Some say love is all you need, but a thoughtful little something never hurt anybody! We’ve picked five great gift ideas – big and small – for your mamma, whatever she’s into.
Spicy Mamma: Chic Choc Spiced Rum $31.95 750 mL www.ungavaco.com
Canadian distillers are making a splash on the international spirits landscape, and why not? We grow some of the best grains, and we’ve got the talent to turn those great grains into purely delightful beverages. This lightly sweet and richly warm tipple gets its curious name from the North Eastern Maritime Quebec Chic-Choc mountain range where the spices used to flavour the rum are harvested. Very neat, eh?
Speaking of neat; enjoy it solo, on the rocks; in a cup of Joe or hot chocolate; to make outstanding bananas Foster; or in a cocktail.
Gardening Mamma: Canadian Gardener’s Guide, 3rd Edition Revised and Expanded, edited by Lorraine Johnson, www.dk.com $35
This absolute door stopper of a book digs into just about any and every aspect of gardening one can think of. It’s loaded with ideas, inspiration, plans, advice and lovely photos, covering everything from backyard hens to beneficial bugs to hard landscaping and everything in-between.
It’s a must have reference for any green thumb mamma, novice or expert.
Eco-Mamma: Lady of Shallots Bee’s Wax Wraps, $6 – $20 various sizes www.facebook.com/ladyofshallots
Handmade in Port Hope, Ontario by school teacher, Meg Long, these pretty and useful wraps will help Mamma – and you! – kick the plastic habit. Made from only the simplest, most natural ingredients: repurposed cotton fabrics, bee’s wax, and essential oils, they’re perfect for topping a bowl, wrapping leftovers, and packing a lunch. And because Meg is forever on the hunt for new old fabrics to upcycle, her designs are always fresh and often one-of-a-kind.
Java Hound Mamma Part 1: Le Creuset for Hudson’s Bay French Press Coffee Carafe, $85 from www.thebay.com
This collaboration between two historic brands – The Bay and France’s Le Cruset – features the iconic and much-loved Bay blanket design. The French press is just one piece in this very special limited edition collection which also features a rectangular lidded casserole, oval lidded French oven, and tea pot.
With this beauty, Mother can start her day in style, and at the end of the day, some decaf with a splash of Chic Choc, perhaps?
Java Hound Mamma Part 2: 49th Parallel Coffee, $15 – $21 from www.49thcoffee.com
What’s a fancy new coffee press without the best coffee to fill it with? Based in Vancouver, this direct trade brand is as concerned about great flavour as it is about the environment and the folks who work the soil and pick the beans. Offering a “transparency report” on their website, consumers can learn about their morning brew’s journey and the farmers who bring it to you.
Importing and roasting green beans from the best coffee-growing regions is the main event at 49th Parallel, but they also sell teas and brewing gadgets.
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From Hudson, Quebec, now living in Port Hope, Ontario, Signe is a restaurant chef-turned-writer who tells award-winning stories and creates delicious recipes for LCBO’s Food & Drink, Manna Pro Hearty Homestead, The Harvest Commission, and Today’s Parent; she published her first book – Happy Hens & Fresh Eggs; Keeping Chickens in the Kitchen Garden with 100 Recipes – in 2015.
