Frugal Christmas Gifts? It's Just Nuts!!!  

Posted by: Julie in

Like so many this Christmas, we are looking to give nice gifts without breaking the bank. We have been blessed with a HUGE crop of pecans this year, so the kids and I have been gathering them up to give as gifts.





Somehow I think I am the one picking up all the pecans while the kids have all the fun ;-)


I think they call this "Pecan Soup" LOL!


This is a small portion of our crop. I picked up this bag of pecans yesterday afternoon. I estimate it to be 30 lbs of pecans! The pecans pictured are from one tree in our back yard. The tree is STILL full of pecans that have yet to fall. We also have 2 more trees in the front yard, but we haven't been able to pick those up yet.



There is NO WAY I could crack these by hand so I took them to the local roadside market and had them cracked for $0.30 per lb. The above picture is 60 lbs of pecans!!!


I've started the shelling process. We plan to fill up cellophane bags with pecan halves and tie them up with ribbon. We are going to pair up one bag of pecans with a bag full of Spritz cookies for a pretty, yummy, frugal gift.

What are your frugal gift ideas? Leave me a comment and link to your blog....I'd love to see what you're doing to save money on gifts this year.



















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1 comments

Great idea!! We made little jars of candie pecans one year for neighbors and friends. We put a little piece of Christmas looking fabric over the top piece of the jar and then screwed the ring on. Here is the recipe if you would like to try it. Easy!

Candied pecans, with cinnamon and vanilla.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups pecan halves
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:
Put pecans and oil in a flat baking pan; stir until pecans are coated. Roast in 300° oven 20 to 25 minutes, stirring frequently. Cool.
Combine sugar, cinnamon, salt, and water in a saucepan; cook, stirring, over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Boil to 236° of a candy thermometer, or to soft ball stage. Remove from heat; blend in vanilla. Add pecans and stir until mixture is creamy. Turn out onto waxed paper and use a fork to separate pecans.

Cece

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