artisan good made with the use of a cheese press from cow's milk. Since cows are easily accessible in the first year by at least Fall or even Summer, players can have a daily supply of cheese for their mining expeditions. Keeping cows happy will produce better quality milk, and in turn, will make better quality cheese. This food source is reliable as well, since cows continue to produce throughout Winter so players never run out during the most barren season for crops.

Best Foods For The Skull Caverns

Foods With An Emphasis On Stats

Options for food and recipes expand as players get further into Stardew Valley, especially as they enter the Skull Cavern or activate the Dangerous Mines. The best foods for that stage in the game for an average day of mining is the Spicy Eel dish as well as Triple Shot Espresso. The real benefits of these items are the buffs they give. Spicy Eel gives 115 energy and 51 health, alongside a +1 boost in both Luck and Speed.

Triple Shot Espresso doesn’t do much for health or energy, but this drink does provide a +1 boost in Speed which is incredibly useful for fighting monsters and navigating around the Caverns. These types of boosts help make a day of mining more successful while also making it far less likely that players lose all their good items due to one day of bad luck.

Spicy Eel is especially convenient for the Skull Cavern, since this dish has a 6% chance of dropping from Serpents.

With Serpents occupying every level of the Skull Caverns and attacking the player on sight, they make for a solid source of Spicy Eel. Triple Shot Espresso is easily made in the upgraded Farmhouse kitchen as long as the player has a source of coffee beans to make coffee. Another great late-game option is to simply purchase salads from the Saloon. They are only 220g, which is a pittance for wealthier players in the later stages of Stardew Valley, and provide 113 energy and 50 health, giving players not only energy during their trip, but health as well in the event an enemy catches them off guard.