Gift News | Fruit Company Gifts

Give a happy and healthy holiday this year

Organic Fruit Basket When most people think about the holiday season, they bring to mind images of sweet treats and excess that will cause both smiles and bellies to swell. This helps to explain why so many people make weight loss and healthy lifestyles their New Year’s resolutions.

This year, give a gift that will cater to both health and enjoyment by giving gifts that will suit those needs. For example:

• An organic fruit basket – give a basket of organic fruit, or give the gift of a fruit of the month club so that the baskets will be sent all year long. That way, the recipient will be able to enjoy a tasty sweet treat, without any of the guilt.

• Reusable food storage containers – this can include water bottles and thermal lunch bags that are both attractive and practical. With these items, your recipient will be encouraged to drink more water and to pack a lunch, instead of buying something from a fast food restaurant.

• Smaller dishes – research now indicates that the larger the plates you have and the wider the glasses, the more you’ll put in them. Buy your recipient narrow glasses and ten-inch plates to reduce the number of calories that are consumed at a meal. It’s a healthy way to get the same satisfaction from a meal but with smaller portions.

• Healthy mobile apps – give the gift of technology with an app that can help with easy healthy recipes, a shopping list creator, and a reminder to eat lots of organic fruits and veggies!

How to make an inexpensive eco-friendly gourmet biodynamic wine basket to give as a gift

Making a gourmet gift basket that is both eco-friendly and flavorful doesn’t need to be an expensive experience. The trick is to do it yourself and choose the right products to make a difference both to the environment and the recipient of the gift.

Gift baskets are a type of present that will never go out of style, and giving one that has personally selected items that are tasty, luxurious, and organic can add even more enjoyment for your friends and family.

The following are some great ideas for assembling these gourmet biodynamic wine baskets, which can be made to fit virtually any budget and can be customized for almost any recipient.

Start with a bottle or two of biodynamic wine. They come in a range of different prices and from many different regions. Have a glance at biodynamic wine sites online to watch for award winners for that extra flair to your present.

Next, shop around for additional eco-friendly gifts such as organic candies and packaged baked goods (such as cookies or fruit cakes) that have been made using organic ingredients.

Don’t forget to make sure that the basket itself is made out of environmentally friendly materials, to top off the greenness of your gift. Look for decorative recycled heavy cardboard boxes, baskets woven from organic straw, or totes made from bamboo or salvaged fabric strips. Use filler products such as crinkled recycled paper strips, organic straw, or even a bamboo towel that can become part of the gift and can be used by the recipient. Forgo the cellophane wrap, if possible.

Also, adding organic fruit gifts make for a nice finishing touch!

Why give a fruit of the month club membership as a gift?

Gift giving can be a real struggle these days, as people accumulate an increasing amount of “stuff” and don’t want to receive yet one more thing that they need to store in a closet and forget about. For this reason, fruit of the month club gifts are rapidly rising in popularity.

Fruit of the month clubs allow you to sign up the recipient to receive a new basket of fruit every month for as many months as you want. By giving a recipient a membership to this kind of club, you know that you’ll be sending a new treat every time a new basket is shipped, and that it will be enjoyed, instead of being stuffed into storage.

In today’s economic uncertainty, this type of gift can be especially helpful, as it can supplement the recipient’s monthly groceries and help them to get more out of their monthly budgets.

Among the most popular fruit of the month clubs are those that offer organic products. By sending organic fruit gifts, you’re making sure that the recipient is eating food that was grown only under the strictest organic conditions, without the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Many people prefer the flavor of these foods to those grown using more conventional farming methods, and appreciate that it is a healthier alternative.

Fruit of the month clubs are a wonderful gift for newlyweds, retired individuals, students off at college, and are perfect for weddings, birthdays, Christmas, and other gift giving occasions.

As you choose your fruit of the month club, look for an option that offers organic produce, and make sure that it is a company that concentrates on quality, so that you know that your recipient will always obtain the best treat every time.

Fruit baskets are a unique holiday gift that everyone will enjoy

Organic Fruit Baskets If you’re someone who likes to give unique gifts to family and friends on Thanksgiving and Christmas, you might want to consider giving a basket of fresh, gourmet fruit, as this edible present has become an increasingly popular choice among many gift givers who celebrate these special occasions.

Why? There are plenty of reasons with the primary one being that the recipient will appreciate this present. Not only is it thoughtful but it’s practical, can be shared, it’s healthy and isn’t something that will be tossed aside or left to collect dust on a shelf. Organic fruit baskets can be enjoyed by everyone and are often a welcome holiday treat.

When it comes to selecting a fruit basket, you will find you have two options. You can make the gift yourself, by obtaining the basket and individually selecting the fruit, or you can choose products that have been pre-designed and pre-made. Regardless of what you decide, remember to pick the basket with the fruit you think will be the most appealing to the receiver.

Something else to consider is that some baskets don’t only contain fruit but may also include other items such as wine, chocolate, jams, sauces, etc. Therefore, you can give a basket that is elaborate or simple, whatever you deem the most suitable for the receiver and the occasion.

Organic fruit baskets are available in various sizes, presentations and price ranges, providing you with plenty of inspiration to choose and give a thoughtful and useful gift to the important people in your life.

What kids are really receiving when they go trick-or-treating

Halloween Gift Ideas Halloween can be a lot of fun for kids of all ages, with entertainment ranging from costumes to scary movies, and from trick-or-treating to eating tasty sweets. However, by taking a deeper look at some of the “treats” that are received, it may not be the ghosts and goblins that cause the fright that night.

Have a look at some of the ingredients on the packaging of the items you’ll be doling out or that your own children have received:

• Artificial colors and flavors – these are chemicals often based on petroleum products that can have adverse effects, such as hyperactivity, rashes, allergic reactions, fatigue, and headaches.

• Alkali – this ingredient is an acid neutralizer that is found in many chocolate products in order to lower bitterness and boost flavor. Unfortunately, most of the antioxidants found in the chocolate are destroyed by this ingredient.

• High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) – this is a fructose sweetener that is made when cornstarch is processed. Though it is inexpensive, it also involve the use of genetically modified enzymes. Moreover, it is known to increase an individual’s risk of coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.

• Polyglycerol Polyricinoleate (PGPR) – this ingredient is made from castor beans and is a binding agent (emulsifier). This is found in many chocolate products to reduce their thickness so that when they are melted, the result will be a texture with greater smoothness. However, like alkali, it reduces or eliminates the antioxidants in the product.

Many parents are choosing to give alternative treats to their kids and to the trick-or-treaters who come to the door. Some ideas include:

• Small boxes of organic raisins
• Granola bars
• Individually wrapped cookies that are trans fat-free and have low sugar.
• Pretzels
• Nicely wrapped organic fruit Gifts
• Fruit bars
• Dark chocolate

How will you be observing National Grandparents Day?

Grandparents Day Gifts National Grandparents Day is rapidly approaching in the United States and a number of other countries, and parents and children are preparing to show grandparents how much they mean to them throughout the entire year.

This day falls on the first Sunday after Labor Day every year, making it September 11 in 2011. It has been celebrated in the United States since 1978, with Marian McQuade from Oak Hill, West Virginia, as its official founder, for which she has received recognition by senators and President Jimmy Carter.

McQuade founded the day as a complement to her personal life goal to provide youth in her community with an education regarding the importance of the present and historical contributions of senior citizens. Aside from National Grandparents Day, another of McQuade’s efforts was to encourage youth to “adopt” a grandparent.

This secular holiday is meant to give people the opportunity to honor grandparents and to provide grandparents with the chance to show their own love for the children of their own children. This can help to make children more aware of the information, strength, and guidance that senior citizens have to give.

As of 2004, National Grandparents Day has had its own official song, which was written by Johnny Prill, and is called “A Song for Grandma and Grandpa”. Prill received the National Songwriter’s Award for this composition.

Similarly, in the United States, there is an official flower for the holiday, as well. It is a forget-me-not. However, as this is a spring bloom, it is traditional to give more seasonal flowers or a organic fruit basket to grandparents on the holiday itself.

Organic Fruit and Food Trends

Organic Fruits and Vegetables There has been a shift in where people are buying their produce in recent years, according to a study by the TABS group, a consumer products consultancy firm. Though the number of people buying produce has generally stayed the same, the firm found that 38.6% of consumers bought produce from more traditional markets as opposed to supermarkets like Wal-Mart and Trader Joe’s.

The most popular products are fresh fruits, followed by vegetables, eggs and milk.

Kurt Jetta, president of the TABS group, said that there is no evidence suggesting that those buying organic products are buying a higher volume.

A separate study from the Organic Trade Association suggests that sales for products have grown by 5% in 2009, an increase of $26.6 billion.

“People are looking for chemical-free foods,” said T. Hephner, founder of Healthy U Snacks, a company that has furnished 52 Chicago-area locations with vending machines full of natural snacks.

Natural food companies are also reporting an uptick in sales, especially from vending machines.

Whether people are buying their produce from wending machines or local stores, data suggests that there is an increase in awareness regarding organic produce. The demand for produce may be on the rise, especially as environmentalism becomes more popular.

With green living on the rise, more and more people are looking for ways to join in the effort and increase their eco-friendly impact. The use of organic produce is a great alternative to commercially produced foods.