Practical, Eco-Friendly And Fun: Garden Gifts For The Holiday Season

It’s that time of year again. Your sister doesn’t know what to put on her list, your dad has everything and your best friend says, “Surprise me.”

Challenge accepted, say sisters Sonya and Astrid Newenhouse. An eco-entrepreneur and senior scientist of agriculture and sustainability, respectively, the Newenhouses have developed a list of more than 100 garden and eco-friendly ideas for gifts this holiday season.

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Or, take the opposite route and reach for stainless steel straws, joining a bandwagon of folks who’ve opted for dropping plastic straws. Bang on a drum — or maybe give it to your siblings’ kids — with the steel tongue tank drum. These fungiphones are made from recycled propane tanks and Astrid first eyed them at the Robinson Nature Center in Maryland.

She got one. “I find playing my new drum relaxing, silly and playful all at the same time,” she said.

Yes, there’s something for everyone. Here are a few of the sisters’ favorites:

Bird Bingo And Other Games

Sonya particularly loves Bird Bingo for its colorful, modern look and feel. This is one such game that can provide an activity for children to do over the holiday break, and invite their grandparents to participate.

“Who doesn’t love Bingo?” Sonya said. Plus, you can learn your birds.

This and Galison’s 1,000-piece butterfly puzzle is a great way to break away from the screen during the holidays.

Mushroom Oyster Log

Astrid is a big fan of gift-giving a mushroom oyster log because of its ease of care. It’s pretty magical too, because the mushrooms pop up seemingly overnight.

Astrid has personal experience with such a log, which she said she put in her yard, didn’t check on for almost a year and found it still flourishing.

These gifts can be found at local farmers markets, garden centers, hardware stores and online. Astrid’s came from Indigo Earth Farm in Oregon.

Seeds Of The Unusual

“I like giving seeds because as a gardener, there are always varieties you want to try, and it’s fun to hear what another gardener recommends,” Astrid said.

She’s definitely got some recommendations, particularly the Gete-Okosomin squash, with its deep orange and stripes of lighter orange and green. To boot, it’s got a great taste and stores well, she said.

Although rumors of this squash originating from a clay seed in an area once occupied by the Menominee Nation in Wisconsin has largely been debunked, this fruit’s captivating history includes close ties to the Miami Nation in Indiana and has been grown for more than 1,000 years.

Otherwise, try “Glass Gem” corn on for size. It’s grown for its appearance, and as one grower described, “opening up the husks to see what’s inside is like Christmas morning.”

“I am really into color and texture and I like to grow things that are rich and deep with color,” Astrid said. “The glass gem corn looks so beautiful.”