A Tasty 10 Minute DIY Gift Idea

Sometimes I like to slave over DIY projects, working late into the night watching reruns of Project Runway and propping my eyelids open with glue sticks. Other times—although they may be few and far between—I wise up. I find the happy intersection between what I want to make and what I have time to make and I make peace with both.

That’s exactly how this little DIY gift idea was born. A few years ago, I hatched a grand plan to make my own truffle salt and give it to my foodie friends for Christmas. Well, one $30 mushroom and a jar of terribly stinky salt later, I gave up on the whole scheme and instead gave everyone a hearty pat on the back for Christmas.

Now, I’m three years older and about 3000% wiser. So when I saw that Whole Foods now sells fantastic infused salt in bulk, I knew my little eBay jars wouldn’t be empty for long. Here’s how you can put together a great gift for a foodie (or really anyone with a mouth) in about 10 minutes.

Ingredients:
-Small glass jars (Look in the cosmetic section of a health food store or on eBay.)
-Infused salt (Find this in the bulk section of Whole Foods. In my store, it’s near the produce. I used: black truffle, vintage merlot, chipotle and smoked alder wood. )
-A funnel or a piece of paper to make your own
-Mailing labels with adhesive backing
-Scrapbooking scissors

1. Wash and thoroughly dry your jars.
2. If you’re like me and don’t own a funnel, make your own. (See, I told you this was a DIY project.) Roll up a piece of paper and tape it into a cone shape. I was surprised at how big the hole needed to be to let the salt through.
3. Make it rain! Scoop your salt into the funnel about a half teaspoon at a time. 4. When all the jars are full, it’s time to label them up. Use scrapbooking scissors to cut a small rectangle or oval-shaped label. Write the name of the salt flavor (or make up your own fun name!) and tell your friends to start popping some corn. All in, I estimate each of these little guys cost me about $1.50. They’re great goodies to keep on hand when you need a little hostess gift or just want to brighten a friend’s day with a little salt. (Happens to me all the time…)