Gardening Gifts

With the festive season upon us I thought it may be time for a few gardening/recycling ideas in which a little recycling can be done, and your garden will provide many of the ingredients to minimise the costs, and improve many traditional things you may not really see as a gift idea.

Throughout the year you often come across obscure shaped glass containers and you save these as long as they have a resealable top and they are either a clear glass, or only lightly tinted, and you clean them thoroughly.

You make salad dressings from garden produce and give them as christmas gifts, sure you can go out and buy presents but people seem to prefer something which is of use and appreciate the thought and time which goes into a handmade gift which is useful.

Take your nice bottle or jar, add your ingredients and top up with olive oil and thats it, leave for a few months and all the flavours infuse into your olive oil for a delicious olive oil dressing.

Thyme and redcurrant - take some sprigs of thymeand tear them off, place into the bottle and ensure they are shorter then the bottle or jar, place some freshly picked redcurrants into the oven on a low heat until they start to dry, add them to your bottle or jar and cover with olive oil and seal, it gives a nice present which looks attractive and can be shaken up to look like a snowglobe.

Honey and lemon - take some freshly produced honey, zest some lemon peel into the honey, add some olive oil so it is mixed and the honey is thinned down, place into your jar or bottle and top up with olive oil.

Mint and chive - take some fresh mint and chop finely, take some chives and chop finely and add them both to your bottle or jar, top up with olive oil and seal.

You are only limited by what you grow, and you do not need to use extra virgin olive oil as a cheaper oil will go just as well.