Easy DIY Herb Jar Gifts From Your Garden
Want to know my favorite way to gift garden herbs when I’ve got an overabundant harvest? I simply snip vibrant bundles of basil, rosemary and thyme then artfully arrange the fragrant sprigs in 16 ounce mason jars. In this post I’m excited to share how to make easy DIY Herb jar gifts from your garden!
These herb jars make for easy yet thoughtful DIY presents from your garden. Nestling freshly picked herbs in glass jars elegantly displays their colors and shows off nature’s bounty. I just love gifting these as hostess presents or to thank helpful neighbors.
The recipient can proudly adorn their kitchen table with your herbal creation for a rustic-chic centerpiece. Or they can actually use the ultra-fresh herbs for cooking up delicious dishes. Talk about useful and beautiful! Mason jar herb gifts are my go-to…although herb soaps and candles make fab presents too!
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Why You Will Love Making Easy DIY Herb Jar Gifts From Your Garden
- Perfect Timing: Harvest your herbs at the perfect time to ensure peak freshness.
- Wonderful Gifts: Turn your fresh herbs into wonderful gifts for special occasions.
- Great for Keen Gardeners: This DIY project is a great thing for those who love gardening or cooking!
- Fun DIY: Enjoy a fun way to express your passion for herbs through DIY herb jars.
- Layered Creations: Layer herbs like fresh basil, lemon balm, rosemary and mint, for a delightful presentation.
- Inspiration for Cooking: Provide inspiration for cooking recipes with your herb-infused creations.
- Cost-Effective Gifts: With little money, share the abundance of your garden with cost-effective DIY herb jars.
- Personalized Touch: Add a personal touch by crafting herb jars with fresh herbs for a window sill display.
- Eco-Friendly Repurposing: Gift herb jars using old mason jars as a good way to repurpose and contribute to eco-friendly practices. It’s a sustainable and creative approach to packaging your garden’s bounty.
- Hostess Gift: Transforming your herb jars into a mason jar hostess gift is a great gift idea. These thoughtfully crafted jars make for the perfect expression of gratitude for any host or hostess, adding a touch of charm to their home.
- Space-Saving: Craft herb jars as a perfect gift for someone with a small space. The compact nature of these gifts makes them ideal for those with limited room, providing an elegant and space-saving solution for bringing the beauty of an herb garden into any home.
Choosing Your Herbs And Jars
Picking out the best, brightest herbs and mason jars is the fun first step! Considering what’s currently overflowing abundance in my own garden or in my herb planters, I select a combo of 3-5 herbs for each jar, focusing on what’s freshest and at its peak. I want my gifted sprigs to last happily for 1-2 weeks if cared for.
Fragrant options like purple basil, spear-shaped rosemary, feathery dill or curly parsley never disappoint. I include herbs that the recipient may not have easy access to from markets or their yards. It’s nice to share different herbs.
For easy gift-giving, I use quart or 16 ounce sized mason jars – which can fit a nice variety of clipped herbs. Make sure any jars are sparkling clean and fully dry before building your arrangements. I always have a stash of pint and quart jars on hand just for impromptu DIY projects like this.
Adding Flowering Herbs: For an extra touch of beauty and fragrance, consider adding flowering herbs like mint, lavender, chamomile, thyme or even flowering oregano to your jars. Their delicate blooms not only enhance the visual appeal but also infuse a subtle, natural scent that complements the leafy herbs. These herbs are perfect for creating a charming, rustic bouquet that will brighten up any kitchen or windowsill. Plus, the flowers offer the added benefit of attracting beneficial pollinators if planted in a garden later!
Preparing The Herbs
Before we dive into crafting stunning arrangements, we need bright, lively herbs! Here are my tips for harvesting and prepping your garden goodness:
The best time to snip sprigs is first thing in the morning when plants are most hydrated and fragrant oils are concentrated after a night’s rest. Always use clean, sharp gardening shears for easy, non-crushing cuts.
I cut thicker woody stems like rosemary much shorter than soft herb leaves like cilantro to allow proportional fitting in the jars I’ve picked. Trimming herbs specific to your exact jar size is key.
Give freshly snipped herbs a gentle swirl in cool water to wash away any dirt or bugs from the garden. It’s important not to soak the herbs to prevent dilution of the lovely concentrated flavors.
After washing, spread herbs in a single layer on kitchen towels to air dry completely before working your jar magic. This keeps fragile leaves from getting bruised while ensuring any extra moisture doesn’t compromise vase life.
With gorgeous bundles of colorful herbs prepped, we’re ready for the best part – crafting stunning arrangements worthy of center stage! Time to channel my inner Martha Stewart…
Tip: If you need more variety, fill in with your favorite herbs found in the fresh produce section of your grocery store.
Designing Your Herb Jar Arrangements
Now for the truly fun, creative part – turning cleaned jars and herbs into masterpiece arrangements!
I start by filling jars 3/4 way with fresh, cool water. This hydrates stems while allowing space for layered sprigs.
Herbs naturally have varying stem widths, so I begin alternating slim and wider ones around the inside of the jar to form a wreath shape near the bottom. This helps support subsequent rounds.
Continuing upwards, keep layering concentric circles of contrasting herbs, rotating varieties as you move towards the jar’s center opening. Play with showcasing the beautiful colors, sizes and textures as you build delicate rings.
Nestle a final petite bundle of soft, feathery herbs in the middle opening for a finishing focal touch. The next step is to gently mist all herbs with room temp water to hydrate and revive them before capping it off.
Avoid cramming too many bundles per jar or the lack of airflow will cause spoilage. Wrap up just shy of overstuffed abundance preserving picturesque perfection!
The clear glass of the herb mason jars let’s you see the stems all the wy to the bottom of the jar!
Voila – gorgeous DIY works of art ready for gifting! Don’t you just love creating stunning arrangements from simple garden-to-vase components?
Accessorizing Your DIY Herb Jars
Tie raffia, a wide ribbon, or fabric scrap around the lid for an artisanal touch. For gifts, punch a hole in cute gift tags, loop through ribbons and identify the name of each herb included.
Writing out quick care instructions lets recipients properly maintain the herbs – change water every 4 days, store on counter out of sunlight, use herbs with in a couple of weeks, etc. This ensures they last so herbs don’t wilt before wowing friends with their farm-to-table centerpiece!
To personalize, embellish tags by rubber stamping or poking designs with a stamps and nail heads. Or include a handwritten recipe card spotlighting starring herbs – like lemon rosemary chicken or parsley vegetables.
Even tying on small garden clippers to cut herbs as needed makes for a useful gift. With endless options, you can thrift supplies and repurpose items into herb jar decor that feels uniquely thoughtful.
Head to your craft store and let your creativity run wild! Craft a stunning arrangement then accent with embellishments they’ll adore.
Handing Off Your Thoughtful Gifts
My favorite part of DIY herb jars? The excitement of gifting my garden creations to lucky friends!
Transport jars carefully on flat surfaces, avoiding tilting to prevent spilling water and bumping delicate herbs. An easy way is to cushion jars in padded boxes or crinkly tissue paper to prevent jostling.
Timing arrival just before occasions helps ensure herb freshness too. Herb jars work wonderfully as hostess or holiday gifts, to thank helpful neighbors, or are a great way to cheer up loved ones!
Nothing beats friends’ reactions to receiving not only gorgeous arrangements but also ingredients for future family dinners or scoping out new herbs to grow themselves next season! Mason jar gems packed with garden goodness…as gift ideas go, what’s not to love?
Herb Jar Display & Usage Ideas
I love seeing friends discover creative ways to highlight my herb jar creations as gorgeous home accents.
Display as a fragrant table centerpiece – the pure vibrancy of white-and-green, alongside pops of purple basil or bronze fennel creates such a stunning still life to admire during meals.
Or scatter artfully around the home for little unexpected moments of garden zen. Admiring the jar on an office shelf distracts from work dread. Nestling one in the entryway sets a soothing scene for folks coming home.
And best of all – those herbs aren’t just sitting there looking pretty! Regularly trimming herbs to garnish meals or add fresh flair to dishes helps recipients fully utilize their edible gift.
From lemon rosemary roasted chicken to colorful tabbouleh salad with parsley and mint, herb jar possibilities are endless. And once herbs are enjoyed, jars get repurposed as quirky bud vases or to elevate cotton balls in bathrooms.
However they’re used, creativity is unlimited with these simple mason jar gifts direct from your backyard patch!
Frequently Asked Questions About Herb Jars As Gifts
Got herb jar questions before crafting your own? Here are answers to common FAQs:
With proper care like changing water every few days, they last 1-2 weeks.
Indirect light is best. Avoid direct sun or heat that accelerates spoiling.
Compost any slimy green stems immediately before mold spreads.
Absolutely! Just avoid any woody parts near the base when prepping dishes.
Yes! Hang extras in small bundles to air dry for future kitchen use or visit our harvesting and preserving page for more ideas on how to dry herbs.
I hope these herb-stuffed mason jar ideas inspire you to share generous cuts of garden bounty with lucky loved ones! Curating colorful arrangements is so rewarding. And nothing compares to recipients marveling over your thoughtfully vibrant creations.
Beyond gifting gorgeous goodness, using your own herbs I’d love for you to craft herb jars to grace your tables and counters too. Let the simplicity of snipped stems in repurposed glass impart calm and joy as you trim fresh ingredients and sprinkle them through everyday meals.
Thank you for visiting the blog today for these Easy DIY Herb Jar Gifts From Your Garden. For more diy gifts visit my DIY Herb Garland: A Creative Way to Use Your Garden’s Bounty post, Using Herbs As Greenery For Flower Arranging -Tips, Tricks, and Fragrant Ideas post, Using Essential Oils for Candles post or my DIY Rosemary Salt post. Happy Arranging!!