Our family doesn't do gifts much anymore. I do give gifts to my kids and on occasion my husband gets something, but we don't do the normal holiday craziness. Still I like to make things for people. Two years ago I made baskets of goodies for the neighbors. This year I decided to do gift bags instead. I looked for baskets. But I'm just not going to spend $20 for the container for my homemade treats. It seems silly. Gift bags are cheap and much easier to carry around. And they can be recycled.
English Toffee and Chow Mien Cookies cooling
I started before Thanksgiving when I made Cranberry Apple Jam. Then came the fudge. Fudge is good to make ahead since you can put it in the freezer and pull it out when you are ready to assemble. I also made some candied walnuts. Again they don't go bad quickly so it was an easy ahead thing to do.
Tuesday we got back from a trip to Kansas visiting my in-laws for five days. After catching up on things today it was finally time to buckle down and get all the rest done. This is the first time I made muffins (pumpkin muffins with butternut squash from the garden). Unlike most of the things in the basket this needs refrigeration because of the cream cheese frosting. I've never put anything in before that couldn't sit on the counter for a week.
Form left to right and then top to bottom I have Whole Wheat Gingerbread Cookies, Thumbprint Cookies (with strawberry jam from my garden strawberries), English Toffee, Candied Walnuts, Cranberry Apple Jam, Pumpkin Muffins, Penuche Fudge, Chocolate Fudge, and Chow Mein Cookies.
Next year I'd love to do more things from the garden. Right now two treats use things from my garden. I'd love to make that all of them. I'm thinking when herb season comes, I could make some herbed vinegar. I could do some dried herb packets. The jam could actually be from the garden. I could do some bread and butter pickles. I'm wondering what else I could make from the garden that would be fun. Do you give gifts from your garden?
English Toffee and Chow Mien Cookies cooling
Your Christmas bags with your homade treats are wonderful! Better than anything you could buy! You could do Horehound Candy, Potpourri, Sachets,and packets of soup seasonings or special salts maybe. I would like to be one of your neighbors! :} Nancy
ReplyDeleteYes, I'd certainly be happy with one of your gift-bags! They would only work in certain circumstances though, since they would be difficult to post. Here's another idea: a framed print of a really nice photo of some garden produce - this would be very acceptable for a Foodie friend.
ReplyDeleteLooks to me like everything except the needing refrigerating things would be postable in one of those Priority Mail boxes. Crumpled newspaper makes a fine, recyclable packing material for wrapped cookies and breads.
DeleteI do. I must have 50+ quarts of B&B and Dill pickles on the shelves so I'll give some away. I also pick highbush cranberries and wild rose petals for jelly so I sometimes gift those as well. I had people asking for a jar of pesto, but I froze all my pesto into cubes and that would be hard to give. Giving all homemade gifts is very rewarding and I think appreciated.
ReplyDeleteI am making some Limoncello this year (admitedly they are mum's lemons but I don't think the recipients really need to know do they?). I might fit some more things in but i'm struggling for time at the moment. Your goodie bags looks just fantastic.
ReplyDeleteThat's the best kind of Christmas present.
ReplyDeleteI have some homemade gooseberry jam and some currant jelly I will give out, they are from our plantings.
ReplyDeleteI made lemon balm jelly that I plan to give. It's lower in sugar than some things and unusual enough that everyone I have given it to has been surprised and happy to have it. I also made salsa for gift giving this year. (I know you couldn't do that.)
ReplyDeleteI also like the pickle idea. I have a few pickles, but by no means enough to share.
Hi, could you possibly share your lemon balm jelly recipe! We have an abundance and I've been looking for recipes. Thanks.
DeleteWow all your treats look fantastic!
ReplyDeleteOh, Sign me up, please! I'll take one of those bagsof goodies and I guarantee you won't hear any complaints from me. :-D
ReplyDeleteThis year it was all about cookies and some of them were stars from the garden. But, most like yours were not. Pecans tooks starring roles in 2 gifts and pumpkin in 2.
Like you I would also like to concentrate more on from the garden gifts next year.