We covered close to 100 different parts, tools and contraptions online and on the pages of Small Farm Canada magazine over the past year. Many of these standout items of practicality and utility would also make great gifts this holiday season. We have covered a few here for your consideration for the small farmers, homesteaders and landowners on your Christmas list.
Up-cycling, Gifts with New Purpose
In our November-December issue of Small Farm Canada magazine, we explore gift ideas for agriculturalists working the land, sheds, kitchens, barns and backyards of Canada. These folks often relate to nature and appreciate finding value in an old item, rather than send it to the burn pile or the dump. That includes giving new life to old wood windows as new cold frames or spent lawn tractors as an easy efficient crop watering solution. Lumber off-cuts as birdhouse subdivisions and old hydro-poles as firewood processing staging --re-purposing is a gift to the land and to those who work it.
For the DIY Food Preservation Enthusiast
Here is a gift idea for do-it-yourselfers and food preservation enthusiasts alike. A food dehydrator can also be especially useful when crop bounty can’t all be used fresh. Apples are often a good place to start when first venturing into the world of food drying from there, the sky is the limit as dehydrators can be used to help preserve fruit, vegetables, herbs, meat, and even flowers. Canadian ag retailers like Peavey Mart, Canadian Tire and Home Hardware offer a range of alternatives and sizes from personal to commercial. Simple alternatives like an herb dryer from Lee Valley Tools offer a budget friendly gift option. For the DIYer’s who would prefer to build a gift, a google search for “DIY food dehydrators” yields bountiful results.
Buy Local
Our last small farm gifting suggestion isn’t so specific, but more a nod to local farmers, markets and farm retailers. Farm direct gifts equal fresh with fewer food miles, that is good for the soil and feeds the local economy. That is certainly true of many farm produced products that have graced the pages of Small Farm Canada magazine like cider produced at Heartwood Farm & Cidery (September/October, 2021).
When Small Farm Canada asked Val Steinmann, co-owner and farmer at Heartwood, about good product gifts, like portable electric fencing for strip grazing her cows, she replied: “I will say that one of the big challenges for me has been finding suppliers for the good products that are out there. For example, I really appreciate Brussels Agri Services because they carry products for managed grazing, making it easier for me to access than if I had to ship it from the States, and provide expert advice on how to use it/repair it.” What could be a better than giving a gift with quality assurance that local can provide.