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.
.
My favorite edible stocking stuffer is Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark with Dark Chocolate. Non-edible would be the “dangly” earrings my kids always give me.
Homemade needhams.
The best culinary small gift–vanilla beans! I also love to put up lots of 4oz jars to gift, one, two, three at a time.
Favorite edible is Fudge! And I love anything shiny in my stocking…..electronics, jewelry………car keys….. 🙂
Edible? Used to love getting the lifesavers story book! And my favorite culinary item was my microplane zester!
My fave culinary stocking stuffer is Penzey’s vanilla extract and one of their many cinnamons (I like their most recent edition which is a blend of several cinnamons a lot! A little bit spicy, a little bit soft, very fragrant…) . I put these two items in the stockings of the bakers in my family. Hot chocolate mixes are another favorite and homemade salts, especially rosemary salt.
I think my new favorite stocking stuffer is going to be glass dharma straws, I just love them and think everyone should have them 🙂
I like to get Amond Roca…or even more special, Macadamia Nut Roca.
I love giving pretty dish towels as stocking stuffers. I found some with all kinds of canning jars on them – giving to my jam making cousin.
My favorite gift to give not receive is the look of joy on a persons face when they see any home canned or baked goody they get from my kitchen…it is priceless to me to see their expression and thankfulness set on their expression and in their eyes.
Love this post! Thanks for sharing it with us!
Over the last four years, I’ve been making homemade mustard and put them in the little 4-oz. jars, so they make great stocking stuffers or office gifts for co-workers. They are also starting to be ‘wished for’ by those who’ve received them in the past several Christmases.
So funny- the microplane is my favorite, too! I use it for nutmeg, lemon zest, parm, etc.
My favorite edible treats are Rosemary Brown Sugar Walnuts from 101 Cookbooks. Yum!
My favorite stocking stuffer would be a variety of loose leaf teas and the new tea pot from Davids Tea that you put loose leaf tea in and it disperses the tea through the bottom when placed on a cup.
Oh my favorite culinary has to be a wine opener and the best edible… anything chocolate but I really like those Terry Chocolate Oranges –
My favorite edible stocking stuffer is Almond Roca. My culinary item is a metal pasta spoon. While visiting “back home” a few years ago while my soldier husband was deployed I cooked at everyone’s house. It drove me crazy that no one had a pasta spoon! That year each family received one along with some of the recipes I prepared that they had enjoyed.
My favorite is definitely OXO tongs.
I love getting dark chocolate and a wine opener!
I love this dark chocolate fudge with caramel & sea salt on it. My favorite non-edible gifts are gift cards to my favorite places so I can use them whenever I want & get exactly what I want/need.
Hope you are feeling better!
One of my favorite stocking stuffers ever was a tiny heat proof silicone spatula. I thought it was kind of silly at the time, but I’ve used it way more than I thought I would. You don’t always need a huge spatula, especially with 2 people. I have been coveting Weck jars for a while…. Also any nice teas in a stocking are a nice break from all the sweets around xmas.
Clememtines + powdered sugar shaker.
dark chocolate and sea salt covered almonds
My favorite stocking stuffer is little jars of brandied cherries I steep in July. I’m from Michigan, the nation’s cherry capitol, and it’s great to give a local food gift.
We love to give homemade items! Favorites include hot pepper jelly and vanilla extract.
I love anything chocolate in my stocking and I think those cute porcelain measuring spoons as a stocking stuff would be awesome.
My favorite edible stocking stuffer is mini Christmas reeses pb cups!
When my children were little their favorite stocking stuffers were the little boxes of junky cereal because that was the only time they got it. Back then, they were lined so you could open the perforations, pour the milk and eat the sugary stuff right out of the box.
My mom always put 100% maple sugar candies from Vermont in our stockings, and I looked forward to them every year. Now she and I both live a ways away from Vermont, so I don’t get them anymore.
There is usually a Toblerone in my stocking…
My favorite edible stocking stuffer is chocolate, for eating and drinking. As for culinary stuff, this year I’m hoping for a new pancake flipper and a bread knife. That ladle would be lovely too.
Maybe a pocket thermapen? That would be my ideal, though pricey, stocking stuffer. It’s the right size at least!
My favorite stocking stuffer candy is dark chocolate almond turtles and I like to put nice wooden spoons in my daughters stocking.
I live most of the year in the UK so for Christmas I give out Cadbury and McVitie’s biscuits
Favorite culinary stuffer is glass straws! I love those things! Favorite edible is 4oz jars of caramel sauce 🙂
I love the Oxo mini measuring cups as stocking stuffers. Perfect to measure up to 4 Tbs.
Our tradition is a Terry’s Chocolate Orange in every stocking.
My local spice house makes a blend called “Vulcan Fire Salt” that is divine on popcorn or in bloody mary’s. I’m excited to try it in my homemade v12 juice next year!
my favorite stocking stuffer to give is something homemade, my favorite to receive is jewelry from my sister, she has great taste!
My favorite edible stocking stuff is Mallo bars (my mom is from PA, near Hershey, and these were always a treat from Grandma) and my favorite culinary stocking stuffer is a tiny strainer, just right for sauces and gravys that are still just a little lumpy…
BTW – anyone ever can Jezebel Sauce? I’ve found lots of recipes but they are all for the refrigerator.
While its to large to fit in a stocking i got a coffee burr last year from a canning friend and I use it for everything but coffee. Mostly spices or grains I want into flour.
My favorite edible stocking stuffer is the traditional walnuts and clementine that Santa leaves in the toe of the stocking. The clementine just tastes so great after a day filled with decadent treats and flavorful meals and of course the walnuts are just fun to crack out of their shells!
Hmmm. Truffles are a great stocking stuffer 🙂 Handmade ones too! I also like to give friends vanilla syrup and some locally roasted coffee beans.
In my stocking is usually lindt white Chocolate truffles. And my culinary stutter would be new wooden spatulas or fun dish towles(love them!)
Love those mini bottles of interesting liquors, and really good vegetable peelers.
Favorite edible andies candies and inedible would have to be any new handy gadget for my kitchen last year was my ceramic paring knife
Chocolate Santa. There has to be one in each stocking, every year, because that’s his calling card!
My favorite edible stocking stuffer is pretty much any kind of chocolate.
This year, the favorite will be the fresh roasted coffee from our local Cabin Coffee Co., who has developed “Honor Blend” as a great fundraiser for my Boy Scout Troop here in Mason City, Iowa. Thanks for sharing your gifts!
My favorite edible stocking stuffer is any kind of chocolate, and my favorite culinary stocking stuffer would have to be wooden spoons, you can never have too many wooden spoons.
My favorite edible stocking stuffer is my daughter’s Spiced Blueberry Jam!
My favorite edible stocking stuffers are those great chocolate oranges that become common around christmas and ferrero rocher, they are so pretty and tasty. And I like getting and giving potholders because i always somehow destroy mine. And cookie cutters especially those pretty copper ones. I use the nonholiday themed all year round and like how they look on the shelf in their jar when not in use.
My favorite stocking stuffer is a jar of Grade B New York State maple syrup, which I never buy for myself. Thankfully my parents still live in sugar country in Upstate New York, so my mom always remembers a jar of syrup for me! Mom also owns a home-goods store, so my stocking is usually stuffed with fun tea towels and holiday-themed dish towels too. I absolutely adore them!
I am simple, my favorite edible is any kind of candy especially if it has hazelnuts (Baci and Toffifay). But now I am dreaming of a stocking filled with cheese.
My favorite edible stocking stuffers are chocolate Santa’s and marshmallow trees from See’s (http://www.sees.com/Cat.cfm/Christmas_Gifts) because these always showed up in our stockings when we were kids.
My favorite stocking stuffer would be a Thermapen. Drat 🙂 didn’t win the drawing!
But our traditional one is an orange. My folks grew up during the Great Depression and even though oranges are pretty ordinary now, once they weren’t. My dad (now 99) likes to tell about the first orange he ever had — a Christmas present given at Sunday School and how he took it home to share with his mother.
Edible: has to be a chocolate orange, lots of happy Christmas memories of the inventive ways I used to break apart when I was a kid.
Culinary: I would love a funnel or other gadgets to make my canning process easier
Merry Christmas!
My favorite edible Christmas gift to give or receive is thin mints, non-edible, you can never have too many silicone spatulas, in the smaller size.
My favorite stocking stuffer is whatever my husband puts in there! From oranges to cookbooks, I am thrilled when he thinks of me! Secretly, I love dark chocolate anything.
Happy everything!
My favorite edible stocking stuffer are Mozartkugel and my favorite culinary stocking stuffer is Zyliss Smoothglide Peeler.
My favorite edible stocking stuffer is caramel, I have been tweaking and perfecting my caramel recipe for 8 years now 🙂 there is no end in site. If I ever feel that it is perfect I will probably become bored of cooking it.
Oh goodness, let’s see….
Edible: I’d have to go with the Book ‘O Lifesavers. I get one every year in my stocking and has a ton of memories for me.
Non-edible: Silicone spoonulas! I can never have enough. Hmmm, I wonder if a 4th-burner pot would fit in a stocking….
My favorite edible stocking stuffer is dark semi-sweet chocolate or Andes Mints. My favorite culinary stocking stuffer would be jars for storing dried herbs.
Edible: Homemade pickled green beans are such a treat this time of year.
Culinary: I got my boyfriend a sweet spatula for his stocking this year. I’d like a good looking wine stopper.
I’d have to say my favorite edible stocking stuffer is anything with chocolate, as long as it’s the good stuff like Lindt, Dove, Turtles, etc.
I’d really like to get a silicon spatula as a stocking stuffer.
For stockings this year the men in my life are getting refrigerator pickles and the ladies, pear/vanilla jam and cantaloupe /vanilla jam. Hard to part with these yummies but I love my family more!
I love putting homemade candy in the stocking although this year I am a bit obsessed with cake lollypops. For tools I am a fan of wooden spoons in the stockings.
edible gift would be smoked nuts inedible gift would be wooden spoon or spatula
I like Toblerone bars in my stocking stuffer 🙂
Maple sugar leaf candies
I LOVE toffifee chocolates, and culinary…hmmmm, I think I would like a nice garlic press.
Hmmm… edible gift? Sea salt of some form, I think. If not that, bread. Any kind. Or granola – a definite classic.
Haven’t had a stocking in a long time now but would love to find a jar of maple cream in one! Yum. Thanks!
My favorite edible gift are homemade rice krispie treats. Always a crowd pleaser!
My favorite edible stocking stuffer is Hershey’s kisses. My grandma used to put them in pretty little boxes in my stocking as a kid.
My favorite stocking stuffer has been chocolate covered figs…. yummy. And any new tool would be great to get.
Chocolate mint bells that were discontinued.
Something that’s both useful and decorative, like little Anthropologie measuring spoons.
Edible: sea-salt caramels
Culinary: microplane (it has changed my life, I love to share the goodness)
My brother-in-law looks forward to a jar of my spicy pickled carrots in his stocking. It’s a pleasure to see his happy face when he opens it.
Edible-Chocolate oranges
Culinary- sturdy, pretty cup measurers
edible would be chocolate, culinary would be spatula
My favorite edible stocking stuffer would be mini peanut butter cups – love those things! And my favorite culinary stocking stuffer would be a zester.
edible would be Reese’s peanut butter cups in the shape of Christmas trees
culinary would be a flat wire whisk
remember those chocolate oranges you used to thump on the bottom, and then they’d fall into little segments? I loved those things! culinary stocking stuffer would be an Oxo vegetable peeler – everyone has those horrible metal ones, and they’re invariably about 20 years old and dull as cardboard.
Hmm, edible I would have to say anything chocolate, probably chocolate truffles the most. As for culinary, definitely wooden spoons. You can never have too many of those, ha.
Coconuts!
I have no idea why it’s a tradition in my family, but it’s an awesome one.
My favorite edible stocking stuffer is chocolate… as kids we always got those chocolate oranges and my heart still has a fondness for them. winterwrens at gmail dot com
I’d love to have home made marshmallows for my edible stocking stuffer and my culinary stocking stuffer would be a Japanese mandoline!
I like to give dark chocolate candies from our local chocolate shop, Aunt Charlotte’s( it’s in Merchantville, NJ)
To give, I like to include the small 4 oz jars of a canned jam. I opened a jar of jam that did not set and had it with yogurt…mmmmm. So I may be giving some of those this year…all by design of course 😉
Edible would be dark chocolate covered nuts. Culinary would be the mason jar covers! ! I love all the different types! 😉
My favorite edible stocking stuffer is my childhood favorite from Grandma: walnuts in the shell! Favorite non-edible would be silicone jar openers.
Edible: chocolate of any kind.
Culinary: the last few years my dad has been finding a two for one deal on knives at Macy’s and has gotten my mom and I each a really nice knife in our stocking. New rubber scrapers are also a favorite.
I love chocolate covered cherries in my stocking, also those gummy life saver packs. I’ve never really given or received any culinary stocking stutters but I bet a nice set of chopsticks would be a good one!
My favorite stocking stuffer to give others is the Kuhn Ricon Vegetable peeler.
I love to receive small packages of loose teas chosen especially for me.
My favorite stocking stuffer gift was the actual stocking! My husband used oven mitts as a stocking one year! Still use them 🙂
OMG…I thought we were the only household in the country that puts Pocky in the stockings!
I likegiving Violet Crumble, an Aussie candy bar, in stockings!
Edible: chocolate (Lindt or homemade fudge)
Culinary: microplane zester
But, really, I’d be pleased with ANY edible or culinary gifts!
edible is either dark chocolate covered cranberries or those little tins from Republic of Tea to try out new flavors.
Non edible is mini spatulas, or mini tins of seasonings to try out.
(I love mini things so you can find a new fav without having to buy a huge size)
edible stocking stuffer is always some sort of chocolate/marzipan goody.
culinary gift=my mom bought me a nordicware bundt pan this year and gifted it early, have been making at least one bundt cake every week since before Thanksgiving! Thanks Ma!