A few weeks ago I went over to my friends house to hang out and BBQ.  We bought burgers, sausages, hot dogs and chicken.  We were ready for a feast!

There was one problem, we could not for the life of us get that darned charcoal to light!  It was windy and the matches kept blowing out and the self-lighting charcoal or whatever it was really wasn’t self-lighting.

You know what would have helped?  This crazy 60 Second Charcoal Starter from Hammacher Schlemmer.

“…this is the barbecue starter that ignites charcoal in 60 seconds without requiring the use of lighter fluid, allowing you to start grilling in five minutes. Similar to the heat-focusing technology used in paint-stripping hot-air guns, the charcoal starter emits hot air at 1,290° F, providing a constant, precise flow of heat from the tip of the unit”

The 60 second charcoal grill starter has a lifetime guarantee and even comes with it’s own stand.  It will run you $79.99 but just think…lifetime!

This would make a great gift for that BBQ expert this 4th of July or a really late father’s day gift!

The Shopping Blog has a good post about red, white and blue bagels from Bruegger’s that will be available this upcoming Thursday and Friday.

Bruegger’s is one of my favorite places to get a bagel (jalapeno cream cheese mmm) and it makes me like them more that they are doing it for charity.

Here is what the Bruegger’s corporate site has to say:

“Bruegger’s will offer its New York-style, hot-from-the-oven red, white and blue swirled bagels to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday and help the men and women of the Armed Forces and their families. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of patriotic bagels will benefit the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.”

Find a Bruegger’s near you and give some patriotic bagels to your friends this July 4th weekend!

With GiftGuy away taking care of the new addition to the family I decided to stay with the baby theme.

The announcement and arrival of a newborn typically comes with…presents! Blankets, clothes, toys, diapers, cookies… Wait, cookies?

Ok, maybe everyone doesn’t receive cookies but they should with this great idea from Mrs. Beasley’s Bakery.

Mrs. Beasley’s, known for their delicious baked goods, features a baby book filled with some tasty treats for Mom. The box (which is perfect for storing baby photos, hospital bands, cards, etc) comes with 50 mini cookies and 6 brownies along with a personal page for recording baby milestones.

The best part is it only costs $29.95! A perfect gift upon arrival or even as part of a baby shower present. Order your Mrs. Beasley Baby Book today!

If you are a frequent visitor to the blog then you are already familiar with my adoration of gourmet food (and of course alcoholic beverages. What you may not know is that I actually LOVE to cook.

My Mom is Italian so I grew up watching her prepare delicious lasagna and pasta dishes with her homemade sauce. While I haven’t gotten the sauce down just yet, I would have to say that I have become pretty good.

Now maybe it’s because I’m Italian or maybe it’s from watching my mom but olive oil is used in almost ALL of my meals. It’s so great to grill with and can add some awesome flavor to meat or veggies (plus a little bit of salt and pepper mmm)…but it can be messy.

That is why I bought the Chef’N Oil Wand!

This thing is great! Easy to use, cheap and keeps my hands and counter top clean! Here is a little bit about it:

“The new OilWand™ is an oil baster and brush with countertop appeal. Just fill with your favorite oil then give a light squeeze! The heat resistant silicone brush allows you to evenly spread the oil over a hot pan or your favorite veggies.”

It’s also dishwasher safe. Gotta love that! The OilWand is only $9.99 and can be found over at Chef Central.

Imagine your loved ones/friends receiving organic produce every week for 20 weeks in the summer/fall! And each time they receive their fresh bounty, they remember what a great gift giver you are.

I was recently flying on Delta Airlines and read an article in the Delta Sky magazine about community supported agriculture (CSA). The author, John Grossmann, described (wonderfully) how he and his wife had recently joined Honey Brook Farm’s CSA program by purchasing a “share” of the crop for the year (summer/fall).

I can’t emphasize enough what a great read that article is!!! (here’s the link to the article again for convenience)

And, I immediately thought - what a cool gift idea to give someone a share in an organic farm’s produce!

Basic Information

While you can easily find information about Community Supported Agriculture with a simple Google search, you may find some fairly dry information such as this Wikipedia entry. You can also find some more user-friendly information such as this very nice Squidoo lens on the topic.

How Much Does it Cost?

I’m not exactly sure how much Mr. Grossmann paid for his share, but in this article about a new farm program that Honey Brook set up in Chesterfield, PA, shares were going for $358 for an individual and $604 for a family (per season).

The Wikipedia entry referenced above indicates that shares can range from $350 to $500 for a season.

The Urban Ecology Center provides some indication of costs on this page. Here is the excerpt for your convenience:

The typical cost of a CSA share averages from $20-25 a week. As a shareholder, you pay up front for the entire season, which ranges from 19 to 27 weeks, depending on the farm. Share size also varies from farm to farm. Some farms offer “worker shares” exchanging work for a share of produce. Others have either convenient payment plans or assistance funds that can offset part of the cost of a share.

How Do I Find a CSA?

Here are a few resources for locating a CSA farm near you:

• Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association - CSA Locator (use the sort by state function to browse for farms in your state)
• Newfarm.org - Farm Locator (nice way to search their database)
• National Agricultural Library - CSA Resources

More Information

Some blogs published by local CSA farmers:

• Belmont CSA, Belmont, MA
• Claggett Farm, Chesapeake Bay, MD
• Eat Well Farm, Dixon, CA
• Smith Gardens Community Farm, Cochrane, WI
• Full Circle Farm, Carnation, WA
• Sackville CSA, New Brunswick, Canada

There are a number of books on the topic (available at Amazon.com). Here is one of them…

Eat well, my friends! -GiftGuy