Bird Cakes
by Donna Moran
I like to attract birds to my garden all year round. During all the seasons
they look forward to my bird cakes. These can be kept in the freezer until ready
to put out in a mesh bag or wire suet cage. The little clinging birds like
tufted titmouse, chickadee, and woodpeckers wait in line to get a bite. To make
your own suet, save bacon drippings and chicken fat all year long. Keep in the
freezer and melt down when ready to use. Ask friends to save some for you and in
exchange give them some bird cakes for their yard. This also makes a nice gift
for a bird watcher friend. Use festive muffin wrappers and gift tags.
Melt suet and add to other ingredients in a large bowl. Mix with
a wooden spoon. Line muffin cps with paper liners. Press mixture into cups and
place in refrigerator until firm. Transfer to plastic bags and keep in freezer.
Can also be kept in a cold garage or enclosed porch.
Herbal Calendar Box
by Tamara Gruber
A kind and thoughtful gift that can be made for
as little or as much money as you choose, by putting your own special brand of
creativity to work. A lovely gift for either a gardener or a cook
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Write the month of the year on the 12 index
cards.
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Buy pretty packets of herbal seeds for each
month of the year. Place these seeds in the index for suitable planting
times. I cold climates where some months may be inappropriate for planting
outside, include seeds that can be started indoors. In that event, write
instructions for how to start seeds indoors. In cold climates when even
starting seed indoors would be ill advised, give a gift certificate from a
local nursery or florist for an indoor flowering herb, plant, or perhaps
some bulbs like paper white or narcissus, to be planted in pots and forced
for indoor blooming.
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Consider in which month your seeds would be
ready to harvest and write recipes for using that herb, File under the
proper month.
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All kinds of gardening information can be
included for the proper month, depending on the expertise of your cook or
gardener.
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File box can be decorated with paint or
contact paper in garden tool, or kitchen tool design; simply tied with a
pretty bow.
Lavender Drawer Liners
by Elizabeth Timmins
Gooseberry Patch Artisan
Try a few drops of lavender oil on pieces of pretty wallpaper
cut to fit your dresser drawers. Roll and tie in a plastic bag and leave for a
few days. The best paper to use is not coated paper. Roll a few pieces and tie
with a ribbon for a great gift. Drop a few drops of lavender oil on pretty
writing paper too.
