|
Limit the time you spend jockeying through the mall crowds this year, by looking to your garden first for fabulous gift ideas! Not only are gifts from your garden less expensive, they are more personal and wonderfully intimate, adapted to suit each person on your gift list's needs!
Collect those baskets and bottles you've received throughout the year, and prepare to fill them with garden goodies of every variety. For the salad lovers on your list, fragrant vinegars and oils are a hit. You can use a variety of inexpensive bottles, from decorative wine bottles to liqueur bottles to canning jars, or pleasant condiment bottles. Just make sure they are all glass for the vinegars, so that the acids won't react unfavorably. Purchase an inexpensive gallon of cider or white vinegar, or, if you'd prefer a finer flavor, you can purchase wine or balsamic vinegar. Now all you need are some prizes from your garden to complete your treats!
From the Garden
You can make flavored oils and vinegars from a variety of garden items. Herbs of every sort can be used: basil, thyme, chives, onions, rosemary, oregano, sage, lavender, savory, mint, etc.
Don't forget that fruits can be used, too. Raspberry vinegar is a delicious treat. You can use citrus slices, berries (make sure they are firm, not over ripe), cherries, cranberries, etc. Veggies are a hit in oils and vinegars. You can use dry or fresh peppers, green beans, button mushrooms, olives, garlic, (a note: garlic in oil only stays fresh for a limited time. You should note that on the bottle if you choose to use it in oil.)
Flowers make excellent additions to vinegars as well. Make sure only use edible varieties, such as: chive blossoms, rose petals, nasturtiums, violets, or squash blossoms. Be sure that if you use blossoms, that they are NOT sprayed with any type of pesticides.
Combos of many of these items are a sure hit! For a Latin flavor oil or vinegar, combine chili peppers, pepper corns, garlic, and chives. For an Italian twist use basil, scallions, garlic, olives and petite green beans. Fruit vinegars can be mixed with certain herbs like rosemary, sage or savory for a unique flavor.
Making the Mix
Now it's time to start the assembly process! Take your bottles and sterilize them first in a boiling water bath to kill any bacteria or germs for 10 minutes, then let the bottles dry COMPLETELY.
You can use two separate methods for making your vinegars. You can use the "steep" method, where you mix your ingredients in a large canning jar, cover with vinegar, cap, and let it sit and steep in a dark area for about 1 week. Afterwards, strain the vinegar into the sterile jars or bottles, discarding the steeping 'items,' then add a few of those same items fresh, back in. OR, you can place your items directly into the bottle, add the vinegar using a funnel, cap or seal with paraffin wax, and let that sit for a week before giving it as a gift. In making oils, you simply add the items directly to the DRY bottle or jar, and add vegetable (canola, olive, corn) oil to cover and cap.
Decorate the bottles with colorful ribbon, and simple, hand labeled tags revealing the scrumptious content of your homemade masterpiece. You can add these bottles to any basket, adding pasta, a favorite sauce, a few kitchen gadgets or tools, and you have an excellent holiday gift!
Adding Extras
Bean soup mixes are always popular and easy to make. Simply layer a variety of colorful dried beans in a canning jar, adding a wax or saran warp pouch on top that contains a mix of dried herbs bullion: oregano, thyme, black pepper, a few sprinkles of red pepper, and chicken or beef bullion.
You can also make flavored honey. Like above, sterilize small canning jars, fill with honey, and add a few leaves of dry sage, thyme or rose petals, for a wonderful ham or chicken glaze.
Any type of baked good is a perfect addition to a gift basket. Consider adding some of your favorite herbs to home made bread or biscuits.
For those who prefer pampered products instead of food, you can create your own herbal bath oils. Again, find appropriate sized bottle, sterilize and let them dry completely (there must be NO water in your bottle when you fill it with oil!) Add different DRY herbs, like: lavender, rosemary, sage, chamomile or mint to each bottle. Using a funnel, add either almond, safflower, or sunflower oil to fill the bottles. Cap with the cork, then melt paraffin wax and dip the cork to seal the bottle completely. Tie the bottles with colorful ribbon for a final, eye catching touch!
All these gifts can be combined in a beribboned basket to make a spectacular, from the heart gift for family and friends for the holidays!
|
| |
