Food-Related Gifts for the Holidays

How about your very own potential supply of black truffles? Adopt your choice of oak trees in France. When (and if) they start producing, you have the choice of receiving the truffles or having them sold at market.
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chocolate
chocolate

In the spirit of the holidays, here are some of the potential gift items that have caught the Accidental Locavore's fancy. This is not a personal wish-list, just some food-related ideas that you might find amusing to give or receive.

Adopt a truffle tree. How about your very own potential supply of black truffles? Adopt your choice of oak trees in France. When (and if) they start producing, you have the choice of receiving the truffles or having them sold at market. You're welcome to go to Gascony and visit your tree, but they ask that you leave your truffle-hunting pig at home.

Sous-vide made easy. This is a Kickstarter project I wish I'd seen before it closed! While I haven't done as much sous-vide cooking as my friend Zhu Zhu, what I have done (duck confit, salmon) has been magical. My slow cooker has been an admirable substitute for a sous-vide machine, but this looks like the best replacement that there's room in an NYC apartment for.

Chocolate. My good friend and maker of great chocolates, Elyissia, was one of the many victims of Sandy. The 2 Chicks With Chocolate factory was destroyed, but she's managed to resume production. Enjoy some amazing chocolate, give some great gifts and feel great about supporting a small business!

Things that are red. If the red spatula from GIR wouldn't put a smile on your face, how about a cheerful red sugar bowl? It's melamine from Portugal and would look great on the counter (hint, hint).

Cookbooks on Kindle. Because we're in the middle of a move, my goal is to not bring any new "stuff" into the apartment. The work-around? Cookbooks on Kindle so I'll have them on my iPad. I'm not sure why I was so slow to adapt. At the top of my list? Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi.

Eating your way through a class. Here in New York, we've got tons of food-related classes to take. One at Murray's caught my eye. Who wouldn't enjoy champagne, fois gras, truffles (if you can't wait for your tree to produce) and their amazing cheeses? Or, if you really want to play with your food, try Molecular Gastronomy at Brooklyn Kitchen.

Meat. We so loved having our eighth of a cow from Brykill Farm that we're going to do it again. Next up, half a pig -- if we can find one locally in the spring. If you don't have quite that much freezer space, how about a Dickson's meat card? There's a choice of pork or beef and they just punch your card as you pick up your cuts. Great idea, right? And if you want to treat yourself, pick up a pound or two of their amazing bacon.

Spread the love. This one won't cost you a penny, but will be hugely appreciated (mostly by me)! Forward this to a friend. Have them sign up for the newsletter and get all the latest blogs along with other Locavore-inspired news and fun. Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook likes would be lovely too. Who knows, there may be a special surprise for you and them?

Have a wonderful holiday season!

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