DIY Eco-Gifts For The Organic Gardener On Your Holiday List

"I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues." ~ The Lorax

We all know what happened in Dr. Seuss' The Lorax…the Once-ler devised ways of cutting down Truffula Trees for the "Biggering and Biggering" of his manufacturing operation. The Once-ler "Biggered" to the point where he polluted the Lorax's water and air, and left him in a sunless panorama of Truffula stumps. Poor Lorax.

You are luckier than the Lorax, right? Maybe that's because you have an organic gardener on your holiday list. These eco-champions use their big green thumbs to stand up against ecological destruction. Gardening without harmful chemicals is their motto. Raising environmental awareness and creating and maintaining healthy ecosystems are their mission.

DIY Gifts For Organic Gardeners

Give An Organic Plant Truffala Trees withstanding, Charlie Nardozzi of the The Organic Authority suggests you look beyond poinsettias and give an unusual organic plant.

Plant it Green Use organic soil and newspaper to make these (super easy) DIY Seedling Cups.

Wrap It Green Ditch the non-recyclable shiny foil wrapping paper. My mom often wrapped our gifts in the comics section of the newspaper. Who knows, maybe that's why I like kids books so much. I also like using pieces of cloth scraps to wrap small gifts. Martha talks about how traditional wrapping of plants detracts from their "earthy beauty" here.

Gardening Bucket Make a Gardener's Bucket and enclose a copy or a quote from The Lorax:

"Plant a new Truffula. Treat it with care. Give it clean water. And feed it fresh air. Grow a forest. Protect it from axes that hack. Then the Lorax 
and all of his friends 
may come back."

DIY Gift For The Bartender On Your List: Pomegranate Cocktail

There's something I really like about Jamie Oliver. Foremost, it's probably because he's a champion for healthy eating. I believe he is sincere in his quest to infuse a healthy dose of real food into the school lunchroom. I also like him because he is the Naked Chef. While I think he may be trying to live down that title because of his work with kids, he swears that the reason he was given that illustrious name was because he wanted to see food striped down to its bare essentials. He says, "You didn't need to dress up ingredients or buy a load of fancy gadgets to make something really tasty." But, he did ham it up on many of the talk shows about cooking in the buff. Anyway, bartenders (and spouses, in my case) work double-duty this season serving up cocktails for spirited party-goers. Whether you prefer your holiday spirits on the rocks or hot mulled, Jamie's festive Pomegranate Holiday Cocktail is sure to thrill:

Be sure to check out all the Bartender DIY Projects - how to weave a basket of cheer, make a drinks tray, sew up some reusable cocktail napkins, make holiday stirrer sticks, and the Mother Earth Cocktail.

Treats: One From The Dogs and One For The Dogs

While many dogs are well-behaved (and talented), the dogs in the video below, created by the musical group OK GO, take dog training to new choreographic heights. Take a look: http://youtu.be/nHlJODYBLKs

I'm not sure I could ever get my two pooches (pictured below with a friend) to act like the ones in this video, but they will do almost anything for a healthy (and not so healthy) treat:

Healthy Dog Treats (adapted from his post)

Makes 12 dog biscuits

What You Need:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup oats 3/4 cup cornmeal 1/4 cup brown sugar 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 cup butter 1/4 cup peanut, almond or cashew butter 2 organic eggs 1/4 cup minced mint 1/4 cup minced parsley cookie cutters (large or small) cookie sheet

What To do:

1. In bowl, whisk dry ingredients. 2. In separate bowl, beat butter with peanut butter; beat in eggs, 1 at a time. 3. Stir in flour mixture, mint and parsley to make soft dough. 4. Divide in half; wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. 5. On lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/2-inch thickness. 6. Using cookie cutter, cut out shapes. 7. Arrange cookie sheet. 8. Bake at 325°F until golden and firm, 35 to 40 minutes. 9. Transfer to rack; let cool.

The After It's Over, It's Over Party

The fall started to settle in without me. This signaled a slide into procrastination mode as I tried to fend off the eventual – the end of summer. I should have seen the slow down coming. I'm prone to this affliction without much prompting, and I can usually detect the signs. But, the triple whammy of my son going back to school, some deadlines creeping dangerously close, and the cooler temperatures (seasonal transitions are always a challenge - when others are zipping up boots, I'm still wearing flip flops), I started to succumb to the let down. Until...I heard a Ben Taylor song (yes, James' son), After It's Over. The song is obviously a love song, but those three words stuck in my head repeatedly, and now I'm putting on my socks and pushing away any lingering summer melancholy because – after it's over, it's over. I have almost no regrets about this past summer, except for maybe not growing out my bangs sooner – it was just too hot for bangs. Anyway, in the fading light of the last few weeks, I stumbled upon three food-related party discoveries. They made me smile away any persistent seasonal blues and think about throwing a party to help smooth the transition of summer into fall.

Cheese Cake

Out of the ordinary parties don't just happen in summer, and this cake is no ordinary cheese cake. Taking cheese to a whole new level, this cake is ripe for some autumnal inspiration and fall fruit.

Camera Cake

My daughter's boyfriend, who coincidentally hails from the same island as Ben Taylor, is an amazing photographer. His birthday is September 11th, which has become a difficult date to have been born on. This cake would surely give him the honor every birthday deserves. Hmm, do you think this could be made with whole wheat cake flour? And...is it a Nikon or a Canon he uses?!?!

Q Tonic

If you indulge in quintessential summer drinks, a fine gin and tonic can make a summer evening superior. If  G+T's are not your thing, Q Tonic might change your mind this fall. Most tonic water is sweetened beyond recognition with high fructose corn syrup or "corn sugar" (it's been rebranded), and packaged in generic containers. Q Tonic is a whole other breed of tonic that is sweetened with organic agave, has 60% fewer calories than regular tonic water and contains no corn syrup/sugar. You can find it in most health food stores. I've found I can even keep the beautifully designed bottles out of the recycling bin by refilling the bottles with our own freshly squeezed pear juice.

Don't let the end of summer get you down, the fall party has just begun. How do you transition from one season to another?

Credits: Cheese Cake – A Cup Of Jo, Q Tonic - Q Tonic, Camera Cakes - Freshome