Homemade Holiday Gifts

     Our family opts for the orbital sander's roar; the sewing machine's rhytmic chug, chug, chug; the dehydrator's hum; and the food processor's high pitched grinding, rather than the constant droning of department store Christmas music. We stay home creating gifts with whatever talents we have to offer: wood working projects, quilts, and specialty foods. 

     During the growing season herbs are dried, fruits and vegetables dehydrated, jams preserved, and vinegar flavored. In December these are used to create specialty granolas, fruit mixtures, soup mixes, flavored sugars, herbed vinegars, herb mixes, and baked goods, to give as gifts during the holiday season.

     Food related gift ideas that can be created using information from previous blog entries are listed below:

• Flavored sugar: grind 1 tablespoon of dried culinary lavender with one cup of sugar in a small food processor. (Write the recipe for lavender almond biscotti on an attached card.)
• Granola created using a friend's favorite fruits and nuts.
• A jar filled with a mixture of home grown dried herbs:     
• tomato sauce herbs: basil, oregano, and parsley               
• omlete mix: chives, oregano, sage, and thyme             
• chicken soup herbs: bay leaf, sage, and thyme
• Jars layered with ingredients for soups, cookies, or muffins with a card attached with directions.
• A bottle of herb flavored vinegar.
• A jar of layered dehydrated summer fruit.
• Baked goods: cookies, cakes, and muffins                            (cranberry orange muffins are a seasonal favorite).
• Sachets filled with dried lavender.

      Some people love the excitement, crowds, bargain hunting, and even the sounds of holiday shopping.  If you're not one of them, creating gifts in the home during this season-of-giving may suit you.