Instead of buying presents this holiday season, why not make something from the garden? Edible wreaths can be used as decoration but can also be deconstructed and put to use in the kitchen. It’s a gift that keeps on giving.
Kitchen Wreath Ideas
An edible wreath makes a great gift for anyone who loves food and cooking as well as holiday décor. Use herbs, chili peppers, or garlic. Get creative with some unique ideas:
- Create a themed herb wreath with Italian herbs for the pasta lover on your gift list.
- Include a candle that fits inside the wreath for a table decoration.
- Attach a small edible wreath to a larger evergreen wreath.
- Include recipes with your herb wreath for cooking.
How to Make a Fresh Herb Wreath
An herb wreath is a perfect holiday gift. It provides fragrant decoration but also a lot of herbs the recipient can actually use. Start with fresh herbs. They can snip them off to use fresh and continue to cook with the herbs as they dry.
You’ll need fresh herbs from your garden, floral wire and rubber bands, and a wreath form. For the latter, use a metal frame or a plain grapevine wreath. Group herbs together in small bundles and wrap a rubber band around the stems.
Use floral wire to attach each bundle to the wreath. The leaves and flowers of one bundle should overlap and hide the stems of another. Use any herbs but be aware that softer herbs won’t hold their shape for long. Sturdier herbs, like rosemary, lavender, thyme, and sage work best.
How to Make a Pepper Wreath
For the culinarily adventurous, choose your favorite hot chilis for a gift wreath. The simplest way to make a pepper wreath is with a loop of wire. Cut a piece of wire and fashion it into a circle, but don’t connect the two ends yet.
Pierce each pepper with the wire and thread them onto the loop. Once you have a loop full of peppers, twist the ends together to complete the wreath. Use a ribbon to hide the exposed wire where it connects.
How to Make a Garlic Wreath
To make a garlic wreath, harvest the bulbs and keep the leaves intact. You can use these to braid or tie the garlic to a wreath frame.
Either tie the garlic to the frame with the leaves, or if they are too stiff already, use floral wire. Because garlic needs to cure to store properly, a wreath serves a double purpose. It’s both decoration and a system for curing and storing the bulbs. Your gift recipient can use the wreath for holiday decorations and then have cured garlic to use for the rest of the winter.