Covering the Spread

GIVE EASY, EDIBLE HERBAL GIFTS

These dips and spreads are perfect to take to holiday parties and potlucks, and they make delicious gifts, too. With just a few minutes’ work, you can create a quick herbal gift for a friend. Take a little more time and create a nifty package or gift basket using these ideas:

• A brand-new, miniature terracotta pot makes a fine gift container for herb butter or dip. Line it with a plastic sandwich bag, then wrap the whole pot.

• For someone with a heartier appetite or a gift for a family, recycle an oversize popcorn tin and stock it with jelly jars of bean dip and curry spread, along with the traditional assortment of mustards, crackers and summer sausages. Just make sure to indicate what requires refrigeration and how long each item will stay fresh.

• For an elegant gift, line a hatbox with a pretty tea towel and fill the box with homemade muffins and flea market teacups that have been filled with butters and spreads. Tuck tea bags, whole lemons and herb sprigs throughout, and add a beautiful, antique butter knife before replacing the lid and decorating the box.

• Nestle a batch of homemade muffins and a container of Pineapple Sage Muffin Spread into a basket or holiday tin. Add some single-serving gourmet coffees for the gift of an impromptu coffee break or quick weekend breakfast.

• For the new cook or newlywed, load up a soup pot or frying pan with homemade bread and biscuit mixes in pretty glass jars, along with an assortment of flavored butters or cream cheese spreads. Wrap the collection in a tablecloth or apron for an interesting look.

• For a gift tag on the basket or jar, use the seed packet or a botanical drawing of the herb you used to flavor the spread or dip. If you’re a seed saver, tie a little package of seeds to the bow and give growing instructions on the gift tag. A sprig of a dried or fresh herb tucked into the ribbon or taped on the package always is a nice touch.