NaBloPoMo Recipe #27: Easy and cheap homemade holiday gifts

Okay not so much recipes, but simple ideas for homemade gifts that may involve recipes.

Recently my pal Pamela put up a post up on the Silicon Valley Moms Blog about shopping local this holiday season. A commenter responded wanting to know (paraphrasing) how to shop local while on a Wal-Mart budget, since locally-made items from specialty shops can be pricier that its mass-produced, big-box store counterpart.

This really struck home for me because we always try to give homemade gifts for the bulk of our presents. We're not lavish gift givers anyway, and I suppose when push comes to shove, we give gifts we make as our own personal stand against over doing it during the holidays. It's not like we're against buying anything ever. We like "stuff," but we hate cheap cluttery crap and aren't frivolous. During the holidays our focus is always on family and not spending 'til we're broke. For us, it's a conscious choice to be this way.

I was thinking about how to focus more on giving locally sourced homemade gifts and I realized as I reflect back over the years of gifts that I've made that using local ingredients wouldn't have significantly increased the cost of the item.

For those looking for simple homemade gifts, I'll share my list of things I've made and given, and I'd love it if you shared yours, too!

Here goes:

Beverages:

• Ruby Cordial—A cranberry "liqueur" made with cranberries, sugar and vodka, could be made with Hangar One vodka (recipe calls for raspberries, but I use smashed cranberries, then strain)
• Limoncello—Could be made with local Meyer lemons and Hangar One vodka (I don't use everclear, just vodka)
• Kahlua—Ditto the Hangar One

All of the above were fun to make and give as gifts, but you have to start a month in advance...so start now!

Eats:

• Bread: I like to give rustic, misshapen loaves of country bread as gifts. Flour would be hard to source locally, but everything else shouldn't be too hard to find.
• Pie: Ditto for the pie. It's one of my favorite gifts to give. Who doesn't love a pie? A pie made with local fruit or nuts + a pint of locally made (or homemade ice cream)? Perfection.
• Pasta: If anyone has a local (SF area) source for 00 flour, please let me know. Pasta is a fun gift to give.  You don't even need a machine. Just roll out the dough and cut into thick ribbons (pappardelle) or purposely uneven small "hankerchief-like" shapes.
• Cookies: J. bakes the holiday cookies in our house. They are legendary. Local ingredients: chocolate, dried fruit, eggs, milk, butter.

Condiments:

• Flavored olive oils (lemon, garlic, garlic/rosemary): We're lucky to live in an area where olive oil is made. It wouldn't be too hard to use local herbs and fruits. Note: herb garlic olive oil must be refrigerated (botulism issues)
• Seasoned vinegars (tarragon, herb, garlic): Around these parts, it wouldn't be too difficult to source locally made vinegars and herbs.
• Herbes de Provence: I dislike the medicinal flavor of lavender in most Herbes de Provence mixes so I make my own using dried herbs (and leaving out the lavender pour moi). Local herbs would be easy to find.  A cheap and easy gift.
• Tea: Stand in the bulk bin of a good health food store and get inspired by the many tea combinations you can create: chamomile/rose, mint/verbena, the possibilities are endless. A little packet of homemade tea + a strainer and/or a pretty cup and saucer is another cheap and easy gift idea. I just might do this again this year.
• Spice mixes: make your own garam masala or curry mix. Attach recipes using your spice mixes to give the recipient inspiration.
• Flavored sugars: vanilla sugar, easy. Local? Not so much. But still, yum!

There you have it. You can shop local, make some fun and tasty gifts, and not break the bank. Happy gifting!

Comments

[BirdieRoark]

We have a dehydrator and have made dried fruits and meat jerkies as gifts. My preference is to do the jerky (you can do it in your own oven at 150 for 8-12 hrs) since buying dried fruit is affordable at the farmer's market.

We have also framed my son's art and given that to grandparents. You can support a local framing shop to complete the customer framing (it isn't cheap, but the art was free). Each year he makes his uncles and grandparents a gift - this year we just finished decorating glass ornaments with fine glitter.

My cousin has made brownie mixes in jars - I don't know if it is all local ingredients - it looks so cute with all the layers. Then the receipient just has to add the liquid ingredients.

When I was a kid, my mom made 7 bean soup mixes in jars as well. The label was the recipe (liquid amt and cooking time). Again, I doubt it was all local, but I'm sure the recipe could be made locally or organically.

OK, I'll stop now. :)

[GraceD]

One year I bought some of the smallest size of these from Cost Plus -

http://www.rangemastercookshop.co.uk/Images/Products/200x200/RM087.jpg

And filled it with Roasted Garlic and Goat Cheese spread:

http://www.recipezaar.com/265570

Tied raffia around the lid along with a homemade computer generated label with info on ingredients, storage and suggestions for serving.

Crafteeeeeee! But never as crafty cool as you, CM.

[GraceD]

Bah, that first link is too long and feel off the post.

Here you go:

http://tinyurl.com/23x9pu

I am such a dork.

[GraceD]

That is, it "fell" off the post.

Dork, dork, dork.

[kat]

excuse moi - LOVE the look of the redesign! great tagline.

i like to do themed gifts. a favorite of mine is do give a fun mug (i like the good morning one from costplus) and include some tea, vanilla syrup. wrap it up fancy and you've got a gift!

off of the food aspect, last year, i bought a bag of paperwhite bulbs, bought pots at the local nursery, included direction and put a fancy bow around the pot. they were a super popular gift. girls at my work competed as to which one would bloom first! it was cheap and fun and better than say something tacky.

[Lauren]

Wow... I LOVE the re-design!

The blog looks great! Even more fun to read now!!

[LizP]

Before I moved to Oregon I used to make plum jam (I had a friend with a tree then I had a house with a tree). I also made apple butter. I would give gift bags with jam (or apple butter), a small loaf of banana bread, brownies, and chocolate chip cookies. If I had extra time to be crafty I would make something like a covered post-it pad (cover cardboard with washi paper) or earrings (for the girls).

[dgm]

I am loving the cordial and kahlua recipes. Now I just have to get my hiney in motion so that they will be ready in time for xmas.

Site looks great. I am so in need of a redesign. Perhaps after I make those vodka gifts.

[Pizzadiavola]

Re: Flour. The Rainbow Co-op in the Mission sells organic, local, superfine (semolina, I think) flour in bulk, which is probably close enough to farino tipo 00 to pass muster for making pasta fresca.

[andrea from the fishbowl]

Nuts. I like giving nuts in pretty tins. I have a great recipe for spicy/sweet almonds, it's quick, easy, and tastes more complicated than it really is. (The best kind of recipe, right?)

[AmyS]

We get inexpensive, unpainted ceramic ornaments at a craft store (Michael's or other) then my now-4-year-old paints them with watercolors. Non-toxic, no-VOC and the colors are beautiful. She did it when she was 3 and had a great time.

[Nancy r]

anyone know the diretions to decorate glass Xmas balls with glitter on the inside?