Are you looking for some last-minute gift ideas for the Traditional Foods Cook in your life (or for yourself!)? Check out my list of homemade gifts that you can make yourself for just a few dollars. I also recommend some kitchen gadgets that any home cook would enjoy from my list of 10 gifts for under $25.
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Table of Contents
Gifts You Can Make Yourself
Make Homemade Flavored Extracts
Learn how to make a homemade flavored extract that will be perfect for your favorite baker. For just a few dollars, I’ll show you how to create one of these flavored extracts that you can package up as a gift: Almond, Chocolate, Cinnamon, Coconut, Coffee, Lemon, Lime, Mint, Orange, and Vanilla.
Be sure to make an extract for yourself too!
- Watch the How to Make Homemade Flavored Extracts video
- Get the printable recipe for Homemade Flavored Extracts
Make Preserved Citrus
Learn how to easily make preserved lemons, limes, and mandarin oranges for a tasty and versatile condiment for your favorite cook’s traditional foods pantry. Over time, these lacto-fermented citruses will release their juices and create a tender rind that is perfect for a variety of recipes.
Find Gifts Online
Here are some great ideas for your favorite cook who likes to make bone broth and ferments, and each of these gifts is under $25. And no gift list would be complete without some special stocking stuffers for the traditional cook who loves the Instant Pot (or will be getting one soon)!
Gifts for the Bone Broth Maker
No Bone Broth making kitchen would be complete without one of the most asked for items that I use…The Fat Separator! I have had so many questions about this kitchen tool. I love it and can’t imagine making a clarified bone broth without it. And from all the comments I receive asking where to find one, you feel the same way!
Here are more great gifts for bone broth makers:
If you or the cook in your life is just starting to make bone broth, this reasonably priced stock pot can be a great addition to the kitchen for beginners.
- Large Mesh Strainer
- Flour Sack Towels
(for lining the mesh strainer)
If you’re like me and you like a beautifully clarified bone broth, these two accessories are must-haves. With this strainer that’s lined with a flour sack towel, your broth will be clear and free of any little bits and bobs floating around in your liquid gold!
When it comes to storing my bone broth, I prefer glass. Along with using plastic lids, I have always had success putting filled jars in the freezer without any problems.
Gifts for the Fermenter
When it comes to making ferments, there is one particular piece of equipment that I get asked about the most. And that’s the Pickle Pipes! With these clever little silicone tops, you no longer need to worry about always having to “burp” your ferments.
Masontops makes the Pickle Pipes, and they’ve given me a discount code to give to you! For the Masontops products below, use promo code MARYSNST for a one-time 15% off Masontops products on Amazon.com.
These tops have revolutionized the fermentation process!
- Masontops Pickle Packer
(Acacia Wood Fermentation Tamper)
The Pickle Packer will guarantee you get every little last bit of air out of your jar.
Pickle Pebbles will keep air out of your jars to help you create an environment for the perfect ferment.
BONUS IDEA: The entire Masontops kit is over $25, but it’s a great splurge for someone just starting out on their fermentation journey!
Gifts for the Instant Pot Cook
The Instant Pot has become a staple in so many kitchens, and many of you have shared with me that you’ve gone full steam ahead using it almost every day.
But oh, how those cooking odors can linger in the sealing ring! Not to worry. These three colored-coded rings will come to the rescue. You can change them out depending on what you are cooking. Now your cheesecake will no longer smell…or taste…like your lasagna!
Silicone Sealing Rings for the Instant Pot (available for the 6 and 8-quart models)
Sturdy Steamer Baskets for the Instant Pot (available for the 6 and 8-quart models)
I love this steamer basket because, as the name implies, it’s sturdy! Unlike the mesh strainer inserts, food stays contained in the strainer and not stuck in the mesh. This steamer is a versatile Instant Pot accessory and is great for cooking vegetables, fruits, and eggs.
Wonderful Memories and Delicious Meals
Whether you make or buy a gift for your favorite traditional foods cook, I hope that your gift brings you and your loved ones wonderful memories and delicious meals!
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy, and Blessed New Year!
Order YOUR COPY Now!
The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
Seasonal ingredients, traditional techniques, and nourishing recipes. Over 85 traditional, from-scratch recipes! Discover for yourself how you can use simple ingredients and traditional techniques to cook the modern pioneer way.
Order YOUR COPY Now!
The Modern Pioneer Pantry
Simple ingredients, timeless techniques, and a well-stocked pantry. Discover over 100 nourishing recipes to preserve food and turn pantry staples into homemade meals. Build a wholesome, traditional pantry—just like a modern pioneer!
Start Your Traditional Foods Journey
Sharing my passion for traditional cooking goes beyond my YouTube cooking school—it also comes to life in the pages of my cookbooks. Both of my books, The Modern Pioneer Cookbook and The Modern Pioneer Pantry, are proudly published by Penguin Random House.
The first is filled with time-honored recipes to help you create a traditional foods kitchen, while the second is your complete guide to home food preservation. Order both books today to start or continue your traditional foods journey.
Download Your Free 36-Page Pantry List
For an extensive list of the traditional foods you can make and purchase to stock your pantry, be sure to download my free 36-page Traditional Foods Pantry List. This comprehensive eBook is full of links to recipe videos, helpful articles, and more!
Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy
Are you looking for more traditional foods videos? If so, I invite you to join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy. Members of this optional paid YouTube community get access to exclusive videos and other members-only perks. Plus, your YouTube comments include a special members-only badge.
Kitchen Academy Videos
How to Make Oatmeal Higher in Protein (The Old-Fashioned Way)
Turn simple oats into a hearty, protein-rich porridge.
The Only Traditional Recipes You’ll Ever Need!
Focus on traditional recipes with real food. Don’t chase trends.
Let’s Talk Akkermansia: A Tiny Helper for Big Gut Health
Discover how Akkermansia muciniphila supports gut and immune health—and how traditional foods help this mighty microbe thrive.
Stay in Touch with Mary’s Nest
- Subscribe to My YouTube Channel for Traditional Foods Videos (Free) - When you subscribe, be sure to click on the notification bell that will let you know each time I upload a new video.
- Subscribe to Mary’s Traditional Foods Newsletter (Free) - Get a free 36-page eBook for signing up: How to Stock Your Essential Traditional Foods Four-Corners Pantry.
- Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy - For more detailed videos and exclusive members-only perks, join my YouTube membership community.
- Order The Modern Pioneer Cookbook - Get a hardcover book of Mary's nourishing recipes from a Traditional Foods Kitchen. This bestselling cookbook is published by Penguin Random House with their DK imprint.
- Order The Modern Pioneer Pantry - Get Mary's latest hardcover cookbook about preserving food and making delicious meals from your Four Corners Pantry. Mary's second cookbook is also published by Penguin Random House.
I look forward to having you join me in my Texas Hill Country Kitchen!
Shop for My Favorite Items
Amazon Shop and Shopping Guide
- Visit Mary’s Nest Amazon Shop
- Get a 30-day Audible trial with a free audiobook
- Visit my Shopping Guide page
Get up to 15% off for stocking your Traditional Foods Pantry and equipping your Modern Pioneer Kitchen, including discounts from US Wellness Meats, Farmhouse Teas, Backwoods Home, Masontops, Cultures for Health, Survival Garden Seeds, Redmond Real Salt, and More!
Great ideas. Mary, this might be a really dumb question, but what do you do with the preserved citrus? Thank you again for all these great recipes and gift ideas!
Hi Winnie,
Thanks so much for your comment…and that is NOT a dumb question at all! Preserved citrus is great for many things. After you rinse them very well, so that they no longer have a salty flavor, you will find that the rinds are incredibly soft and flavorful…not the least bit bitter. And the pulp is tender. You can stuff a chicken with preserved citrus or you can use the rinds (the zest with the pith that is now no longer bitter) in any recipe that calls for zest. It’s great cut up and added to any type of grain dish including rice. It can also be added to any baked good calling for zest. Hope this helps.
Also…If you enjoy making homemade pantry type items, you might enjoy my playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkRuW3pBo2U1MqC3YAw7ZRYjuL9FBGSwc where I show how to make Apple Cider Vinegar, Flavored Extracts, Natural Food Colorings, Evaporated Milk, Condensed Milk, Preserved Citrus, and more!
BTW – Do you enjoy making other traditional foods? I have a playlist of my videos titled “Mastering the Basics of Traditional Nutrient Dense Foods Cooking”. It’s a series of 15 detailed videos that covers How to Make Bone Broth, Cultured Dairy, Ferments, Sourdough Starter (my foolproof stater), Sourdough Bread, and How to Soak and Sprout Grains to Make your own Sprouted Flour at Home. You can watch the VIDEOS here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCWcFsG-Np0&list=PLkRuW3pBo2U3b4eu0QraZReKlGzA11h3y
Also, Do you know about our FB group? It’s called Mary’s Nest Modern Pioneers. Come join us! We have a lot of fun chatting about Traditional Foods:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/171869080205145/?source_id=210509998974645
Please let me know if you have any questions. I’m so happy to help! And I’m so glad you’re here!!
Thank you again for leaving me a comment!
Love, Mary