Harvest Gifts

It's getting to be the time, in many areas of the country, where all of the farm stands and little backyard plots of land are bursting with the fruits (and veggies!) of the labors of the early spring.  I invite you to consider making this bounty part of your Christmas celebration.  Here in the Bonny Blue House I have a fairly large tomato garden that provides way more than we could just eat off the vine.  So with the help of some friends (and in years past my father-in-law who had a green thumb extraordinaire) canning tomato sauce has become an August job.

Wouldn't this make a lovely gift for someone? I intend to pretty up the jar with a scrap of Christmas fabric and make a nice label. Into a green basket it will with some nice kitchen towels and maybe a bag of specialty pasta or homemade Italian bread. How about some roasted garlic in a pretty container. It's the kind of gift that people appreciate because so much thought and creativity went into it and it can be accomplished very easily and inexpensively. I have tons of blueberries from our trip to the blueberry farm last month. I froze those we didn't use on trays and then packed them in bags. They are waiting to be made into delicious baked goods and oput in baskets for Christmas gifts. A dozen fresh blueberry muffins and some honey butter would make a lovely gift for someone who is hosting a party or for a sweet trea for a neighbor. How about the children's music teacher or dance teacher. Someone who receives lots of trinkets in the Christmas season will really appreciate an edible gift. Another score at the farm stand for me this season was large bunched of lavender which is now hanging to dry. It'll be snipped and made into pretty sachets to attach to packages. This can be done with rosemary, thyme, sage, and pine needles. It's very easy to do, and when I make the sachets I'll be sure and post step by step pictures and instructions. They can be used to store your Christmas linens. So in these dog days of summer when you are just so tired of heat and humidity use the season to your advantage. Support your local farmers and get your children involved in the process of preparing for the holidays. I'm sure as you look through the offerings in the various farm stands and even in your own backyard you can find lots of ideas for creative and meaningful gifts.

Comments

[Kitty]

Would you share your tomato sauce recipe? We're preserving the harvest for Christmas gifts as well! So far we have jars of peach jam and peach pie filling and pickles! In the weeks to come we'll add applesauce & apple pie filling, Christmas tamales for the freezer, and hopefully some tomatoes from the greenhouse!