"Gifts in a Jar" Food for Holiday Gifting

"Gifts in a Jar" foods are a fun and affordable way to give friends and family a homemade recipe from your kitchen. Nearly anything can be packaged in a jar including mixes for beverages, soups, jams and jellies, pickles, condiments, flavored oils, vinegars, and pet treats.

To make "Gifts in a Jar" you'll need airtight containers with screw-on or suction lids. It's relatively easy to find decorated jars with holiday themes, but you can also use colored glass jars, hand-painted jars, or decorative decanters for liquid foods such as vinegars and oils.

My favorite places to buy jars are craft stores and dollar stores. Thrift stores can yield unique glass jars and decanters at bargain prices. Yard sales are a great place to collect unique jars as well.

Jars can be decorated with bows and ribbons or by gluing sequins, buttons, photos, and other craft items. Kids love decorating jars, so if you have children in your household, get them involved with this craft project.

Last, but not least, you'll want to attach a recipe card to the jar. A great source for canning jar labels and decoration ideas is Tipnut.com. This website offers downloadable templates to make labels for jars and lids, gift tags, and recipe cards.

Soups in a Jar

Dried soup mixes are one of the simplest "Gifts in a Jar" foods to prepare. Soup mixes require dried vegetables which can often be found in health food stores and specialty food shops. If you aren't able to locate dried vegetables locally, a good source is Frontier Natural Products Co-Op.

Another option is to make homemade dried vegetables using a food dehydrator or drying foods in the oven. Both fruits and vegetables can be naturally dried in the sun, although this can be a challenging task during winter months. If you've never tried drying foods at home, you can find step-by-step "How to Dry Fruits and Vegetables" directions from the FarmGal blog.

When packaging dried soup mixes as "Gifts in a Jar" you'll want to layer each ingredient and lightly pack down into the container using fingertips or a spoon. Heavier food items are placed on the bottom, while spices and herbs are placed between layers or at the top.

Soup jars should be large enough to accommodate between 2 and 3 cups of ingredients. Ball jars are a great choice for soup mixes because they have wide-mouth lids which make for ease in filling with ingredients. One of the best sources for dried soup mixes in a jar recipes is RecipeGoldmine.com.

Beverages in a Jar

Popular beverages in a jar include hot cocoa and spiced tea mixes. Beverage mixes can also be packed in a resealable plastic bag and inserted into decorative metal containers.

Beverages in a jar make great gifts for teachers, co-workers, neighbors, package delivery and postal carriers, friends, and family. These gifts are easy for children to put together. Ingredients are usually combined and do not require layering.

One of my favorite hot cocoa in a jar recipe is for a spicy version of this popular drink mix.

Spicy Hot Cocoa Mix in a Jar Recipe

Combine 1-1/2 cups instant milk power, 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar, 3/4-cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 3/4-cup Hazelnut-flavored dry non-dairy creamer, and 1 tablespoon chili powder, and mix well.

Transfer 2-1/2 cups of cocoa mix into a 1-quart jar. Layer with 6-ounces semi-sweet chocolate chunk morsels and 1 cup miniature marshmallows. To serve, mix 2 to 3 tablespoons of cocoa mix with hot water and top with chocolate chunks and marshmallows.

Fruit Curds in a Jar

Fruit curds are made with eggs, fruit, unsalted butter and sugar. One of the most common fruit curds is lemon, but they can be made from just about any type of fruit.

Fruit curds should be presented in small jars, as they spoil quickly and need to be consumed within a week after opening. Fruit curds are similar to jams and jellies and are perfect spreads for breads, rolls, and pancakes.

If you really want to go all out, make a variety of fruit curds and combine with pancake, bread or roll mixes in a jar. A great source for learning how to make fruit curds and obtain recipes is Allotment Vegetable Growing.

Pet Treats in a Jar

Delight your pet owner friends with pet treats in a jar. It's easy to find pet-themed containers to store homemade dog biscuits. Treat jars should have an easily accessible lid for humans, but not easy enough for Fido to pry open on his own.

There are two ways to gift pet treats in a jar. You can make the treats your self or create a jar mix. Pet stores and retail outlets sell biscuit molds and cookie cutters, as does Amazon.com. Combine the molds, recipe, and jar of treats in a gift basket or gift box and wrap with animal-themed paper.

Use caution when selecting homemade pet treat recipes. Stick with those that use fresh vegetables and unbleached flour. A great source for homemade dog treat recipes is All-Natural-Dog-Treat.com.

The Internet is filled with layered pet treats in a jar recipes. You can easily find holiday pet treats, organic pet treats, and even birthday cake recipes for dogs! My dog particularly enjoys the layered dog cookies in a jar recipe offered at AllFreeCrafts.com.

Sources:
TipNut.com: Recipe Card Templates
Ball Jars Fresh Preserving Store
AllFreeCrafts.com: Gifts in a Jar Recipes