The Forest Feast Gift Guide!

With the holidays fast approaching I’m sharing some of my favorite gift ideas for kids, family and friends!

Kids

Joie Fruit & Vegetable Chopper: My kids love to help out in the kitchen while cutting up fruits & veggies with this tool.

The Forest Feast for Kids: Simple and easy recipe ideas that incorporate creative ways to add more vegetables and fruits into your children’s meals.

Hedley & Bennett ‘Tug Boat’ Kids Apron: These aprons are good quality and I love the unisex design. The kid versions are especially cute!

Kids Digital Camera: My oldest loves to take pictures (like his mama!) and this is a fun and affordable starter camera for kids.

The Adventures of Lily Huckleberry in Japan: A beautiful children’s book for bed time stories. Ezra loves it! The beautiful illustrations are by my friend Audrey, and it’s the 2nd in a travel series for kids to learn about new places.

Cooks

Umami Mart Salt Set: This set of 3 finishing salts consists of matcha, umami, and yuzu salts and would make a great gift for fans of Japanese cooking and home chefs. I’m a little obsessed with the Umami Salt and could easily put it on everything.

Cherry Bombe magazine subscription: This biannual indie magazine celebrates women and food and features gorgeous work from chefs, writers. food stylists, photographers, and illustrators.

Home Made in the Oven: This new book by my friend, the Dutch author Yvette Van Boven, has amazing illustrations and delicious ideas.

The Forest Feast Cookbook: My very first cookbook and a New York Times bestseller! Filled with beautiful illustrations and delicious vegetarian recipes.

The Forest Feast Meal Planner & Shopping List: This meal planner is a thoughtful gift for cooks and features watercolor illustrations and a grid to organize meal planning throughout the week. I love that it has a magnetic backing to hang on the refrigerator and a perforated shopping list to take to the store.

Travel

The Forest Feast Mediterranean: My latest book is a great way to bring a taste of the Mediterranean home (especially during the colder winter months!) when in need of a taste of summer or tapas from Spain!

The Forest Feast Notes (Journal): I love to keep a journal during our travels abroad so that I can go back and remember all of the special moments and meals we experienced.

Olive Oil Subscription: This is a great shop in SF’s Noe Valley and they offer several seasonal subscriptions for olive oils and vinegars.

Host

Beeswax Candles: I can never get enough of these toxin-free beeswax candles. They are perfect for dinner parties and/or everyday.

The Forest Feast Gatherings: My second book is packed full of colorful entertaining ideas, pretty spreads, (like this one) and plan-ahead appetizers perfect for dinner parties and celebrations alike!

Fujifilm Instax Mini 9 Camera Bundle: This camera prints photos in a matter of seconds, just like Polaroid cameras did back in the day! This would make a great gift for the host who loves to entertain.

Giving Back

For those who would prefer a donation to a charitable cause (hint: Giving Tuesday is coming up!)…

The Edible Schoolyard Project: Started by Alice Waters in 1995, the mission of the Edible Schoolyard Project is to build and share a national edible education curriculum for pre-kindergarten through high school.

Community Services Agency is near and dear to me, as a local non-profit that fights poverty in my community (and Jon is on the board!). I also buy pottery at their annual Empty Bowls fundraiser every year to use in my photographs.

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Happy Holiday shopping! Please remember to support your local bookstores and shops whenever you can.

Disclosure: The Forest Feast participates in the Amazon Affiliates program and will receive a small percentage if items are purchased through the Amazon links above.

Holiday Gift Guide 2012

1.) State of California cutting board, Etsy, $28. (they have other states, too)

2.) 8" Round Ash Wood Cutting Board, Terrain, $20. (they have larger ones, too)

3.) Hickory Wood Coasters, Terrain, $26.

4.) Temporary tattoos, Tattly, $5 for set of 2. (fun stocking stuffer!)

5.) White Floating paper Sky Lanterns, Amazon, $15. (for New Years Eve?)

6.) Scratch Off World Map, Urban Outfitters, $34. (like a lottery game, scratch off places you’ve been!)

7.) Tiny Silver Letter pendant, Etsy, $15.

8.) Whiskey Stones, Sur la Table, $20. (so you don’t water down that precious bourbon!)

9.) Cocktail Mixing Glass Set, Umami Mart, $50.

10.) The Forest Feast Recipe Greeting Cards , Umami Mart, $15. “Cocktail Party Pack” of 8 different recipes for entertaining. (order by Friday for Xmas delivery)

11.) CSA, $20 to $350. Buy someone a CSA (community supported agriculture) membership for a weekly box of local produce delivered from a farm. To find a farm near you, click here. Prices and subscriptions vary- but an average 14 week membership for an individual is about $200 (and approx $350 for a family size box). By paying for the produce at the beginning of the growing season, you can really help a local farmer. Some farms offer subscriptions for about $20/week.

12.) For a charitable gift, I recommend making a donation in someone’s name to Edible Schoolyard, Alice Waters’ organization that aims to build a sustainable food curriculum for all schools.

Holiday Gift Ideas

I have designed some Forest Feast products that are now available at the Umami Mart Shop in Oakland (and also online). Order by Friday and receive them by Christmas. The recipe cards and little prints make great stocking stuffers for foodies!

1.) The Forest Feast Recipe Greeting Cards “Cocktail Party Pack”. 8 different recipes for entertaining, $15. (available on the online shop, order by Friday for Xmas delivery)

2.) The Forest Feast mounted fine art photo prints are for sale, various sizes and prices ranging from $25 (5x7") up to $300 (30x40"). To order send an email to: shop@umamimart.com.

3.) Stool upholstered in my orange tree photograph: $150. At the shop in Oakland or by special order: shop@umamimart.com

4.) Antique wooden chair upholstered in my orange tree photograph: $400. At the shop in Oakland or by special order: shop@umamimart.com

Umami Mart is at 815 Broadway, Oakland. (510) 575-9152

Artwork Exhibition at Umami Mart

I will be having an exhibition of artwork from The Forest Feast in Oakland at Umami Mart in 2 weeks, so excited! The show opens on Thursday, November 15, and there will be a reception from 6-9pm that night. We’ll be serving The Forest Feast’s signature cocktail, The Skylonda, and work will be for sale! Lots of fun holiday gift ideas, from recipe cards to small fine art prints.

For those of you in the Bay Area, hope you can join us! Save the date!

xx, Erin

The Umami Mart Shop imports high-quality kitchen, table and barware from Japan (and beyond the galaxy) for your cooking, eating + drinking pleasure. 815 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94607