If you are like me, this holiday season just snuck up out of nowhere! Hard to believe that my own family’s holiday celebrations start in about 51 hours. That means I have 51 hours to clean the house, wrap the gifts, cook the pot roast and pack the car. Ahh!
It also means I have 51 hours to finish up my gift shopping which, I must admit, is nowhere near complete. And I bet I am not the only one.
The problem with last-minute gifts is that, by this point of the season, most of us have pretty much run out of creative thoughts. This year, though, we must resist the urge to cave and give our last-minute recipients bland gift cards or scarves or socks. They deserve unique gifts just as much as the folks we got out of the way early, right?
Consider this: an Ohio Proud gift basket.
Every product in these baskets is at least 50% raised, grown or produced in Ohio. You can run to your local grocery store, or to a specialty store such as Celebrate Local or The North Market or Simply Vague (if you are in Central Ohio) and stock up on some unique offerings. Buying Ohio Proud for the holidays will also help support local businesses in our community.
You could just throw a bunch of random Ohio Proud products together, but might I suggest a more fine-tuned approach? Here are four themed baskets we put together this week. Use them as a starting point to plan out the end of your holiday shopping.
Have someone on your list who loves to grill? Maybe a BBQ-themed basket would be perfect!
Contents of this basket include:
- Mike-sells Potato Chips (Dayton), BBQ Chips
- JC’s Sweet Ice Tea, LLC (Gahanna), Southern Style Sweet Tea
- The Gourmet Farm Girl (Delaware), BBQ dry rub & virgin olive oil
- Annie B’s Hometown BBQ Sauce (Cambridge), BBQ Sauce
- Shagbark Seed & Mill Company (Athens), Black Turtle Beans & Spelt Pasta
- Aimee’s Blue Ribbon Spices (Granville), Cool Cucumber Dill Dip mix
- Figg’s Liquid Innovations (Mansfield), Hot Apple Pie Cider
- Mom’s Gourmet (Newbury), Feisty Fish Rub, Brown Dog Ribba Ribba Rub & Far Out Feather Dust
- Frito Lay (Wooster), Potato Chips & Rold Gold Pretzels
Have a morning person on your list? A breakfast-themed basket would be great. They can entertain themselves with it while you sleep in!
Contents of this basket include:
- Circle S Farms (Grove City), Raspberry & Strawberry Preserves
- JC’s Sweet Ice Tea (Gahanna), Southern Style Sweet Tea
- Roger’s Honey (Baltimore), Pure Honey
- CaJohn’s Fiery Foods (Westerville), Raspberry Salsa
- Figg’s Liquid Innovations (Mansfield), Hot Apple Pie Cider
- Dolce’ Pizzelles Cookie Company (Hammondsville), Chocolate Gingerbread & Cappuccino
- Crimson Cup (Columbus), Armando’s Blend
- Aimee’s Blue Ribbon Spices (Granville), Peanut Butter Spread mix
Looking for something a little more daring? Do you have someone left on your list who likes to live a little on the edge? A hot & spicy Ohio Proud gift basket would be a great fit! It could literally bring them to tears.
Contents of this basket include:
- Confetti Peppers (Massillon), Jalepeno, Mild & Hot Pepper Ribbons
- Royal Fireworks Sauce (Columbus), A spicy sweet Explosion sauce & A sweet crescendo
- Mom’s Gourmet (Newbury), Red Dog Rub, Black Dog Belly Rub & Yellow Sweet Shake
- JC’s Sweet Ice Tea, LLC (Gahanna), Southern Style Sweet Tea
- Figg’s Liquid Innovations (Mansfield), Hot Apple Pie Cider
- CaJohn’s Fiery Foods (Westerville), Thai Spice & Jolokia hot sauce
- The Gourmet Farm Girl (Delaware), Spicy bean soup mix
- Mike-sells Potato Chips (Dayton), Sweet Chili Chips
- Scherer Foods, LLC (JacksonCenter), Saucy Sows Hot Spicy Pepper Mustard
Okay, so no morning people, or grill gods? A sweet & salty Ohio Proud gift basket is just the ticket. Something in there for everyone, no matter your tastes!
Contents of this basket include:
- Mike-sells Potato Chips (Dayton), Green Onion Chips
- Roger’s Honey (Baltimore), Pure Honey
- Aimee’s Blue Ribbon Spices (Granville), Citrus Zesy Cheese Ball mix
- Dolce’ Pizzelles (Hammondsville), Fudge & Candy Cane
- Annie B’s Hometown BBQ Sauce (Cambridge), BBQ Sauce
- Circle S Farms (Grove City), Raspberry & Strawberry Preserves
- Frito Lay (Wooster), Potato Chips & Rold Gold Pretzels
- Royal Fireworks Sauce (Columbus), Spicy, Sweet Mustard
- CaJohn’s Fiery Foods (Westerville), Black Bean Salsa
- Shagbark Seed & Mill Company (Athens), Corn Chips & Black Turtle Beans
- Scherer Foods, LLC (JacksonCenter), Saucy Sows Sweet Pepper Mustard
Well I hope this has helped you get those creative juices flowing! All that is left is to get out there and finish up that list! (and clean the house, and cook dinner, and do laundry, and wrap, and pack… I am going to need a holiday after this holiday is over!)
For more information about these products, other Ohio Proud products, more gift ideas and recipes, visit www.OhioProud.org.