The Brooklyn Gift Guide: What to Buy for Every Type of Person in Your Life
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DIY Gifts
Sure, if you are a knitter, DIY gifts are a gimme. You can crap out a beautiful scarf in an afternoon. But even the non-crafty among us can gift homemade stuff. Here are some easy-ish options.
Jam
People are always so excited to get jam, and it is very simple to make. All of the summer fruits are gone, but apple jam is lovely and you don’t even need pectin. Or a canner, if you make freezer jam. Try this apple cranberry.
Vanilla
Anyone can make vanilla. If you know bakers, they will love getting good vanilla. Cut open vanilla beans, put them in booze (I prefer rum), and wait six weeks. But beans are so expensive! Wrong. They’re cheap as hell on ebay, ya dummy.
Lamp
I know electricity seems complicated, but making a lamp is as easy as buying a socket and cord (any hardware store will have them) and wiring it. Basically wrapping two wires around two nuts. And choosing an object to lampify. If I can do this, you can do this.
Bitters
Though it seems fancier than infused liquor, making bitters is essentially dumping things into booze. This general recipe should get you started, but bitters are endlessly variable and hard to mess up. Save dasher-top bottles or buy apothecary eye dropper ones.
This stuff
David Lebovits calls is “chocolate-covered caramelized matzoh crunch.” Growing up we made it with saltines and called it “hillbilly crack” (sorry. but true). I have never seen anyone eat only one piece of this stuff, the ingredients are pretty cheap, it keeps well, and the “cooking” is mostly “melting.”
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