Comments on: Gifts from the Garden

By: julie

julie — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 13:52:13 +0000

the gift box:
a small weathered wooden crate

the contents:
garden fresh herbs in ribbon tied bunches
tiny glass medicine bottles (dug up from the earth myself in a dump spot on the side of a creek in my yard)
small vintage cobalt glass bottles

filled with:
each bottle:
single flowers from the garden
and love

By: Dr. Brent

Dr. Brent — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 18:09:30 +0000

Hi, Katherine

That sounds like a great gift idea, too

By: Katherine

Katherine — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:55:30 +0000

I have not given any as gifts yet, but I have so much Oregano and Basil, Parsley, etc. I freeze it in old glass spice jars so I have fresh herbs for cooking all year. I made labels and sealed with clear packing tape.

By: nadia

nadia — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:29:40 +0000

I am not sure if this counts but i love growing sunflowers so right about this time they begin to bloom, i create half a dozen bundles tie them together and add poscard thank you notes. as i go on with my daily routine i drop them of at the cafe when i get my mocha, my dr. office, my neighbor across the street, my corner store, the local dog shelter, the used book store and few others thanking them for being part of my everyday( not tha i see my dr. everyday, but he is wonderful and so aret he people tha work for him)!

By: laurie

laurie — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:54:13 +0000

With an overabundance of tomatoes and bar-b-q season still in full force, I gather up a big batch of tomatoes, de-seed them, remove their skins and slow cook them until they are soft. After cooling them, they get pureed in my blender, with an added bit of sea salt, basil, roasted onions and red bell peppers from the garden. When all is nice and smooth, I bottle up my home made “ketsup” and send the bottles to friends, in a basket, along with some fresh, unhusked corn, a bbq utensil or two and fresh baked goodies like bread rolls. I include a few recipes for burgers, pork and steak. My ketsup goes great on top of bar-b-qed foodstuffs!

By: Loretta

Loretta — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:53:26 +0000

New to Colorado, I was clueless about what to plant at our new home. Told the landscape person I liked bees, birds, butterflies. One choice she made was a native black currant bush. Sooo, I get to watch the bees pollinate it, make jelly for gifts and watch the robins eat the ones left on the branches. It’s a three present bush!

By: TINA ALSTON

TINA ALSTON — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 20:36:46 +0000

I make pesto & freeze in ice trays. When done (a day ) I pop out these pest cubes and put in a large zip lock bag and/or in small ones with 2-3 cubes ready for a hostess gift. For the Holidays I just wrap some baggies of pesto in my home made decorated tissue paper. Thanks Tina

By: Martha Kraska

Martha Kraska — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 21:12:03 +0000

My Son and his wife spent 12months renovating their home the yard was badly damaged because of construction….finally his mother in law and I got together and purchased and planted foundation plantings boxwood, hosta ,azalea, astilbe,of course lots of white impatience for instant color and the crowning glory a lovely fragrant Chinese Lilac tree ….my son upon arriving home from business trip and saw our work and said NOW WE HAVE A HOME….I guess you could consider this a gift of a garden more than a gift from a garden …..

By: Marie

Marie — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 20:29:11 +0000

I love to cook, especially desserts so I’m often asked to bring the dessert to a party. To make a chocolate torte a little more special I like to candy some violets and place them on a dollop of cream on each slice. It makes a beautiful presentation and adds some of my love of gardening to my cooking.

By: Kenn

Kenn — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 01:23:48 +0000

When I think about gifts from the garden, I think of how I can ‘kick it up a notch’ to make the gift even more meaningful.

Here are a couple of ideas:

The Zucchini Baked Good Gift:

Take the overzealous zucchini crop and share some with friends and neighbors. Using a loaf pan or other baking pan as the gift basket, line the interior with hydrangea leaves, to create a base for the basket. Fill it with fresh zucchini from the garden along with your favorite recipe for zucchini bread, cake, muffins, etc. (the pan should be suitable for the recipe). Include with your gift a mason jar filled with all the dry ingredients. Add in several large hydrangea blooms to fill the gift basket pan. Tie it with a raffia bow. It’s a great hostess gift or anytime gift. Not only can the recipient enjoy the recipe again and again, but they can also put the blooms into a vase or dry them for a long lasting arrangement.

A Harvest Dinner:

Select fresh vegetables from your garden, such as green beans, okra, summer squash, sweet corn, tomatoes, eggplant and a melon or two you might have growing in the garden. Place the harvest in a large garden basket, arranged around the sides of the basket with instructions on how to create a “Harvest dinner” fresh from the garden using the ingredients provided. Place a vase filled with a fresh flower arrangement from the garden in the center to be used as the centerpiece for the recipients harvest dinner table.

Create an Herb Wreath:

If your herbs are like mine, they are wild and crazy this time of year. Take cuttings from all your herbs to create an herb wreath for the kitchen. Rosemary, Thyme, Lavender, Tarragon, Sage, and many other herbs can be used to create the wreath.
Create small clusters of herbs and attach them to a wire wreath form using florist wire. Attach by twisting the wire tightly around the base of the herb clusters. Overlay the next cluster to hide the ‘wiring’ and continue the process around the entire wreath form. A 10-12” wreath form works nicely.
The herb wreath can be hung in the kitchen and the herbs can be used for cooking or garnishing a dish. The herbs can also be allowed to dry and then saved to be used throughout the winter months.