Homemade Holiday gift basket - help

[rhianna813]

Posting in Food area because most things I make for gifts are food J

Thinking ahead to Christmas. We do an adult gift exchange in my family and the gift needs to be suitable for anyone, male or female. We do not pick a specific name. Low cost and homemade gifts are encouraged. I love giving homemade stuff and usually use things I have preserved, herbal products or easy sewing projects.

I am sorta low on things year and know I will not have time for larger projects. I want to make a gift basket of items that go together and do not seem random.

Here is what I have:

Pints of apple sauce, pints of nectarines, ½ pints elderberry juice

Quarts of dill pickles – that are fairly mushy L

Here is what I have that could be made into something easily:

Local hazelnuts – could be roasted and tied in a pretty bag

Dandelion leaf infused organic Balsamic vinegar – in a small bottle or made into vinegarette

Organic herbal oil – add wax for skin salve. I gave this last year.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Could make something chocolately like fudge or hot cocoa mix

Fabric, yarn and ribbon for simple sewing or crocheting – not sure what though

The only thing I would not include is any tea. These people are all manic coffee drinkers LOL

Any ideas for combining the above or adding something (easy) different to make a nice gift basket?

Thanks bunches!

Rhianna

[Shantimama]

 Mmmm - it all sounds good!

[mamadelbosque]

I've done gifts of food for most of my adult family for several years now. Mostly I bake cookies/candies as a lot of them are older and/or single and just don't get home made goodies much. I've also been giving home made jam/jelly the past couple years now and they've gone over super well too. 

I always do Buckeyes and chocolate covered pretzels, and usually pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Everything else varies by what I feel like - gingerbread, sugar cookies, peanut butter cookies, biscochitos, fudge, turtles, etc. I try to make at least one 'new' thing every year, just to change it up. And because its fun trying new recipes I tend to hit up goodwill/salvation army for cheap tins this time of year... they can usually be had for $1 or less

Good luck!!

[puffingirl]

How about homemade granola?  Make a batch and put it in a glass quart jar--it's a great food gift and you can customize based on what people like--nuts, dried fruit, whatever.

[LaughingHyena]

Last year we made these preserved lemons

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jamie-oliver/salted-preserved-lemons-recipe/index.html

We packed them with some cous cous and a couple of other things and printed out a few recipies that they could be used in. It was a nice change from sweet stuff and they last for ages.

[calebsmommy25]

You mentioned that everyone really enjoys coffee.  How about a basket with some good coffee beans, cocoa (to flavor coffee or for hot chocolate), homemade biscotti, a book or magazine and a blanket?  Or something along those lines...perfect for a cold winter day/night.

[Chicky2]

W/your taco seasoning, you could do a layered bean soup w/that as the seasoning packet.

I am doing loads of biscotti (easy easy to make large quantities!) for a community meet and greet thing we have going before Christmas.  I'm making enough to put lots in the freezer for my gift baskets. 

I'm also making various jams w/berries I need to clean out of the freezer to make room for pigs we'll butcher.  I just got my gazillion vanilla beans in the mail, so I'll get some Vodka and stick them in the bottle til Christmas, when I'll put the extract in various saved bottles and make new labels.  Flavored vinegars go over well and are very cheap to make, too.  Last year I made raspberry vinegar and blueberry basil. 

For coffee, you can get cheap cellophane bags and get a big bag of coffee beans.  Divvy them up into the bags and put a cute bow or ribbon on it.  Some of those chocolate dipped plastic spoons go well with this (and the biscotti).

Can you make your mushy pickles into relish and re-can it?

[rhianna813]

LOL I don't drink coffee and could probably not afford to buy something nicer than they already drink. Plus they tend to *give* coffee cups, beans and gift cards for their gifts already - I''ll probably get one!

Anyway, I am so short on time and cash. I am really hoping to put together a gift basket of the items I listed OR some of the items plus something else that is cheap/free/easy to make to complement it. Baking something is a good idea - we are currently Grain Free. Hot Cocoa mix or Fudge might be an option.

Does anyone have suggestions to combine the things I listed?

Rhianna

[gmvh]

A friend of mine and I are planning to make salted caramel hot chocolate kits.

We're going to make ganache and caramel, package each in small mason jars, and add a small packet of sea salt with directions to heat milk, stir in some ganache, coat the mug in caramel, pour in the hot chocolate, and sprinkle salt on top, with or without whipped cream.

Chocolate isn't the cheapest to buy but if you look around, it can be fairly affordable.

Good luck!