5 Easy Homemade Gift Ideas from the Garden
These gift ideas from the garden simplify the season and bring back the old-fashioned art of homemade giving. Return to Christmas in a nostalgic era gone by and share your love of gardening with these five easy gift ideas.
When we think about Christmas shopping, we often think about loud, overstimulating shopping malls or box stores where we spend way too much money that we don’t have. Add that on top of over-crowded schedules and the holiday season quickly becomes full of tension and stress.
Might I invite you to slow down and change your perspective on the season for a moment? Christmas often comes and goes in a flurry because we don’t pause to reflect on the real reason for the season; the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
He was humbly born in a stable; a very simplistic setting for the greatest gift we’ll ever receive. Yet, in our modern fast-paced world when we hear the word gift, anything but Jesus or simplicity comes to mind.
If you’re an avid gardener like me, let’s return to slower, quieter times when gift-giving had a handmade, homegrown touch. Let’s share God’s gift of Mother Nature and the hard work of our hands cultivating her beauty and nourishing qualities.
Why You Should Consider Gift Ideas From the Garden
Healthy – Homegrown produce is generally grown without the heavy use of toxic chemicals unlike grocery store produce. The canned goods we make are without preservatives and other toxic, unpronounceable ingredients. Homemade body products are also void of the same unwanted things, making them a natural, superior choice for gift giving.
Frugal – These gift ideas are items you already have on hand. They don’t require a lot of extra money and even gift wrapping items can be purchased second hand at thrift stores.
Easy – A few of these ideas simply come together with a quick trip to your pantry. A couple of them require 15 minutes or less of prep time, with no trip to a shopping mall or lots of money spent.
Useful – These gifts keep a home clutter free because they’re consumable and won’t end up in the Goodwill box six months later. They also provide meals and a healthy treat at no cost to the receiver.
Locally sourced – There’s a big movement in this country encouraging people to buy locally sourced food and products. It doesn’t get any more local than your own garden.
5 Gift Ideas From the Garden
Homemade Chocolate Bark
Well, this one might not exactly come straight from the garden, but it lends itself to versatility and creativity as far as toppings go. Many people dehydrate or freeze dry fruit as a preservation technique, so why not make your homemade chocolate bark with a unique twist?
I picture dehydrated strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and apples for a sweet pop of flavor. Got wild huckleberries? Try dehydrating those for a really special bark!
Here I used dried cranberries, candied orange peels, nuts and a sprinkle of sea salt. But I can hear your question regarding the elephant in the room already.
What about the cost and availability of chocolate this year? Yes, that’s been quite something that’s for sure. Well, I have a great frugal solution for you.
It comes courtesy of my friend Crystel, who writes on Substack under the name Country Girl. She created a homemade chocolate recipe that works perfectly for chocolate bark. Head over there and give her a follow to find her recipe. She also has great advice on all things country living.
When packaging your bark for gifting, wrap a a little box with wrapping paper on the outside and line it with parchment or wax paper. If the box doesn’t have a lid, enclose it with cellophane wrap and a pretty ribbon and bow.
Herbs | Culinary Jars, Body Products, Teas
I believe herbs are one of God’s greatest gifts to us humans. And Christmas is the perfect time of year to share your love of them too.
They’re healing, nourishing and wildly flavorful. Your gift could inspire the same love amongst your family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, kid’s teachers, etc. Here are some ideas to share the benefits of herbs.
- Culinary herbs – If you have a surplus of sage, rosemary, thyme, tarragon, etc., package them up in a cute little jar complete with ribbon or add them to a basket of homemade goods. They’ll elevate someone’s cooking to a whole new level.
- Herbal Body Products – I encourage you to make a large batch of herbal infused oil during the garden season. That way you have enough on hand for yourself and enough to make homemade body products for gifts. You can gift the oil itself or make it into balms, salves and body butters that smell amazing, heal the body and are made with non-toxic ingredients.
Try my herbal salve recipe for dry skin.
- Tea Blends – If you grow herbs for tea drinking, they make wonderful gifts. Package your tea blend in little jars with a cute label. You’ll create even more excitement for your gift if you include non-bleached compostable tea bags for your gift receiver to use. They can be ordered on Amazon. You can also purchase cotton reusable tea bags on Amazon or from Azure Standard.
For inspiration, check out my recent blog post 5 Simple Peppermint Herbal Tea Blends to Try This Winter. My favorite is the peppermint, lavender and chamomile blend.
Homemade Canned Goods
In a fast paced world that prioritizes convenience and ultra-processed foods, homemade canned goods are an invitation to slow down and savor the taste of sunshine and homegrown deliciousness. The flavor is far superior to store bought goods and the effort poured into those jars demonstrates love and thoughtfulness from you.
What do you have canned on your pantry shelf? Anything works in a gift basket. I have lots of jam made with homemade pectin, pasta and pizza sauces, applesauce and veggies.
Place a cute piece of fabric over the lid before twisting on the ring and you have a pretty presentation. Who wouldn’t love a gift like that?!
Canning Recipes From Becky’s Kitchen
Small-Batch Tomatillo Jam | Easy to Make with 4 Ingredients
How to Make Low-Sugar Strawberry Jam
Easy to Make Small-Batch Huckleberry Jam Sweetened with Honey
Spiced Cranberry Christmas Jam | Irresistibly Easy and Delicious
Simple and Frugal No Sugar Applesauce Recipe
Box of Root Cellar Produce
A gift box full of homegrown produce will pleasantly surprise anyone. As with all these gift ideas, it’s easy, practical and doesn’t cost you anything extra. As for the gift receiver, your produce will provide them with quite a few healthy free meals.
This is an especially good gift to give if you grow unique varieties of plants such as pumpkins, winter squash or potatoes. They might even be inspired to start growing a garden once they taste how delicious your plants really are. Offer pumpkin soup or other recipe ideas to get them cooking.
This point leads me to my final gift recommendation.
Garden Seeds
Gifting seeds can be as simple or elaborate as you’d like. You’re welcome to order extras when you place your seed order in the fall, but I would share seeds saved right from your own garden.
If you have seeds saved from pumpkins gifted in your root cellar box, include those to spark inspiration for gardening. Perhaps you have seed potatoes or tomato or cucumber seeds saved.
Saving flower seeds is also super easy to do and make great gifts. They add beauty to anyone’s yard and attract pollinators to the area.
Include them in Christmas cards or place them in a manila envelope and tie a festive looking ribbon around it for a pretty presentation.
FAQ’s
What are frugal gift wrapping ideas for gifts from the garden?
Keep the cost of gift giving low by thrifting gift wrapping items. Shop at St. Vincent de Paul or other second hand stores. The Dollar Store is another inexpensive place to purchase gift wrapping. I also save nice bags from stores that don’t put their logo on. That way you’ll have them on hand when you need to give a gift.
Are there any special instructions to tell when gifting items from the garden?
Yes, be sure to distinguish what needs to be refrigerated, frozen or kept on a shelf. Let them know the shelf life of canned goods and body products and how to properly store root cellar vegetables if they’re not eaten right away. Also, instruct on how to properly store seeds until planting and any special directions when growing that plant.
Should I include recipes for my canned goods or produce items?
Yes, if you know your recipient will like your homemade good and will want to replicate it in their own kitchen, include the recipe to make the gift extra special. Plus they’ll see if there’s any known allergens in your goods.
Homemade Christmas Recipes from Becky’s Kitchen
Chocolate Sourdough Cookies with Espresso and Cherries
Citrus Sourdough Sugar Cookies
Simple Christmas Cocktail Shrub with Oranges and Cloves
The Best Christmas Sourdough Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls
If you have any fun gift ideas from the garden, share them in the comments below! Tag me on Instagram with your photos @beckybuttlesamericana.
When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him. Then opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Matthew 2:10-11
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! –Becky
I’m a wife and homemaker inspiring old-fashioned skills for a homemade, self-sufficient lifestyle, always with a warm beverage in hand. Homemade Recipes. Gardening. Preserving. Healthy Living.
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