Last-Minute Culinary Stocking Stuffer Ideas – for Both Pre- and Post-Holiday Shopping!
In case you're still trying to shop for that foodie on your list
Fri., Dec. 24, 2010
Community Supported Agriculture memberships for individuals or families are likely to be very welcome gifts. Luckily, several active CSAs in our area are signing up new members right now for winter and spring delivery of farm-fresh produce: Farmhouse Delivery, www.farmhousedelivery.com Green Gate Farms, www.greengatefarms.net Johnson's Backyard Garden, www.jbgorganic.com Steele Farms/Field Fresh, www.freshtexasproduce.com Ottmers Family Farm, www.austincsafarm.com Hairston Creek Farm, www.hairstoncreekfarm.com Springdale Farm, www.springdalefarmaustin.com Tecolote Farm, www.localharvest.org/tecolote-farm-M406
Gift certificates at local farm stands or farmers' market booths We've spied them everywhere from Boggy Creek Farm to Local Baby – there are plenty of great deals out there.
Restaurant gift cards Many local restaurants are offering gift cards in various denominations this season, and who doesn't love going out to eat for free?
Charitable donations are the perfect gift for the hard-to-buy-for person who already has everything. Make a generous, tax-deductible donation in the name of a loved one to the Capital Area Food Bank, Urban Roots, the Green Corn Project, Sustainable Food Center, or any other food-related nonprofit.
Con' Olio Oils & Vinegars (10000 Research #130, 342-2344) This shop in the Arboretum offers bottles of extra virgin olive oils and flavored balsamic vinegars in various sizes suitable for stuffing in stockings. It also offers different olive-oil-of-the-month clubs in three-, six-, or 12-month increments.
Blue Heron bourbon cajeta at Antonelli's Cheese Shop (4220 Duval St., 531-9610) Blue Heron goat dairy near Waller, Texas, makes wonderful cheeses but also creates a handmade goat's milk cajeta (plain or flavored with bourbon) that's simply marvelous. While you're in Antonelli's, consider gift certificates for the cheese lovers on your list.
Bee Local T-shirts from Edible Austin. Locavores will love the ultra-soft and comfy cotton T-shirts and wear them with pride. Order at www.edibleaustin.com.
Kuhn Rikon cupcake decorating kits I found these in several stores and catalogs this year and had to have one. Kits include squeezable decorating bottles with tips, an offset icing spatula, and a cupcake corer for hollowing out cupcakes for fillings.
Recipes Every Man Should Know by Susan Russo and Brett Cohen (Quirk Books, $9.95, 140 pp.). This could easily become as indispensable as the other little black book of any man who wants to demonstrate his prowess in the kitchen or simply feed himself well on a regular basis: With well-organized, approachable recipes with prep and cooking times, this book is extremely functional.
Thursday Night Pizza by Fr. Dominic Garramone (Reedy Press, $16, 115 pp.). Pizza-loving teens will find this slim volume irresistible and could possibly be inspired to have the family enjoy good, homemade pizza weekly.
