Do you give gifts from your garden during the holidays?

I made candy fudges to my brother in California...
Yummy!

Yum fudge... I voted I don't make anything... didn't get around to making pickles this year
:(

We give potted plant starts to hubby's co-workers, usually with my favorite book for caring for whatever the particular plant is (i.e., roses, perennials, succulents, etc.).

I make elderbery, blackberry and wild plum jellies. Don't have a veggie garden yet-- pick out of our woods.

Voting other ~ seeds both flower & herb and watermelon pickles to help warm the cold winter days...

Easy Watermelon Pickles...

3 quarts cubed, peeled rind ( cut into 1 " cubes)
cold water
1/2 cup pickling salt
3 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
1 lemon ~ sliced and seeded ( optional )
2 ~ 3' sticks of cinnamon
1 teapson each ~ whole allspice and cloves ~ tied in cheesecloth

* In a large bowl, combine rind, 2 quarts cold water and salt.
Stir till salt dissolves. Cover and let stand 6 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse with cold water.
* In a 5 quart pan, add rind and enough water to cover. Heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to medium. Cook rind till fork tender
about 10 minutes.
* In a 6 quart (non aluminum) pan, combine sugar, vinegar, lemon slices, cinnamon and spice. Heat to boiling, stir till sugar dissolves.
Simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
* Drain rind, add to sugar mixture. Over high heat, heat to boiling. Reduce to medium heat. Simmer rind, stirring occasionally till
transparent for 30-40 minutes.
* Meanwhile, sterilize 3 pint jars and lids, leave in warm water.
* Remove lemon, spices and cinnamon sticks. Pack rind and syrup into drained jars to within1/4" of top. Seal jars.
* Place jars in boiling water in a water bath canner. Add enough boiling water so the level is 1" over jars. Cover and reheat to boiling
over high heat. Start counting the processing time when the water boils. Reduce heat to medium-low so water boils gently. Process
jars for 10 minutes.
* Remove from canner. Let cool to room temperature. After 12 hours, test lids for proper seal. If a jar didn't seal, refrigerate and eat.
Pickles serve best when chilled.
3 ~ 1 pint jars.

This message was edited Dec 15, 2008 9:57 AM

While I don't specifically give garden related gifts for the holidays, I give all manner of gifts from my garden to friends, colleagues, neighbors, and even total strangers all throughout the year. I give cuttings, seeds, flowers and bouquets, herbs, vegetables, etc whenever these things are available in my garden. I chose "other".

I live in Wisconsin and grow/collect Tropical plants.
I have, in the past, given some of them as Christmas gifts.

I always give pepper jelly to my family, friends & neighbors. Those close to me, I ask to return the jar when empty!

Could you share your recipe for pepper jelly please?

I'd like that recipe as well, jomoncon.

I chose other as right now I am still getting this new garden going and have nothing from it to make gifts of..... but I am real interested to see what other people do. In the past I have given culinary herbs -- actually did that this year too but it was a purchased herb blend so does not count! I have also given books about gardening to people I thought would appreciate them, but again, not this year. The two books I recall giving are "Gardens Make Me Laugh" -- essays by some famous landscape designer whose name I don't remember, and "Dirt: The Ecstatic Skin Of The Earth " by William Bryant Logan, more essays this time about, well, dirt. ;-) Wonderful book.

Since I'm in a relatively Mediterranean climate, I generally have herbs all year, except for basil. I bring bags of them up to the office and let everybody take what they want.

I don't make anything for Christmas anymore, but I have - in the past.

I think making jelly is a wonderful idea :-)

We don't exchange much anymore.

-Susan-

I voted other. I can't dig that deep

I posted the pepper jelly recipe under the recipe forum. We love this with roast pork or chicken. Or on crackers with cream cheese.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/932736/

I give cuttings, splittings, and seeds to family. We trade and share back and forth.

Hubby makes pickled and sweet and sour pickled veggies, and we make red vinegar.

This message was edited Dec 15, 2008 1:36 PM

Edited twice for bad-typ-enitis!

This message was edited Dec 15, 2008 1:37 PM

I had to vote 'other' as I do all of the different gifts described.

This year, is The Year of the Hot Pepper. I had bushels of about 12 different varieties. Everyone is getting pepper vinegar, pepper flakes, fresh Paprika and whatever else I can think of.

Dahlianut: nutty as always!
Podster: thanks for the memories!! Watermelon pickles from childhood. I'm printing the recipe.
jomoncon: sorry you can't post your recipe here; your link just leads to a blank page when I try it!
Hillbilly_Gran: any chance you will share YOUR recipes?

Jim, the link worked just fine for me, try again?

Jomoncon, thanks.....

Microwave pepper jelly

Makes 6 (8-oz.) jars

1/4 cup jalapeno peppers, seeded, finely chopped or ground
3/4 cup green bell pepper, seeded, finely chopped or ground
6 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
6 ounces Certo liquid fruit pectin
2 or 3 drops green food coloring

Mix ground peppers and juices with sugar and vinegar in a 5-quart casserole. Cover and bring to a boil on HIGH in the microwave (100 percent power). Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring once. Let stand 5 minutes.

Add liquid fruit pectin and 2 or 3 drops of green food coloring. Stir well. Pour into 6 hot sterilized 8-ounce jars. Seal with lids and store in refrigerator.

Ohh...that sounds easy! And I have tons of frozen peppers!

I put "other" because it is pretty much all of the above. Not all every year, though. This year we have currant jelly and some plum jelly made from wild plums from a friend's house in Colorado. Last year I made lavender salves and lavender sachets for everybody. I have lavender this year for just the ones who really like it. Last year it was too much!

Thanks a million, jomoncon!
Except: 6 ounces Certo liquid fruit pectin

I have assiduously checked the local stores for any "pectin" products. Nothing,
A Very American item.
Can anyone suggest practical Euro alternatives?

[I DO get frustrated when DGers think only in US terms!]

Jim, that question sent me a-googling. Pectin is a fruit-based thickener, usually from apples, used most often in jellies and jams that do not have enough sugar in the recipe to thicken without it.... or so I gathered. The only substitutes I found mentioned anywhere were gelatin and carageenan -- or adding apples to a recipe, or extra sugar.

So, I guess you do have microwaves, in Europe? ;-)

Make your own pectin from underripe apple juice - there are several recipes on www. For example:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-live/homemade-pectin-recipe/index.html

They suggest Granny Smith apples, I use Bramley Seedling apples. Any non-sweet apple is suitable. I freeze the pectin in ice cube trays and then pack into freezer bags when it is frozen.

We're getting close. MAYBE.
Underripe apple juice? All I get is pasteurized.
Gelatin?
Carageenan?
Could I just boil a bone or 2?
I think such things as 'Bramley Seedlings' have been outlawed for EU trade.
I also think that home production of pectin sounds too "Middle Ages" for this old man.
I may be "old", but I'm not so "ancient" that I'm gonna start making pectin!!!

This message was edited Dec 16, 2008 2:04 AM

Herbs is what I currently have growing so its what I share. Mint, Rosemary, and Thyme currently.

You should be able to get gelatin there mon ami. Did you check? Thanks Gallina for the homemade pectin receipes. I never knew you could make it yourself.

Dahlia:

WELL google guy says gelatin is available in France so I wondered if you'd ACTUALLY sallied forth to have a boo! Besides I ate stuff that was gelatined in Paris so plbplbplbplb (I'm blowing a raspberry in typese BTW)

edit: AND how do you explain the gelatin on pate??? hmmm? magic????

This message was edited Dec 15, 2008 6:44 PM

How do you make jellies/jams without a pectin or a gelatin? Just curious...

This message was edited Dec 15, 2008 8:55 PM

ps we're not really squabbling just in case anyone wondered. ps mon ami apologize to all blonde peoples now s'il vous plait.

Voted "other".

I don't have much time these days to make goodies. I give the gift of the fresh produce from the yard----usually vegetables and this year it was softball sized meyer lemons :). I'd meant to give them away free and the receiver we replied to my ad says he has an orange tree he'll share his bounty from. The LARGE bag of lemons I'd given him he said would be divided up amongst 4 families.

I just love when you can share what you have with your "neighbors" and then in turn they have something to share back.

(must interject----)

I am so jealous you are speaking French, native tongue or not. I am here trying to self-educate myself in it. :)

D.H. says make your own with apples; but it's kind of a pain in the neck and no quality control. He can't believe no one makes jelly in France. We think there is some sort of pectin available there but we don't know what it would be called. Perhaps "escargot"?

LMBO roybird. Good one ^_^

Gelatin on pate? Duh? Cook any bone long enough and you get gelatin.
Are you saying I should cook bones to make jelly?

Blow all the raspberries you wish, dahlia. That is SO North American!
It still won't make us the same as you!

I (and all of my neighbours) make jellies and jams the same way my Gramma did (in the US of A):
we cook an apple in the mix.
But, sorry, I can't easily make an equivalent between "6 ounces Certo liquid fruit pectin" and "apples".

As I said earlier:

DO you mean metric conversions?