5 Easy Ways to "Gift" Local Products this Year

Disclosure: I received compensation from Perennia for including the Antigonish Farmer's Market products in this post; however, be assured that the opinions expressed in this blog are 100% my own.

Is there anything better than supporting locally made products? I love to browse my community farmer's market each week, and I'm never disappointed with the products I purchase. This year, why not consider the wonderful products available in your communtity as gifts for your family and friends? Below, I'm sharing a few EASY ways to "gift" local products this Christmas.




1) Give the gift of a meal - I love the idea of spending time with family and friends while enjoying a meal together, and farmer's markets make it easy to get all the fresh ingredients you need. My local market, the Antigonish Farmer's Market, even has complete meal kits you can purchase. Check out the fantastic dinner kit they are selling here.




Each Holiday Meal Box contains:

– Pork or Beef roast from Forever Green Farm & Gardens or Westerwind Farm
– Bee Sting Honey Mustard or Bee Sting BBQ Sauce from Cornect Family Farm 
– Bag of carrots from Lochaber Growers
– Bag of potatoes from Forever Green Farm & Gardens
– Large onion from Casey’s Vegetables 
– 6-pack of biscuits from Nanny’s Country Kitchen
– Pecan tarts from Swick’s Bakery


2) Give the gift of time together - People are very busy this time of year, so a quick "meet up" for appetizers and drinks is a wonderful idea. Treat your friends and family to great conversation and locally sourced drinks and appetizers. Check out the fantastic appetizer box available to order from the Antigonish Farmer's Market here.




Each Holiday Appetizer Box contains:

– $20 Liquor Gift Certificate from Steinhart Distillery or Candid Brewing or Coldstream clear Distillery
– 2 Pepperoni Sticks from Forever Green Farm & Gardens
– Dunmaglass cheese from Knoydart Farm
– Peppercorn cheese from  Knoydart Farm
– Bread Chips from Martins Fine Bakery
– Hummus from Martins Fine Bakery


3) Give the gift of self care - I love thoughtful gifts, and there are many wonderful "self care" options available locally. The Antigonish Farmer's Market has a wonderful holiday box here.




The Holiday Gift Box contains:

– Bath bombs from TresBien Naturals Bath & Body
– Picture from Melinda by the Sea
– Earrings from Simply Lovely
– 2-pack of cleansing cloths & cloth bookmarks from Liss & Landi


I also love the idea of pairing quality handmade items with inexpensive trinkets. I packaged the content of my holiday gift box with a dollar store throw and "mindfulness" notepad, and I think it looks great!




4) Use fun gift tags - Small gifts can be made extra special by adding a punny gift tag. I found these adorable honey-based sauces at my farmer's market, and I made a cute tag for them. It says, "Merry Christmas to my SWEET & SAUCY friend". Cute, right?




I also made tags that say, "Spreading Christmas Cheer one jar at a time." These tags would work with any jar of goodies made locally.

To download the tags I designed: click on the tags below, right-click, save them to your computer, and print them like regular 4x6 photos.





5) Share your talents - I love the idea of sharing special talents with family and friends during the holidays. It's a wonderful way to make a gift extra special. 

For example, if you are crafty, you could make a special beer mug and pair it with a few cans of local ale. And if you are good in the kitchen, you could also add your favourite homemade granola or trail mix.




You could also update a dollar store cutting board with a ribbon (and maybe a monogram) to pair with local ingredients for a charcuterie board.



*** BONUS ***

If you don't know exactly what to give, gift certificates are always great... especially if you give them in a creative way. Check out the fun idea below!

Cut a paper towel roll to fit inside a jar, place it in the jar, fill the outside with Christmas candy, and stick a gift certificate in the centre. The Antigonish farmers market has several great options here.

Then, add some twine and cute dollar store ornament, and you are good to go!





I think these are all fantastic ways to "gift" local products this Christmas. Which of my ideas is your favourite?

I hope I've inspired you to shop locally this year. I know I'm loving all the wonderful Nova Scotia products the Antigonish Farmer's Market has to offer.

♥ 
Gina Bel(aka East Coast Mommy)

1 comment:

Don't miss any of the fun....