Treasures for every taste

Local food companies and producers offer an abundance of holiday gift ideas for anyone on your list.

Story by dee Hobsbawn-Smith •  photograph by Dustin Delfs

The holiday season has arrived, and you are Santa’s stand-in. Pour yourself a hot toddy. Pour one for Santa too. After all, you are doing the Old Elf’s work for him tonight. It helps, at the eleventh hour, to tell yourself that gifts need not be large to be meaningful. Kitchen gifts have the added attraction of not adding clutter to a busy house. Nor do they hang around long enough to collect dust. And Santa, to judge by his girth, is a fan of any good gift from the kitchen. In Alberta, there are many delicious foodstuffs that a cook will treasure. Often all they need is a bow, so wrap up some of these Alberta-made treats, and don’t forget to put a treat into your own stocking.

For the salad lover, a bottle of golden Alberta sunshine is a wise investment. Tony and Penny Marshall make Highwood Crossing cold-pressed canola oil, an intensely flavoured deeply coloured oil that is best used in small drizzles. Package it in a pretty salad bowl with tongs, tie up some roasted almonds and dried cranberries in a small cellophane bag, and add your favourite salad dressing recipe. Throw in a bottle of dressing from Blue Kettle Specialty Foods such as their Sesame Bacon Vinaigrette.

Give the gift of cheese. Head to Janice Beaton Fine Cheese in Calgary or Paddy’s International Cheese Market in Edmonton and assemble a medley of cheeses, including some Alberta selections like Sylvan Star Gouda or Leoni-Grana Parmesan cheese. Wrap it up in a basket with a cheese knife and some great crackers. Or try pairing it with a trio of densely flavoured preserves from Palette Fine Foods specifically designed for the cheese course: Spiced Quince, Peppered Black Mission Fig, and Sour Cherry and Lemon Balm.

For the hard-to-buy-for, gather a basket of unique finds from your local farmers’ market. Many farmers’ markets are open year-round and offer a wide selection of baked goods, locally grown foods and handmade crafts.

Give a pound of locally roasted coffee from Cochrane Coffee Traders or Rocky Mountain Roasters and pair it with some locally crafted pottery mugs from a farmers’ market and some biscotti from De Fazio Gourmet.

For the boys of summer, the lovers of baseball in the park or the grillers of great sausage, wrap up a selection of meats. Try air-dried beef from Valbella Gourmet Foods in Canmore, Mundare sausage or Longview Beef Jerky. Include a selection of mustards such as a gift pack from Brassica Mustard that includes Cranberry Honey, Roasted Garlic and Horseradish Mustard.

Give a gift of cooking lessons. Try the classes at  the Cookbook Company in Calgary or Seasoned Solutions’ Loft Cooking Classes by Gail Hall in Edmonton.

For road trippers, give a small cooler, a gas card and a map, along with the second volume of The Food Lovers Trail Guide to Alberta by Mary Bailey and Judy Schultz and let the recipient enjoy a day travelling to and visiting great Alberta food destinations.

For the wine lover, give the gift of Alberta fruit wines from Fieldstone Fruit Wines in Strathmore. Try the Bumbleberry Fruit Wine or Raspberry Dessert Wine and support this emerging industry. If your recipient is a beer lover, put together a selection of Alberta-produced beers. Try a few bottles of the lesser-known Big Rock beers such as Warthog Ale or Jack Rabbit Lager. Add in a couple of samples from Alley Kat Brewing Company and Edmonton’s newest addition, Maverick Brewing Co.

A gift certificate for a personal chef is a thoughtful choice for someone who needs a cooking siesta. Personal chefs can fill up your friend’s fridge and freezer with a week’s worth of meals for some unforgettable pampering.  Looking for a personal chef?  Check out these links to The Canadian Personal Chef Alliance and The Canadian Personal Chef Association.

Give a subscription to Food for Thought magazine. It’s great for Albertans living outside the province and the only way to keep a pulse on what is happening in Alberta’s food and agriculture industry!  Click here for more information on the Food for Thought Holiday Gift Pack.

For the chocolate addict, give a gift of chocolate-dipped cherries by Bernard Callebaut, some truffles from Les Truffes or head to Samaki Chocolates for some elegant luscious chocolate bars. Include a recipe for your favourite chocolate fondue or hot chocolate.

Food is for sharing, and these edible finds are sure to be shared and savoured by anyone on your list. But more than just filling their stomachs, these gifts from Albertan food producers will fill your friends’ homes with the warmth of caring.