Making Gifts in a Jar
By Kim Murray

Making gifts in a jar are surprisingly easy, inexpensive and greatest of all, everyone loves to receive them!

Use scrap fabric cut with pinking shears to cover the jar lid. You can sew a nice soft drawstring bag to slip the bag into instead. Tie ribbon around the top of the jar or bag to create a pretty presentation. Tying a wooden spoon to the side of the jar is a nice touch too. Placing a couple different jar mixes into a basket or mixing bowl makes a stunning gift anyone would love to receive.

You can layer each ingredient of your recipe so that it looks like sand art or simply mix all ingredients together if you’re not using a clear container where the layers will be seen.

These gifts can be displayed in glass jars so that you can see the different layers or in any correct sized container; zip-top bag placed into small cookie tin, fancy plastic bag tied with ribbon, the choices are endless.

Containers: Wide mouth jars (1 quart size canning jars are good), zip-top bags, cookie tins, etc.

Ingredients for recipe of your choice

Funnel

Wooden spoon or small meat tenderizer for tamping ingredients down.

Fabric, paint, ribbon etc for decorating

You can use a label or index card as a recipe card with instructions on how to make the item of the jar.

Many of the recipes will fit into a 1-quart or 1-liter size wide mouth canning jar, as long as you pack the ingredients in as tightly as possible. One quart equals 4 cups; one liter equals just over 4 cups. Even if the ingredient list adds up to more than 4 cups, if packed correctly they will fit. Careful packing is important. After placing one ingredient in the jar, press it down with a utensil with a fairly wide flat bottom. Do this after each ingredient, especially after ingredients such as brown sugar, oats, and nuts.

• It is better to put finer grain items such as sugar and flour nearer the bottom if you have items like nuts or chocolate chips to add. Putting the sugar layer over the nuts will cause the sugar to seep through and look messy.
   

• Try to layer in alternating colors (e.g. brown sugar, white sugar, cocoa powder, and then flour).
   

• When using cocoa, wipe the inside of jar before adding another ingredient to keep jar looking clean.
   

• When adding flour, powered milk or powdered sugar, gently tap the bottom of the jar on the counter to help settle the ingredient to create more room.

If stored in a cool, dry and dark place, these gift jars can last for up to 6 months, as long as all of the ingredients used to make it were fresh. However, if the mix contains nuts, they should be used within 3 months.