Sustainable homemade gifts that no one will ever want to re-gift

Posted by

November 11, 2024

On December 20, 2021

Introduction to Sustainable Homemade Gifts

Making a meaningful gift is an art. Nevertheless, to surprise and make your loved ones happy with a gift, you don’t have to be rich or a Fine Arts graduate.
Sustainable gifts are very trendy, especially in recent years; and it’s not only me who thinks so: just type the words on the most used search engine and you’ll get over 10 million results!
However, I highly doubt that to make happy a friend or a relative a true environmentalist, buying the umpteenth kit for the cultivation of mushrooms, the plantable pencils or the set for sprouts, from the “dreaded and colossal cartel for online purchases”, can guarantee the desired success.
I’d like to specify right away that I’m obviously referring to tangible ideas that we can prepare ourselves at home, with the commitment and sincere care that our loved ones deserve, so let’s talk about sustainable homemade gifts.

Characteristics of a sustainable gift:

it must be made with local and/or fair-trade ingredients: this reduces CO2 emissions and negative consequences on the climate; moreover it generates an input on the local economy, meaning the common wealth for workers;
it should contain zero plastic (except those to be recycled): this year let’s make a gift also to the environment and to future generations, avoiding objects and packaging containing plastic, which is everywhere, even in maternal milk;
it must be useful to those who receive it: no more knick-knacks or objects that are of no use to anyone; it is time to reduce, if not eliminate, thoughtless consumption.

10 delicious ideas for sustainable homemade gifts!

1) Homemade jam

Made with organic and local fruit, perhaps with little sugar – this is my husband’s favorite gift, as he loves his oatmeal, sweet and fragrant.
If the friend in question has been so good to you this year, you can be even more generous and give them a nice basket of mixed jams; for example, lemons, oranges, and chestnuts (find out how to make chestnut jam here).
To make lemon marmalade you can use 600 grams of organic lemons with edible peel, 200 grams of brown sugar (or more, if you like it sweeter), the juice of one lemon and 75ml of water (or more, if you like it less thick):
Soak the lemon slices (after washing very well) for 2 nights, changing the water at least 4-6 times. Then boil them together with the sugar and the water for about 1 hour; then add the lemon juice and boil for a few more minutes and put them in sterile jars according to the procedures given by the Ministry of Health of your country.

2) Sundried tomatoes in extra virgin olive oil

I just got a big jar of these a few days ago – with all my good will, it’s hard to get them to Christmas lunch, as good as they are.
So if you listened to me and made your own sun-dried tomatoes for the winter, you should now have the raw material for sustainable homemade gift number two.
But don’t worry, in case you don’t have them (read this article for the next tomato season) you can also buy them: better if organic, they don’t cost much even then.

The procedure of sundried tomatoes in extravirgin olive oil is very easy:

soak the sun-dried tomatoes with red wine vinegar (or just water; or put them in oil still dry, without soaking); after squeezing them of the vinegar lay them in a sterilized jar, along with coarse salt, garlic to taste, capers, thyme, oregano (optional); fill with evo oil, pressing everything well so that air bubbles come out.
You can also gift them without putting them under vacuum, to be kept in the refrigerator for a maximum of 7 days; otherwise, perform the classic procedure of preservation (they would last 3 months), always following the instructions of the Ministry of Health for ensuring food safety.

3) Lacto-fermented vegetables (Sauerkraut) rich in probiotics

Here’s a gift that’s definitely healthy, easy to prepare and really very economical, even using organic and seasonal vegetables: after all, how much do you want cabbage to cost!
You’ll hit the jackpot if the recipient of this sustainable homemade gift is someone who is aware of the value and importance of probiotics.

The process of making Sauerkraut is very simple:

Wash a cabbage well, posibly with hot water and cut it finely into strips. In a large container, mix it with rock salt or non-iodized sea salt (it should have a concentration of 2.5% per 1 kilo of vegetables – in other words, use about 1 tablespoon of rock salt) and release the liquid from between the cell walls, but don't throw it away!
In a large sterilized jar place 1 garlic, some coriander seeds, bay leaf and black pepper seeds if you like; add the cabbage strips along with its water and repeat at least 2-3 times the stuffing with the garlic and the rest.
Place a weight on top of everything so that the cabbage is soaked in its own water, then close the lid.
Vent every 24 hours for 3 consecutive days leaving the jar in a dark and cool place (otherwise, the risk of explosion due to the gases produced by lactic acid bacteria, is more than likely).
After about 5-7 days your sauerkraut will be ready and rich in probiotics: starting today, you will bring them to the table of the New Year.

4) A beautiful bouquet of edible herbs and flowers

No, the poinsettia is not a good gift idea for an environmentalist.
To be able to grow a tropical plant in a temperate climate like ours, you need greenhouses; and since it is a photoperiodic plant, it needs lots of lighting and many phytochemicals.

As an alternative I propose a beautiful bouquet, able to satisfy all the senses and rich in nutraceutical properties.
To ensure that it remains a sustainable gift, buy strictly herbs and smells from organic farming: in the end they do not cost much.
The bouquet I recently received contains bay leaf, thyme, mint and rosemary: beautiful and very fragrant. But you could enhance it further with dried chillies, nasturtium flowers, or marigolds (for those who live in hot areas).
Rummage around the house among the things to recycle to wrap it: in case you do not find anything, a cloth napkin will be much appreciated.

5) Fragrant, tasty and fit cookies

A nice box of cookies, made with little extra virgin olive oil, whole wheat flour, little sugar (better not refined) and that can maintain their crispness for up to 20 days, immediately brings the Christmas spirit into the house.
Italian wine cookies are vegan and can be made with orange peel and cinnamon, or fennel seeds or hazelnuts (to see the super easy and budget-friendly recipe click here).

6) Fruit leather rolls filled with dried fruit

A delicious and healthy gift, 100% natural that will win everyone over… But intended only for real friends: because it requires a little more effort than other recipes, if you don’t already have the main ingredient: the fruit leather (in this article you can see how to make it with seasonal fruit).
If you already have the fruit skin, the process is very simple: just cut it into strips, fill with a filling containing nuts and peanut butter (or almond butter) and create small rolls to eat in one bite.
Place them inside small paper cups and create a package that can add a touch of magic to the tastiest of sustainable homemade gifts.

7) Herbal tea mix for those long winter nights

All you have to do is head to the herbal store and buy your favorite dried fruits and herbs and give them as gifts on their own or with enticing mixes.
I have an advantage because I love to forage, that is, collect fresh ingredients from nature itself and dry them myself: such as linden, hibiscus, chamomile, eucalyptus, mallow, blackberry flowers, rose flowers, pomegranate flowers, etc.. Or fresh or dried fruits such as apples, oranges, rose hips, lemons, red berries, quince; and of course spices such as cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, star anise, mint, rosemary, sage etc.
The mix I prefer when I’m feeling down physically is composed of: flowers and leaves of lime, lemon peels, orange, dried or fresh ginger, cinnamon sticks; to be completed with 1 tablespoon of honey and lemon juice.
When I want a romantic and reassuring herbal tea I use: cinnamon sticks, cloves, karkadè, dried apples and some rose flowers; already sweet thanks to the presence of apple and cinnamon, it does not require other sweeteners.

8) Potpourri of lactic acif ferments, yeasts and microorganisms

Self-production is the key to a sustainable existence; never having to buy bread, yogurt, kefir, kombucha and so on again is the best gift to receive when you care about health and environmental issues.
Sourdough starter is easily prepared at home (read my successful guide here); while for yogurt, kefir grains (both milk and water) and kombucha scoby, you have to go to the pushers (also called donors). The only thing you have to do is sanitize the glass containers and add a few spoonfuls of your treasure, thus accomplishing the most beautiful demonstration of friendship: sharing.
In the same way, gifting directly the sourdough bread with carob flour, spelt bread with liquid sourdough, yogurt which is far better than store-bought ones, ready-made kefir or kombucha could be even more appreciated by some friends.

9) Healthy homemade granola

By now, many people are done with croissants and cappuccino; the most popular trend for breakfast is granola (a kind of baked muesli, therefore crunchy and very tasty); but the ones on the market are often full of sugars and fats of dubious quality.
By the way, making granola at home with healthy and tasty ingredients is really too easy and inexpensive: you could do it just for the smell!

Ingredients for a perfect granola:

400g oatmeal
200g dried fruit such as hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
200g raisins, red fruits, dried apricots
40g evo oil
100g honey
zest and juice of one orange

Very simple process for making granola:

Step 1. Mix the oil, orange juice and honey in a container.

Step 2. Add oats and chopped nuts (except raisins or red berries) and bake in oven at 150 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Step 3. Add the dried fruit and bake for another 15 minutes.

Step 4. Once cooled, pour into the containers you will use for these delicious, healthy, and appreciated sustainable homemade gifts.

10) Sprouts grown by you

No one can remain indifferent to the tenderness and nutraceutical richness of sprouts.
They are the favorite gifts of those who want something reliable, plus you are spoiled for choice: alpha alpha, lentils, broccoli, mung beans, mustard, red cabbage (also beautiful to see) are waiting to become a joy for the eyes and the immune system. They cost little and the only two things they require are water and a little love; and they meet all the criteria of sustainable gifts: local, plastic-free and very useful.
To find out all the steps you can read about them here.

Dear friends, whatever you have decided to gift, I am sure it will be heartily appreciated.

Otherwise you can always make a donation in the name of the person receiving the gift, in favor of environmental associations; or even in favor of CHE Food Revolution that tries to bring some awareness to your food choices, without the annoying and conditioning interference of advertisements!

Happy revolution, merry Christmas, and bon appétit for all those sustainable homemade gifts