4 Simple, Thoughtful DIY Gifts Made from Bulk Goods
Many of us are familiar with the convenience and economy of the bulk section at People’s Food Co-op. Have you ever considered how simple, special, and budget-friendly a gift made from the bulk section can be?
Before we share our ideas, here are a few reasons we LOVE buying in bulk:
Cost Savings: buying from the bulk department can be significantly less expensive than buying pre-packaged.
Flexibility: Buying in bulk from PFC ensures you are able to purchase as much or as little of an item as you need.
Reduces Food Waste: Buying only what you need means fewer partially empty jars of ingredients in the back of your pantry that you will eventually need to throw away.
Environmentally Friendly: PFC encourages you to bring your own reusable containers and bags, which means no unnecessary plastic packing and waste! There are also containers and bags available in the bulk department.
Below are 4 simple ideas to help you create gifts to give this holiday season. Most gifts simply need ingredients or items from the bulk department, a mason jar, and some ribbon! Use our gift tags below for an even easier gift!
Vanilla Sugar
Vanilla sugar is regular, refined sugar that has been infused with vanilla beans. This special ingredient is fairly common in parts of Europe, but can only be found in some specialty kitchen and baking stores in the US. Lucky for us, it’s very easy to make!
Use vanilla sugar in place or regular sugar in recipes, coffee, tea, or as a finishing touch on baked goods.
Instructions
For every two cups of sugar, use 1 vanilla bean. Measure your desired amount of sugar and place it in a bowl.
Cut the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds out using a sharp knife. Add the vanilla bean seeds to your sugar.
Using a whisk of a fork, mix the seeds to evenly distribute throughout the sugar. (Optional step) Place the sugar and vanilla into a food processor and pulse two to three times to evenly distribute the seeds.
Place sugar into a jar. The sugar can be used immediately or for optimal flavor, store the sugar with the vanilla beans for up to two weeks. Remove the beans from the sugar, and then spoon it into gifting jars.
Mulling Spices
Mulling spices can be used for mulled wine or apple cider, or by simply adding it to a pot of simmering water to fill your space with the coziest winter-warming aroma!
Instructions
Place the following ingredients into a glass mason jar.
1-2 dried orange slices*
3-4 cinnamon sticks
3-4 whole nutmeg
1-2 whole star anise
¼ cup allspice berries
¼ cup cloves
Crystallized ginger
*To make dried oranges: Preheat oven to 200° and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Slice an orange into ⅛ - ¼ in slices and blot excess moisture. Arrange oranges onto the tray and bake for 2-4 hours, checking every 30 minutes. Flip oranges halfway through the baking process. Ensure that all of the moisture has been absorbed and that the oranges are not browning. If so, reduce the temperature of the oven.
Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies
Make holiday baking easy with a ready-to-use baking mix! Simply gather up the ingredients, layer them in a quart-sized jar, and you’re ready with a hostess, teacher, or neighbor gift!
Ingredients
1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ cup rolled oats
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
⅓ cup light brown sugar, packed
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup white or dark chocolate chips
½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
Layer in the following order in the Jar:
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
½ cup rolled oats
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
⅓ cup light brown sugar
⅓ cup granulated sugar
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup chocolate chips
½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
Popcorn Seasoning
This might be the easiest gift yet! Simply gather up the ingredients and place in a small sealed bag, or container. Fill your jar with popcorn, and place the seasoning on top!
Ranch Seasoning
1 ½ tsp dried dill
1 ½ tsp dried chives
1 ½ tsp garlic powder
1 ½ tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Smoky BBQ
3 tablespoons paprika
½ tsp chipotle powder
1 ½ tsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder