The holiday season is here again, at a time when a lot of us are trying to keep to a budget. This is where your creativity and your gardening efforts come into play. Your garden will help you to create one-of-a-kind and appreciated gifts without going into debt. Here are some ideas.
Packaging is key. Most garden gifts look their best in an attractive glass container. Scour thrift shops for interesting glass canisters and bottles. You may be able to repurpose containers you already have around your house. Glass canning jars add to the homemade look and are relatively inexpensive. They are available at Nob Hill Grocery and Encinal Hardware, among other places. Specialty Bottle offers all sorts of gift-worthy containers online at reasonable prices.
Gifts from your herb garden
Make your own dried herb mix. The National Center for Home Food Preservation website provides detailed instructions on how to dry herbs. You can create gifts for both people and pets. For example, if you have catnip in your garden that has managed to escape being loved to death by your own pet or neighborhood cats, tie the leaves into small bundles and hang them to air dry (see drying instructions on the website), and then sew catnip toys from scraps of fabric and give to cat-owning friends.
Citrus tree delights
If you have a Meyer lemon tree that is producing well, you are in luck! There are a lot of things you can do with Meyer lemons, which are a cross between an orange and a lemon and are quite a bit sweeter than regular lemons.
Meyer lemon marmalade is a lovely gift. This popular preserve needs two hours of your time, but will be well received by many people, who can spread it on toast, use it to top pancakes, and stir it into yogurt. Positively reviewed recipes can be found at Coley Cooks and Simply Recipes. And here are instructions on how to can marmalade in a boiling water bath. For a down-home touch, buy some checkered fabric at a fabric store and tie a square around the top of the jar with contrasting yarn or ribbon.
Meyer lemon curd is delicious! Lemon curd is an English tea-time staple. Here is a highly rated recipe from Buttermilk by Sam. Pack it in a half-pint canning jar and pair it with a box of fancy tea and some imported biscuits or that cute teapot you found in a thrift store.
If you have a regular lemon tree, try making preserved lemons, which are a traditional staple in Middle Eastern cooking and a trendy item in celebrity cooking. This is a time-honored recipe from the New York Times. If you can’t access the Times recipe, The Mediterranean Dish has a free, highly rated recipe for this versatile ingredient.
Another possibility for lemon-based gifts is candied lemon peel, which can be used as a fruitcake or scone ingredient or just eaten on its own. Adventurous people can dip the candied peel in dark chocolate and present it in small boxes (lined in wax paper) to their favorite chocoholics.
Warning I: Melting chocolate and keeping it smooth is something of an art. King Arthur Flour provides step-by-step instructions. Warning II: Keeping chocolate candy from being eaten by persons in your household (including yourself) before you present your gifts can be difficult.
Pickles
Almost every culture has a favorite pickle recipe. If you grow your own cucumbers, the vines have probably long since given up, and most cucumber pickles take months to cure. However, if you have any tiny cucumbers on hand, you can make French cornichons.
More likely, you may have tomatoes that never ripened and are still green, some carrots, maybe a pepper or three, and cauliflower heads. All of these items can be combined in a mixed vegetable pickle. Try to pick items that have a lot of contrast—green tomatoes and beans, white turnips, cauliflower, red peppers, and orange or yellow carrots. Here are three traditional ways to make the veggies in your garden at the end of the growing season into giftable pickles:
Italian giardiniera: This yummy mix of pickled vegetables, often cauliflower, celery, bell peppers, and carrots, is mixed in either vinegar or oil brine and is usually served as a side dish or condiment.
Armenian tourshi: I have made this several times, and it is very tasty! If your grocery store doesn’t have every spice, try Shanvi Indian Kitchen and Grocery at 2536 Santa Clara Avenue.
Vietnamese do chua: Do chua is traditionally given as a gift during Vietnamese New Year. If you don’t have any daikon, try making it with jicama, European radishes, or turnips. It is an essential ingredient in banh mi sandwiches and several other Vietnamese dishes.
Happy holidays to all, and enjoy a prosperous New Year!
Margie Siegal is a long term gardener in Alameda and a supporter of Alameda Backyard Growers. Reach her via [email protected]. Her writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Margie-Siegal.
