Crafting herbal gifts is an easy way to share the bounty of the homestead with your loved ones this holiday season. You can use herbs from your garden, or even your spice cabinet, to make a fun assortment of herbal infusions and body care products.
Herbal Infusions
Herbal vinegars make great gifts and can be made from either fresh or dried herbs. They can be used in the kitchen, as salad dressings or even as an ingredient in a handcrafted, non-toxic cleaning product.
Try herbs such as rosemary, sage, thyme or parsley to add flavor to your meals, or add pungent herbs such as garlic or cayenne peppers for a spicy kick!
Consider infusing your vinegar with citrus peels or peppermint to craft a refreshing and cleansing room spray.
Just add the herbs to a container of your choice, top it off with vinegar and allow it to infuse for two to four weeks. You can use whichever type of vinegar you prefer, such as apple cider or white wine vinegar.
An herb-infused liqueur is a fun way to share the holiday spirits with your adult friends! Just add some herbs to vodka, gin or brandy, allowing the mixture to steep for a couple of weeks. Some great herbal combinations to choose from include rosemary and lemon or ginger and cinnamon!
Read more: These herbal bath and body products bring the garden to the tub!
Herbal Body Care
Herbal body care products are easy to create and make great gifts. A sugar scrub can quickly be made by combining equal parts sugar and olive oil. Add some crumbled peppermint leaves to the blend for a refreshing take on this classic handmade gift.
Customize your sugar scrub by choosing different oils, such as hempseed, flax or jojoba. Alternatively, you can substitute salt for the sugar to make a detoxifying exfoliant scrub.
Herbal Home Fragrance
A handcrafted herbal sachet is the perfect stocking stuffer for the herb enthusiasts in your life. Simply fill a small muslin bag with fragrant herbs such as lavender, chamomile, cloves or rosemary, cinch them up and share them!
It’s also quite simple to make an herbal smudge stick. Gather together sprigs of strong-smelling herbs like sage, sweetgrass, lavender or pine, and tie them snugly together with sewing thread. Once dried, these herbal wands can be burned to fill a room with their fragrant incense.
Make the most of this year’s garden bounty. Get creative and give the gift of herbs.
