Last week, I wrote about some of my favorite canning tools and the reasons they might just make good holiday gifts for the canners in your lives. This week I want to feature some of the odds and ends that aren’t canning necessities but make a jar-filled life a little bit prettier and more fun (of course, I intended to get this posted on Monday, but that knock-out flu I had has put me behind in my posting. So sorry!).
First on the list is Weck Jars. They’re good for canning, for dry goods storage, and if you spring for a set of snap-on plastic lids, they make fantastic leftover containers. Because they’re a bit pricier than your average box of jars, they’re an indulgence, but isn’t that what the holiday season is all about? Once hard to find, they’re now available for online order from the U.S. distributor, Kaufmann Mercantile and Mighty Nest, and in Williams-Sonoma and Crate & Barrel stores.
For someone who has all their jar needs met, what about a pretty ladle? It’s good for filling your jars, scooping up servings of soup and chili and it looks fab sticking out of a crock of utensils. Available from Kaufmann Mercantile, it costs $32 and would be fun tucked in a stocking.
I love my stainless steel funnel
. The one I have is made by RSVP and I use it all the time. Not only is it useful during the canning process, but it’s also great for filling jars with dried goods and helping pour leftover soup into storage jars. I even take it to Whole Foods with me when I use my own container for bulk foods, because it allows me to funnel the food into my jars cleanly.
If I didn’t already have a stainless steel funnel, I might opt for this one
, because it has a strainer that can fit into the base should you need it. That would be an awesome helper for those moments when you find yourself pouring stock into jars and want to do a final strain.
Drink toppers are another fun gift for jar lovers. I’ve written about these a lot lately, so I won’t go into crazy depth about them, but they’re great. There’s Cuppow, EcoJarz, and a lid specifically for iced coffee from the Mason Bar Company (they’ll also sell you a straw if you want a plastic one. I like these stainless steel babies
better).
Once you turn your mason jar into a drinking cup, you need something to absorb the moisture and heat. That’s where a jar cozy or sleeve comes in. There are so many different Etsy shops making these. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Mason Bar Company (cute hand-crocheted cozies from the folks who sell the drink lids mentioned above).
- Greyslater (sleek waxed canvas sleeves).
- Fine + Dandy Knits (hand-knit cozies made from organic cotton, pattern is available).
- One Robin Road (charming cozies made from recycled sweaters. No two are alike).
- Cadron Creations (hand-crocheted cozies made to fit a variety of sizes, including the newly reissued pint & half jars).
- Two Tired Bike (mason jar sleeves made from recycled bike inner tubes. Great for jar lovers who adore their two wheeled transportation).
- Hide and True (hand-stitched leather sleeves. Spendy, but gorgeous).
- The Stowe (another leather sleeve, this time with a built-in handle).
Finally, the ultimate gift for jar loves is the Jars to Go tote from A Tiny Forest. Since I first wrote about the original two-jar bag, Kim has expanded the offerings in her shop to include a four-jar bag and single sleeves that fasten up over the top of the jar (perfect for packaging up super-special gift jars).
And since no gift guide is complete without a giveaway, here’s what I have for you today. There are two giveaway packs and we’ll have two winners. The first is from Kaufmann Mercantile and consists of a six-pack of 1/4 L straight-side Weck Jars and that lovely white enamel ladle pictured above. The second is a four-jar Jars to Go tote from A Tiny Forest in Kim’s signature blue-striped fabric (like this one).
Here’s how to get in on the giveaway:
- Leave a comment on this post and tell me about your favorite edible or culinary stocking stuffer (my favorite edible stocking stuffer is Pocky and my favorite culinary stocking stuffer is this little microplane nutmeg grater)
. - Comments will close at 11:59 pm on Saturday, December 8, 2012. Winners will be chosen at random and will be posted to the blog on Sunday.
- Giveaway open US residents only.
- One comment per person, please. Entries must be left via the comment form on the blog at the bottom of this post. I cannot accept submissions via email.
.
Cadbury mini Crunchie bars, and the BEST mini knife EVER for a stocking stuffer would be the Victorinox round tip paring knife.
My favorite edible stuffer would always be candy. As for culinary stuffer, would a pressure canner fit in?
I would love some cute paper straws in my stocking! I want some in every color. My big wish list item would be a copper jam pan, but I don’t think santa wallet is fat enough this year. 🙂
My favorite edible gift is candy and jams- they are always appreciated and can be eaten now or later
My big wish is a copper jam pot-preferrable old French. Happy Holidays!
My favorite edible is homemade candy and fudge. Yum! I would love those lovely jars.
Merry Christmas!
Peanut Brittle is a must for my stocking….and I LOVE whimsical pot holders
I always love getting m&ms in my stocking. My dream stocking would have a thermapen in it! Read this, Santa!!
Homemade candy!
I always get chocolate in my stocking. When I was a kid it was the giant Hershey Kiss and now it is some good dark chocolate.
It is a long standing tradition in our family to find a carefully wrapped marshmallow in each person’s stocking. Can’t say I like it, but it wouldn’t be Christmas without it.
I’m not a picky person…Anything Agrarian would be loved by me. Williams Sonoma has some lovely stuff!
Ghirardelli chocolate 🙂
My favorite stocking stuffer would be little spatuls and gadgets. And my favorite edible is the orange chocolate. Yummy. : )
I love to make and give away Irish Cream.
Bar none, my favorite stocking stuffer is the chocolate bar(s) that my husband will scour the area for. Last year it was a weird “firecracker” combo of chocolate and pop rocks (I know; gross, right? But it was pretty good!), and if he’s been paying attention at all this year, he’ll find a way to stuff some Trader Joes dark chocolate covered caramels with sea salt into my stocking (TJs just opened a store here, last month! Woooot!).
the orange in the toe of the stocking. tradition wins out on this one.
We put peanuts in the shell in our Christmas stockings. I make homemade candy and send it to our friends and family.
since i had a southern Mama, my favorite stocking stuffer is buttered pecans…hard to stop eating them! Or..homemade vanilla extract. mary in cincinnati
Clementines and brazil nuts were always in my stocking growing up. Classic wooden spoons are my favorite culinary stocking stuffer, so handy!
Microplane graters make a great stocking stuffer. The most frequent comment is “How did I ever live without one of these?”
My favorite homemade, edible stocking stuffer is candied pecans. I suppose my favorite culinary item to fit in a stocking would be wine bottle stoppers.
We always got a satsuma in our stocking. I always broke it open and ate it first, before opening presents… I loved them so much I put them in my kids stockings now.
My favorite edible stocking stuffer to give is Lavender Pear Preserves (delicious with warmed brie). To receive is chocolate – at the moment with a flavored sea salt.
Edibles: See’s Lollipops.
Favorite culinary stocking stuffer: Curved Silicone Spatulas or crocheted dish clothes.
I’m gonna be stocking-stuff nothing. Sorry: we’re Voluntarily Simplistic. This year it will be a massive engine overhaul for our daily driver and whumping up a new seed-starting tower. Whew, that’d make big stockings!
Oh, wait, I asked for some specific seeds, so MY stockings will be stuffed with imported Flageolet contraband. Don’t tell the fuzz, ok?? XD
My favorite stocking stuffer is chocolate! Cute holiday wrapped novelties for the kids and Fran’s Gold Bars or something from Theo’s for the adults! Yummy!
My favorite culinary stocking stuffer is a Microplane grater. Love the way they zest citrus.
My son loves Pocky! I too am a big fan of the Microplane in the stocking!
My favorite edible stocking stuffers are Lindt chocolate truffles. They are a treat I indulge in waaaaay too often during holiday season.
My favorite non-edible stocking stuffer is a teeny spatula. My boyfriend’s mom put one in my stocking last year and I thought it was a little ridiculous, but I have used it a lot this year, especially for scooping sticky ingredients out of measuring spoons.
those small 4-piece Whitmans candy boxes are lovely and inexpensive stocking stuffers.
Favorite edible stocking stuffer are pomegranates. Kids were big into them a few years back and were so delighted to find them in there stockings. So they’ve replaced the oranges we use to put in.
My favorite stocking stuffer is the orange my mom always puts in the bottom of my stalking, even now that I live half way across the country she still sends me my stalking and it still has the orange in it.
Favorite edible stocking stuffer is a big box of chocolate covered cherries. Yum!
My favorite edible stocking stuffer is Truffle Pig chocolates. My favorite culinary stocking stuffer is Trudeau one piece silicone spatulas. I hate two piece spatulas!
Edible-chocolate! preferably dark with hazelnuts. swoon….Non-edible? Gosh, right now I could use another pair of merino wool socks as it’s -26C. Thanks for the giveaway!
My favorite edible is dark chocolate covered KitKats that my husband brings home from London. They are the best!
Chocolate is always a welcome gift in my eyes:)
Stocking stuffer: See’s Candy
Nonperishable item: A microplane or bright colored citrus squeezer or heart shaped measuring spoons (a “pretty” and useful kitchen tool)
Santa usually brings chocolates and coffee beans 😉
Favorite stocking treats are homemade granola, peppermint bark, and pralines. Coffee and tea are favs also!
York Peppermint Patties in my stocking, please!
Candy canes and I like to give away wine openers. That’s culinary right?
An actually SHARP peeler and some salted caramels…
I love to get peanut brittle that my mom makes! Yummm….
My favorite treat is Reese’s Peanut Butter Trees. Somehow they taste better than the cups, lol.
Love my microplane grater because it does such a great job with zesting and grating ginger-nothing else I have does!
Chocolate in any form
For edible stocking stuffers, we usually get chocolates from this local place that has all sorts of strange shapes like hands and cars. And it’s totally delicious. I’ve never had to think about a culinary stocking stuffer, but I think salt and pepper shakers would be fun.
Last year I made a variety of candy “barks” which went over really well. I wish I had the Weck jars for the salad dressing mixes I gave to the newlyweds and college students.
I love buckeyes! Really, anything peanut butter and chocolate is my favorite. Non-edible, I love cookbooks, even though…they don’t fit in stockings very well!
A pipe dream, but a pound of Leonidas chocolates. 🙂
small sharp knives
The fragrance of clementines is ver powerful for me. I always put one or two in my children’s stockings
I love finding my mom’s homemade chocolate-covered seafoam (honeycomb to some people) in my stocking. It wouldn’t be Christmas without it!
Favorite edible stocking stuffer… definitely chocolate oranges!
peppermint chocolate bark
Peppermint bark from Askinosie Chocolate is my absolute favorite edible Christmas treat!
Any chocolate from our town chocolatier…yummy
Anything with chocolate and caramel. Or a regular microplane – best kitchen tool ever.
Edible- anything chocolate ; culinary – always like giving a good mixing spoon or a spatula that is one solid piece of silicon
best stuffer to leave: every year I make a pound plus of home- made chocolate ‘bark’: toasted almonds, cinnamon, raisins, sometimes cranberries and sweet preserved orange rind- or toasted hazel nut with vanilla extract. I have done a dark chocolate bar for my mom for I dunno how many years. And every year is better than the last. I love Mom. And to recieve? A gift card to Penzey’s Spices to refresh for the coming year.
Happy Baking <3
My favorite edible is fruit leathers. My mom gives us each a box every year.
My favorite culinary tool is kitchen towels. Or tongs.
My go to edible stocking stuffer is good dark chocolate bars full of nuts, fruit, cocoa nibs and other assorted tasting ingredients. I also am a firm believer that no stocking is complete without a bamboo mixing spoon or spatula.
Homemade caramels! I think the microplane is the perfect stocking stuffer.
My favorite edible is fancy chocolates, or a nice maple syrup, or even astronaut ice cream.
Chocolate covered cherries!!!
Homemade peppermint bark! Though I also wouldn’t mind finding a couple of Weck jars in there, too…
My favorite stocking stuffer is always a Microplane, I love those things.
I stuff every stocking with PEZ!
this giveaway is so good. I would *love* to win either set of goodies. as a kid, my fav edible stocking stuffer was real maple sugar candy, usually in the shape of a maple leaf or a little santa. I may need to find a couple of those for my kiddos. oh, and I just remembered butter rum lifesavers — those were such a treat. yummo.
Last year, I baked miniature pumpkin tea cakes (recipe from the Tartine cookbook) as a “stocking stuffer.” It was a huge hit — easy to make, easy to store, and delicious.
I love those little foil-wrapped chocolate coins–it’s both “ooo SHINY!” and “ooo CHOCOLATE!” all in one package. Mmm.
Since I usually spend Christmas in Oregon, my favorite edible stocking stuffer has become roasted hazelnuts. Always so yummy 🙂
I love our tradition of getting a tangerine in the toe of the stocking. I would like to get a microplane grater in my stocking this year (remove very carefully…!).
I love to get and share tea and perfect tea accessories. I’m sure the most perfect strainer is still out there and who doesn’t like a nice cup of chai on a cold winter morning.
My in-laws want for nothing, but my mother in law misses her mother in law’s canned tomatoes and my father in law who misses apple butter (which is “the only kind of butter you could get during the war”) so this year (my 2 year of canning) I filled a case of quart jars with processed garden tomatoes for my mother in law and I made 6 jars of apple butter for my father in law for Christmas. I hope they like them!
I would take any stainless utinsel from Williams Sonoma!!!
There is no gadget that I wouldn’t like in my stocking – I love them all! A new spatula… sure. Another microplane… ooh, I don’t have that size. I already have 5 different sizes of tongs, but would welcome those too!
Favorite edible stocking stuffer would have to be anything featuring chocolate and orange. Favorite culinary stocking stuffers are small heat-resistant rubber spatulas!
Marshmellow peeps of Christmas types, or a grand bottle of Bordeaux would work too! And an antique tile for the kitchen to place under a pot would be well loved.
I love the little Moonstruck chocolates shaped like animals or plants, like these:
http://www.moonstruckchocolate.com/p-547-moonstruck-chocolate-critter-truffle-collection.aspx. And as they typically sell them individually or in boxes of just four, I will often get them for friends or close co-workers for holidays or birthdays.
Reese’s peanut butter cups and bubble bath or shower gel!
Last year I received a new paring knife in my stocking and I loved it. The funnel with a strainer featured in your post is going on my last-minute wish list!
Edible favorite for the stockings are caramels – the best are homemade. A beautiful wooden or bamboo spoon is something special.
I do know I would love to find some pectin, vanilla beans, and cinnamon sticks in my stocking. For others I love getting other equally useful items, along with some not so useful ones!
My favorite food is that fudge made with that marshmallow fluff and walnuts. My favorite stocking stuffer would be a funnel or a ladle. I’m easy. Anything cooking or canning would be great.
My favorite edible stocking stuffer is the chocolate oranges that you whack open.
I put Ritter chocolate bars in my family’s stockings. This year in the Thanksgiving drawing for which cousins are giving which cousins gifts for Christmas, I drew the name of a cousin who brought homemade pickles to the Thanksgiving dinner. After reading this post, I think I’m going to give him some Ball jars, the BPA-free Ball twist on lids that are getting increasingly difficult to find, and a gift certificate to Penzey’s.
Chocolate dipped orange peel. Just seems very holiday-ish and a special treat.
I love lavender-infused edibles – candy, syrups, oils and so on. Favorite culinary stocking stuffer is wooden spoons.
I always get the single serving Nutella packages from World Market to stuff in our stockings.
My favorite edible stocking stuffer is popcorn: cheddar, caramel, buttered! My favorite culinary stocking stuffer: fancy schmancy measuring spoons. You can never have enough of either!
My favorite stocking stuffer is a Kuhn Rikon Y-peeler. And Reese’s cups are always great
A tangerine in the toe of the stocking. It simply isn’t christmas without one. As for favorite small tool, a microplane or stainless steel cookie dough scoop.
Truffles are the ultimate Christmas morning indulgence to discover in the stocking… plus a jar lifter would fit in there nicely :).
My favorite culinary stocking stuffer is this little tool…spreader on one end, little scoop on the other (perfect for getting the last bit of peanut butter out of the jar:)…and a Lindt chocolate ball to melt in your mouth!
Pez! We got Pez every year in our stocking as kids.
My favorite gift to give are Buckeyes, my friends count on them! My favorite edible give to receive is huge fresh pecans from a farm in Georgia – yum!
Best stocking stuffer – homemade truffles. Yum. Just don’t leave too close to that crackling fireplace.
My favorite edible stocking stuffer would be Cherry Mash; favorite culinary stocking stuffer is the stainless steel bar you use to wash the onion and garlic smell off of your hands, tied with crocheted cotton dishcloths. (I like these so well I may have to learn to crochet!)