We are down to the last days of shopping for Christmas presents. I have a few last-minute gift ideas that you can still get. Last week, I mentioned that a lot of gardeners are also bird-watchers, and a combination of small gifts in a single gift basket would be a good idea. That idea can be used for gardeners that are also culinarily inclined.
Many vegetable gardeners also like to cook their produce, so make a combined basket that fits both hobbies. Find a basket, bowl, or colander in the kitchen section, along with a soup spoon, ladle, or other accessories. Next, visit the garden section to add some seed packages, a few peat moss pots, a pair of gloves, and a package of plant labels. Add a bow and some ribbon and you have a great gift package.
“Eat Your Roses” is a wonderful little book. It turns out you can have your flowers and eat them, too. Author Denise Schreiber covers 52 species of edible flowers that are found in flower, vegetable, and herb gardens. The first rule of eating flowers is to be sure that it is an edible flower and that it hasn’t been sprayed with anything toxic.
Edible flowers can be eaten fresh or dried. Every flower in the book has some suggested uses, such as stuffing tulip flowers with chicken salad, sauteing daylily flower buds, or deep-frying zucchini flowers. The second part of the book has recipes for appetizers, salads, drinks, syrups, floral butter, and desserts such as rose petal ice cream.
It is fun to watch kids learn about plants in the garden. Many people who didn’t like to eat their vegetables as kids find out how good they are by eating them fresh off the plants they help plant and grow. It is hard for kids to use adult-sized tools, so give them their own set of tools sized just for them. Include some favorite vegetable seeds and a book on gardening.
Create a basic gardener’s gift package, and add more items as you find them. Start with a pair of gardening gloves, as gardeners are always looking for a dry and clean pair. A useful tool is a small brush to clean out under our fingernails or the mud stuck in our boots. Hand lotion, sunscreen, and lip balm all help to keep the gardener’s skin looking young.
The last idea is not just for those who wait until the very last minute. Try a gift certificate to Sunshine Farm and Gardens, which correctly describes itself as the home of uncommonly rare and exceptional plants for the discriminating gardener and collector. They have plants for and from all 50 states. There are many rare woodland and prairie plants, as well as more common garden plants such as hellebores, but none of theirs is what could be considered a common variety.
Their normal prices are not high, even for rare and unusual plants. For Christmas, their $25 gift certificates can be used on their $35 specials, so the plants are even less expensive. Go to the Sunshine Farm and Gardens website, and look for the gift certificate link at the top of the page. The gift certificates have no expiration date and can be ordered as late as Christmas Eve.
Email questions to Jeff Rugg at [email protected]. To find out more about Jeff Rugg and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at Creators.com. Copyright 2020 Jeff Rugg. Distributed by Creators Syndicate.
