The holidays are back, back again. Wild that we are checking off the days until Thanksgiving!
I wanted to share some gifts for the lover of local agriculture in your life.
Maybe you don’t want to buy them a bag of salad mix, but there are definitely other holiday gifts they would appreciate & that would show them that you know how much they love local agriculture!
Dried Flower Bouquets
In many parts of the country, including in Western New York, the ability to gift or buy fresh, local flowers during the holidays is limited.
And yes, you could buy a bouquet from Trader Joe’s or your local grocery chain, but…you honestly shouldn’t.
Your lover of local agriculture likely already knows that flowers from the grocery store are imported and sprayed with multiple rounds of pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides during the growing & transport process.
In fact, your lover of local agriculture probably knows that the carbon emissions from planes filled with these imported flowers is a serious burden on our planet.
But dried flowers not only last longer (they can keep well up to a year or more with proper care), but when sourced locally, oftentimes will be free of harmful chemicals and dyes. Be sure to ask when you find an arrangement.
If you are shopping locally in Western New York, my farm, Schul Farmstead offers Dried Flower Bouquets at our farmers market stand in Lewiston (check here for dates & times).
If you are finding my blog and you’re located elsewhere in the country, these are two farms that create and ship dried flower arrangements across the United States.
Home Composting System
If your lover of local agriculture frequently visits the farmers market or is a community supported agriculture (CSA) member, then they likely have lots of food scraps in the kitchen.
They clearly have latched onto the idea that limiting the miles your food travels is a good thing for the environment.
Now help them take another environmental step, by gifting them with a home composting system, to reduce methane emissions.
Did you know that when you throw food scraps and yard waste in the trash, when it goes to the landfill it does not decompose properly? Instead it turns into methane gas, which is not good for climate.
Depending on where they live, your lover of local agriculture might have access to a subscription-based composting service (like the residential & neighborhood programs offered by Farmer Pirates Compost in Western New York).
Or maybe they also garden and would love to put their food scraps to use as compost. Then they’d need an option to create that compost.
Here are a few options depending on where they live.
Lomi Countertop Composting System
Countertop Electric Composting System
Jams & Pickled Things
If your lover of local agriculture is always on the go, but loves the taste of food made with care and attention, give them the gift of local, handcrafted preserves.
Whether they like something sweet (like jam) or something salty (like a pickle), you are likely to find lots of options in your local area for artisan food crafters or even farms, making small-batches of these items.
In Western New York there are several small businesses that use their own or locally-grown fruits and vegetables in their preserves, including myself!
Schul Farmstead offers unique artisan jams & jellies made with local fruit from our farm & Senek Farms at our farmers market stand in Lewiston (check here for dates & times).
And here are some other local businesses making preserves:
- Shenandoah Acres Farm Market (jams, applesauces)
- Winslow’s Choice (jams)
- Dot’s Pantry (chutneys)
- M&M Pickles (pickles)
Honey or Maple Syrup
Maybe when you were thinking of a gift for your lover of local agriculture, you weren’t thinking about the bees and trees.
But it’s true, an apiary is a type of farm and honey is considered an agriculture item. Farms that harvest maple syrup are farms too!
Finding a local beekeeper and purchasing a bottle of honey for your honey is such a sweet gift idea!
Or selecting maple syrup will make those all-too-rare pancake breakfasts that much more savory!
If you’re living in Western New York, you are fortunate to be surrounded by high-quality honey, maple syrup and their farmers.
A few are my favorites:
- Beegotten Farm (honey and silver-maple syrup)
- Walnut Hill Farm (honey)
- Hahn’s Honeybee Haven (honey)
- Black Crow Maple Farm (maple syrup)
- Menard Family Maple (maple syrup)
Nationally there is Stone Hollow Farmstead that creates many unique preserves that can be shipped across the country.
Gift Cards
Last but not least, gift cards to your lover of local agriculture’s favorite farms is also always an option.
If you’re not sure what farms they generally support, but you know what farmers market they frequent, check to see if any of the farms at the market offer gift cards.
It may surprise you, but many do offer gift certificates!
I hope this helps you with some ideas for holiday shopping for your lover of local agriculture!
Schul Farmstead 
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