Simple Gifts From Your Garden
It’s not too early to begin thinking about organizing gifts
using items harvested from your garden. Such as fruits,
herbs and veggies. In fact, you can turn them into wonde-
rful holiday gifts. Everyone enjoys receiving.
Here’s just a few gourmet foods you can prepare in advance:
Herb Flavored Vinegars
Gardeners suggest harvesting herbs early in the morning. Wash
them. Allow them to air dry. Wash a gallon glass jar or jug. Be
sure to thoroughly dry it.
Loosely fill half the jar or jug with herbs. Add red or white wine
to fill the jar or jug. Let sit for about 30 days.
Before 30 days is up, gather enough decorative bottles to use as
gifts - for instance Mason or Ball jars work well. Sterilize and let
fully dry. After 30 days, using a strainer with a coffee filter in it,
drain the vinegar from the jug or jar into another large clean and
dry jug or jar. Take some of the herbs from the strainer, wash and
dry. Pour the vinegar into decorative bottles. Then add a few of
the washed and dried herbs to each bottle. Cork it and affix a per-
sonal label. Tie the neck of each bottle with a red ribbon, add a
tag. And your set.
Herbs and Seasonings
Consider creating gifts of herbs and seasonsings. They make great,
simple gifts. And who doesn’t like home-made gifts. Such as Dill,
Basil, Oregano, Rosemary, Fennel.
Pick herbs early in the day. Wash and hang out to dry in a shaded
area. Let dry completely. Once dry, remove the leave. Mix together.
Then package in decorative jars (be sure to wash and sterilize jars).
Or place the herbs in small muslin bags. Add decorative label. If
using jars, tie red ribbon around the neck. Tie on a gift tag. Give
each person you’re gifting 3 muslin gift bags you include in a
decorative gift bag. Or place a bottle in a decorative gift bag.
Zucchini slices
Believe it or not, dehydrated zucchini rounds make delicious
gifts. Take some zucchini (do not remove the skin). Cut them
into circles about ¼” to 1/8th inch thick. Spread them out to
dry on a drying screen. Leave in the sun to rehydrate.
They rehydrate well. And don’t discolor like fruit does. But
stay the same white color, with it’s deep green edge.
They can be eaten like potato chips as a healthy snack. Used
at a party with dip. Added to home-made soups, stir-frys and
more. Place dried zucchinis in muslin bags, label and add a gift
tag. Or, take a gift tin, divide it in half, or thirds, and place
herbs in other sections of the tin. Tie a red ribbon around the
tin, label and add a gift tag.Here’s a few more gifts you can
create from your garden:
* Dried Apple Slices
* Bottled tomatos for sauce
* Bake desserts using apples or pears
* Apple and Pumpkin Butter
* Pickled carrots
* Jams and Preserves
* Garlic vinegars
Think about it and you’ll likely discover dozens of simple to
create - healthy - gifts which come straight from your garden.
Gifts of Fragrance From Your Garden
What’s not to love about Lavender. Not only is it a beautiful
fragrance, it’s soothing, helps relieve headaches and stress.
And, as an oil, is great to help soften your skin; relax your
body. The following gifts can be made in advance of the holidays.
Lavender bath salts
Strip the lavender from dozens of stalks. Place in a paper bag.
Leave in a dry place away from the sun.
Next purchase a bag of Epsom salts from your local pharmacy.
Some coarse salt from the grocery store, at least ½ cups worth.
Mix together, 1 cup Epsom salt and 1 cup of the coarse salt, in
a large bowl. Then scoop out 1/2 cup. Placing it into a smaller
bowl. To this ½ cup, add 10 to 20 drops of Lavender Essential
oil and 10 drops of purple food coloring. Mix well with a wooden
spoon. Next, add the ½ cup mixture into the larger bowl of
Epsom and coarse salts. Mix thoroughly.
Add the dried lavender buds to the mixture, stirring thoroughly.
Pour the mixture into decorative glass jars or containers with
tight- fitting lids. Add labels. Tie neck of jar with a ribbon. Add
a gift tag.
Lavender Sachets
Lavender Sachets can add a beautiful scent to lingerie drawers,
closets, boxes of out-of-season clothing. Not to mention you
can throw them into your laundry dryer. Or place them under
your pillow to help you relax and have fall asleep. To scent
your living or bedroom. There’s dozens of wonderful reasons
to use Lavender Sachets.
Making a Lavender Sachet:
Purchase some (depends on how many you plan to make)
muslin bags at your local craft store. Or create your own
bag folding a 10”x6” rectangle of fabric in half; folding in
the side edges and sewing down each side. Leave enough
at the top to fold in, so you don’t have a ragged edge. Sew
a piece of thin ribbon (takes only a stitch or two using a
needle and thread) to the top of each side of bag so it
can be tied.
Using gloves, strip the lavender from dozens of stems. Fill
the bag with the lavender buds you’ve removed from their stems.
If you didn’t sew a piece of thin ribbon to the top of bag to
tie it, simply gather up and scrunch together fabric at the top
of the bag and tie with ribbon. Add a gift tag. Place 3 bags in
a decorative gift bag and you’re ready to give them as gifts
to family and friends.
Potpourri
As you know, Potpourri is a mixture of dried herbs and flowers.
Once mixed together, they create a unique and soft scent.
Which can easily permeate a room.
Some of the best plants and flowers to use for Potpourri are
- Lavender, Lemon verbena and Lemon Balm, Eucalyptus,
Rosemary, Violets, Carnations. Even Mint, fruit peels, Fennel
seeds and Marjoram. Sunflowers, and other unique flowers,
can perk up the color and add interest. As well as a variety
of tiny pinecones and small pieces of cinnamon sticks.
It’s best to harvest your flowers just as they begin to open.
Once you’ve cut the stems of flowers you plan to use, tie 6-8
in bundles (using string). Then hand upside down to dry in a
warm place. If that‘s not possible, spread the flower stems
on a screen to dry in a warm place with good ventilation.
Drying can take up to two weeks.
Then gently remove dried flowers from the stems, keeping
them intact. Break up the stems into small ½” to 1” pieces.
Place into a large bowl and mix thoroughly with any dried
fruit peels and herbs you plan to use. For a stronger scent,
add some essential oil. Found at your local craft store. Then
add in pinecones.
Once mixed, your potpourri can be placed in anything from
jars and wooden bowls, to tins and unique boxes. Cover and
decorate.
