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
If I didn’t already have a stainless steel funnel, I might opt for this one
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
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)
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- 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.
Disclosure: Kaufmann Mercantile sent me the ladle seen above for photography purposes. Kaufmann Mercantile and A Tiny Forest have both provided the giveaway items at no cost to me. No vendor mentioned above paid for placement.
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My favorite edible stocking stuffers are oranges. We grew up getting huge ones in the bottom of our stockings and have tried to carry that tradition on with our kids. I love anything unusual for the kitchen. I bought my own stocking stuff for this year already… a marble mortar and pestle!! Been wanting one forever!!
Our stockings always have those little French bonbon in the mental containers. It would not be Christmas without them!
My favorite edible stocking stuffers is the sea salt and dark chocolate coated almonds from Trader Joe’s (repackaged to look prettier and to keep anyone from eating a full pound in one sitting – not that it’s has EVER happened, of course!). My favorite non-edible stocking stuffer are fancy chopsticks and chopstick rests in different patterns.
Spices from Penzey’s.
A favorite edible stocking stuffer would have to be peppermint bark!
I’d have to say my favorite edible stocking stuffer is chocolate coins…reminds me of my childhood. Favorite tool would probably be a cookie cutter for my collection. It’s getting harder for my kids to find one I don’t have!
I love getting some chocolate with almonds.
Spiced nuts…the best
Hmm…my favorite edible stocking stuffer? Hey, wait a minute…I never got an edible stocking stuffer?! I’m thinkin’ something chocolatey and peanut buttery…yeah
As far as kitchen tools…wooden spoons…any kind…that’d be nice.
We always have an orange in the toe of our stockings — not so exotic as when the tradition started, but it’s a tasty pre-breakfast snack and the scent of fresh orange and pine is one of those wonderful Christmas smells!
One of my favorite stocking stuffer tools are new wooden spoon/scrapers from Whole Foods. They are very reasonable, very practical & very cute when you add a bow.
Edible stuffer: peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate! Culinary Stuffer: my amazing garlic press. By the way, Kaufmann Mercantile is amazing, as is their blog. If you haven’t seen it, be sure to check it out!
My favorite edible stuffer–candy coal, of course (doesn’t everyone deserve to be a little bit bad..!). My favorite culinary one–the glass turkey baster with cleaning brush (hate the gooky stuff that ends up staying in the small pointy baster end!), which I ended up using that day to finish off the Christmas turkey! What a great list you’ve compiled–I’ve forwarded it along to my husband as some gift hints….!!
I love getting Maraschino cherries by Luxardo. They make them the way maraschinos were made in the 1920s-40s. They’re luscious! Excellent for Manhattans!
It was a banner GreenTomatoPickle year for my lucky recipients
My favorite edible stocking stuffer? Chocolate cherries or chocolate mint creams. Favorite tool ever was my tiny Japanese ginger grater shaped like a lotus.
So my favorite edible stocking stuffer is totally a tiny bag of coffee beans with the greatest culinary gadget: a single-cup collapsible coffee maker. I’ve received this but haven’t given it – but totes my favorite.
My favorite edible stocking stuffer is vegan fudge, my favorite culinary stocking stuffer this year is an EcoJarz lid. I have to admit – I cheated and bought myself the lid last week.
My family tradition is to always add an orange first (so it sits in the toe of the stocking). Next is the chocolate!!! This year, I bought some nice loose leaf tea and packets of chai tea. My favorite gadget: a tea steeper.
I like to give spicy pickled green beans – they make great bloody mary stir sticks and the brine is a great addition to the drink. I ordered 24 Cuppow drink toppers for family stocking stuffers as well.
My favorite edible stocking stuffer is Ritter Sport chocolate bars! They are absolutely delicious and somehow seem fancier than regular chocolate bars
Ooooo! What treats!
My favorite stocking stuffers are vosge dark chocolate bacon bars!!!! Mmmmm!
And fancy homemade herbal salts.
I did recieve the little nutmeg grater and some nutmegs last year, LOVE that gift!
Thank-you for the generous give-aways!
Chocolate! (Of course…)
I love to put kitchen tools in stockings, and long handles fit so well and look interesting poking up from the top. The ladle would be perfect. I’ve also used silicone brushes and bamboo handled spatulas. But, a Weck jar of homemade marmalade would be my kind of gift.
My favorite edible stockings stuffers are Jelly Belly beans and pistachios. My favorite “gadget” is a small wire whisk/rubber scraper, to go with a minisize pancake mix for the day after Xmas
My favorite edible stocking stuffer is an chocolate “orange” from Terry’s. They’re a tradition in our family and there would be howls of outrage if they didn’t appear on Christmas morning.
My favorite edible stocking stuffer is Vosages chocolate. Num num. My favorite culinary stuffer would be a gift card to William Sonoma. I could live in that store.
This year the stockings will have tiny jars of your Tomato Jam as I made tons of it. Oh, and I’ll put in some home made Old-Fashioned Cinnamon Hard Candy. I will also include hand knitted dish cloths. Simple and festive. Thanks for the link to the Kaufmann’s site. Totally cool!
I love chocolate in stockings, of course. Every year I give my dad Swedish fish. My mom gets cashews every year.
This year Oldest Son’s stocking will be filled with culinary needs, plastic spatula and tongs for a nice non-stick griddle, a garlic press, and a citrus squeezer.
I have ordered quite a few things from Kaufman Mercantile, LOVE that site.
I love to give dark chocolate salted caramels made by a local chocolate shop. Such a delicious treat!
The chocolate orange whack-it!! I think the only kitchen tool is a tea ball.
All those gifts are so beautiful!
My favorite edible stocking stuffer are those orange flavored chocolate balls that you can break apart into little segments, like a real orange. It might not be the fanciest thing in the world, but it’s a tradition. So I always look for it every year.
My favorite edible stocking stuffer is any kind of chocolate.
candied walnuts is the best edible stocking stuffer
Any tasting salt would be perfect as a stocking stuffer, or homemade fig jam!
I like giving homemade candies or truffles or jam for stocking stuffers, though I’d be hard pressed to say what my favorite is. As for my favorite culinary stocking stuffer that I’ve received, I think it has to be my frother. Hot chocolate frothed to perfection is such a lovely holiday treat!
My favorite edible stocking stuffer is a Terrys’ (dark) Chocolate Orange. Just the perfect size to share with my three grandchildren.
Any type of Chocolate! : )
home made vanilla extract
I did little jars of homemade vanilla extract last year.
My mom and dad gave us all whisks the other year – they’re not the normal balloon whisk format, they have little balls on the bottom of each ‘strand’. They work amazingly well, especially for things that tend to get lumps otherwise.
I always love those little dark chocolate covered salted caramels. Yum!
Favorite edible stocking (or wooden shoe) stuffer is Droste Pastilles. The milk chocolate/bittersweet blend is my way favorite but there is no bad Dutch chocolate as far as I can tell. My mom always receives new dishtowels/cloths in her stocking since she doesn’t like chocolate.
My kids always get the toes of their stockings full of little chocolates (we’re really mean parents, so they don’t get much candy during the rest of the year
Our friends get little gift bags with a combination of my husband’s sweet walnuts and my spicy pecans. When I’m feeling super motivated I’ll tuck a few handmade truffles in too.
clementines and chocolate covered cherries!!
oh yum- is it christmas yet??
on a different note- i ordered the ecojarz lids after seeing them here on your site. what a great find. i had no idea that anyone was making these. i, too, tote my iced tea EVERYWHERE i go in a mason jar. i cannot believe i didn’t think of this idea myself!
thanks for the tip, and the give away.
My favorite holiday treat for the stocking is a chocolate smash orange.. ohh I love those.
My favorite stocking stuffer kitchen item was my Pampered Chef can opener.
for my family we always do clementines and peppermint bark and last year i recieved a cuppow jar lid….excellent post
For those tall jars the best culinary stocking stuffer for me has to be a mayonaise spatula.
Our family’s traditional edible stocking stuffers are clementines (satsumas) – they make a nice round lump!
My favorite edible stocking stuffer is probably candy – homemade fudge or store bought raspberry or orange jelly sticks covered in chocolate (can’t remember what they’re officially called). My favorite culinary stocking stuffer – wooden spoons! Who doesn’t need more? I still have a giant one my mom cooked with and it makes me feel like she’s in the kitchen with me when I use it.