Gifts From The Garden
We all love the warm feeling we have that comes from receiving a handmade gift, but so many of us in this busy world we live do not have time. There are some quick gifts which may already be in your pantry which you canned during the summer garden harvest. There are alot of short cuts you can take such as using your canned treats and some simple packaging with a recipe card to share your gift. Most of the treats may only be finding a cute basket, stenciled recipe cards, or jar toppers to assemble a cute gift with a jar tucked inside.
Fruit Honeys
Topped with a cute jar lid fruit-flavored honey will make a wonderful gift for a special friend. The condiments are simple to make by blending honey and cinnamon with strawberry or blackberry preserves. They are great with homemade breads, biscuits, and more.
Strawberry Honey
½ cup strawberry preserves
1 cup honey
⅛ tsp. Cinnamon
Blackberry Honey
½ cup seedless blackberry jam
1 cup honey
⅛ tsp. Cinnamon
For each fruit honey, microwave preserves or jam in a microwave-safe bowl for 1 minute or until melted. Stir honey and cinnamon into preserves until well blended. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Assemble a small jar of preserves, small container of honey and some cinnamon in a basket. Used for any occasion but the holidays seem perfect. Include the above recipe and decorate your reusable basket.
Quick Quesadillas Casserole
You can share this casserole with some canned items store bought and from your own canning of your summer garden harvest. For a thoughtful gift idea you can present this all assembled with a canned jalapenos from your garden harvest. The recipe can be attached with heating instructions on a cute recipe card can add a personal touch.
1 can (16 ounces) refried beans
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce (can use your homemade if you have some)
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies (can use your canned/frozen chilies if you have them)
1 tsp. Ground cumin seed
1 tsp. Chili powder
1 tsp. Onion powder
1 tsp. Garlic powder
4 8-inch flour tortillas
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
In a small bowl, combine the first 7 ingredients. Place 1 tortilla in an 8-inch round cake pan sprayed with vegetable cooking spray. (A disposable one with a lid would can be used.) Spread ¼ of bean mixture over tortilla. Repeat with the second tortilla and bean mixture. Sprinkle 1 cup of cheese over been mixture. Repeat with remaining tortillas and bean mixture. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup cheese over top. Cover and refrigerate. Give with serving instructions and a jar of canned jalapenos from your garden with a recipe attached.
Yield: about 8 servings
To Serve: Bake uncovered in a preheated 350-degree oven 35-40 minutes or until heated through and cheese is bubbly.
A Garden-Fresh Gift
This fresh gift will delight anyone who loves the goodness of summer vegetables. You can include vegetables from your 
garden or your local farmers market along with a jar of Cucumber-Garlic Dip for healthy munching. Fun seed packets saved from previous plantings or new ones from your local garden center are a fun way to trim out your gift basket. To inspire those receiving your gift, you can include a pair of gardening gloves. All assembled in a cute garden basket which can be used to harvest those fresh vegetables. You can tuck a canned vegetable in your basket and included the recipe below on a custom made recipe card.
Cucumber-Garlic Dip
1 large cucumber, peeled and quartered
1 container (8 ounces) of cottage cheese
1 package (8 ounces) of cream cheese
1 cup chopped pecans
1 package (0.4 ounces) ranch-styled salad dressing mix
2 tsp. Garlic powder
2 tsp. Onion powder
Fresh vegetables to serve
In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients; process until cucumber and pecans are pureed. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled. Serve with fresh vegetables.
Yield: about 3 ½ cups dip
Peachy Pick Me Up
Share the summer goodness of peaches any time of the year with Peach Freezer Jam. This jam is so much easier to make than the traditional jams. It keeps for up to one year in the freezer, so you can have it on hand when you need a trest. To deliver your jam, pack the jam in jars dressed up with some stenciled lids and homemade fabric bows..
Peach Freezer Jam
1 package (16 ounces) frozen peach slices, thawed
1 package (3 ounces) peach-flavored gelatin
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon ascorbic powder (used to preserve fruit color)
4 ½ cups sugar
¾ cup water
1 package (1 ¾ ounces) pectin
In a food processor, combine peach slices, gelatin, lemon juice, and ascorbic powder; pulse process until peaches are finely chopped. In a large bowl, combine sugar and fruit mixture; let stand 10 minutes. In a 1-quart microwave-safe bowl , combine water and pectin; microwave on high 2-2 ½ minutes or until mixture boils. Microwave another 45 seconds; stir. Microwave 15 seconds longer; stir. Pour hot pectin mixture into fruit mixture; stir 3 minutes. Pour into clean jars to within ½ inch of tops; wipe off rims of jars. Screw on lids. Allow jam to stand at room temperature for 24 hours; store in freezer.
Place in refrigerator 1 hour before serving. May be refrozen. Keep up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator or up to 1 year in freezer.
Harvest Breads
You can celebrate the harvest season with your favorite fall bread whether it is zucchini bread, pumpkin bread or a fruit bread like orange spice bread. If you have a garden, freezing zucchini and pumpkin puree make great tasting gift breads. You can build a basket of 3 or 4 breads made with garden harvests which have been preserved trimmed in a cute bag or basket sharing the recipe.
Fresh Pumpkin Bread
3 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
⅔ cup water
2 tsp. Nutmeg
4 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp. Cloves
½ tsp ginger
2 ½ cups fresh pumpkin puree
3 ½ cups flour
2 tsp. Soda
Combine all ingredients except flour, mixing until smooth. Gradually add flour. You can fill 3 1 pound coffee cans or 2 loaf pans greased and floured. Bake 1 hour in a 350 degree oven or until the bread is done. Let cool then remove bread. (You can also use small loaf pans for several gift giving baskets) Wrap in foil.
“Life begins the day you start a garden.” – Chinese proverb
