Jeska at @lobsterandswan inspired me to pull this little gift idea together. She posted this lovely shot of an Oxalis ‘Plum Crazy’ plant that graced the table of cafe she visited in Sweden. For me, it struck just the right mood for the upcoming holidays.

Gift guides are on my mind.  I don’t tend to be in the spirit to make them. They are too annoyingly about buying stuff that I feel too ‘minimalist’ to get enthusiastic about.  But I’ve been thinking that I can make them a little more interesting and creative and then they will feel more festive. 

Do you find holiday gift guides helpful?  I sometimes do.

Oxalis varieties are a really easy plant to find at garden centers. It is a nice housewarming or hostess gift.

But did you know that Oxalis (Wood Sorrel) is edible? It has a fresh lemony flavor and is full of good-for-you nutrients. With its deep purple leaves, ‘Plum Crazy’ is a particularly pretty variety.

I started thinking how nice it would be to give the gift of a plant along with an inspiring cookbook. In Salad For President, author and artist Julia Sherman recommends liberal use of herbs in her creative recipes. The salad recipes are accordingly saturated with flavor and interest. 

Pairing the plant with the book is a beautiful gift for a friend who likes to forage and cook.

This delicious recipe for Pearled Spelt Risotto with Roasted Carrots & parsnip, pea sprouts, red wood sorrel and chive oil at Renee Kemps beautiful blog would also be a great way to use some snipped wood sorrel.

I have this tendency to buy the same gift for myself when buying for others. And well, if I had some pretty wood sorrel growing in the kitchen window, this is a wintery and warming recipe I’d like to try.

And one last thing – Jeska at @lobsterandswan is also the owner of a lovely online shop called The Future Kept. She sells all sorts of beautiful gifts – in case you don’t like this idea, you might find something else there.

Would you like me to create more gift guides?  Let me know – and please suggest a category or a type of person you might be shopping for. I’d love the challenge of coming up with some thoughtful ideas. 

More holiday Gift Ideas:

18 Classy Gift Ideas for the Garden Lover (she’ll actually like them!)

Father’s Day Plant Gift Ideas – From a Dad

Julia Sherman’s Tomato Salad with Crunchy Cornmeal Croutons