Xmas hampers!!

[Scottishnewbie]

as a relative newbie to the whole veggie growing bit, i was interested to read someone's comment tonight about making chutney for xmas hampers....and, of course, i got to thinking what brilliant xmas presents these would make for family and friends. seems crazy to be thinking about it in April but can definately see the sense in it. So i'm wondering, what some of you guys put in yours to give me some ideas to get started.

it would be wonderful to be able to share with our family and friends some of our healthy home-grown 'stuff'!

many thanks

laura

[Two_Sheds]

You can have some of mine out of the cupboard. Mum makes tons of Plum Chutney etc and we get loads (but don't eat much)

What I do like is Chilli Jam, but she hasn't grown enough chillies yet to make some. http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/7...ato-chilli-jam

[Hilary B]

I haven't got a garden fit for producing much, so I do crab apple jelly, marmalade (lemon usually, or 'St Clements', everyone does seville orange!), and if I can find enough small bottles, sloe gin. I also make sweets (a bit of a speciality of mine anyway)

[Hans Mum]

i did hampers last year..... jams, pickles, chutney, pickled cabbage, and some eldberberry vodka. They went down a treat and I think people were impressed that it was all home made. I did buy some nicer jars for the stuff I put in hampers rather than just using the old ones I use normally, and did some labels on the PC which made a nice touch. I also read a tip somewhere and picked up some old school dresses at a car boot/charity shop (gingham checked ones) and cut those up into circles for covering the lids.

[SarzWix]

I always make Bramble Jelly because they're free, last year I went to a PYO farm and made heaps of strawberry jam too.
We make a lot of wine, with hedgerow ingredients like elderflowers & berries, more brambles, gooseberries, rhubarb.
Fruit vodka & sloe gin.
Lots of chilli & tomato sauces, chutneys & pickles.
Homemade fudge, mini Christmas cakes, mince pies with homemade mincemeat.

[Alison]

I've done various jams, chutneys, mini Christmas puddings and cakes but was thinking of possibly branching out this year and am intending to make some Rhubarb Schnapps and possibly some Raspberry Vodka also.

[HeyWayne]

I made onion marmalade, and courgette chutney last year. Gave a load of the chutney away at Christmas and everyone I gave it to loved it. Both recipes were from this site.

My first attempt on both cases.

[Gardenwitch]

I lover to make butters and will be making jams this year as well as fruit wines. Some examples:

Pumpkin Butter
Plum butter
chutneys of all kinds
homemade tomato sauces
jams of all kinds
blackberry wine
orange vodka
flavoured gins
etc

[blackkitty]

Plum gin (the years the plum tree produces well) summer fruit gin, from the PYO, home pickled beetroot, pickled gherkins, jam of various sorts depending on what fruit I can get, chutney - apple or pear and date or ginger, curried pickled onions (a South African specialty) and anything else I've forgotten.

[rogesse]

If it doesn't run away - I pickle it, beetroot and baby silverskin onions have always been appreciated as well as raspberry jam. I'm going to attempt gherkins this year so guess what will happen to them! Flavoured butters is novel, I may give that a go, perhaps with a nice stamp on it.

[Scottishnewbie]

these are brilliant folks - many thanks. Doubt if I'll be anywhere as good as you guys but I'll certainly plan to have some fun trying recipes out!

[Gardenwitch]

Thats the half of it Scottishnewbie just relax, have fun and most of all enjoy; people can taste the difference too