make it an heirloom christmas

with 10 tomato-adjacent gift ideas

Funky Tomato Trinket Tray, Etsy, $40

Frankly, I was not prepared for the sheer volume of gift guides I have received in the last week. Most lean more into someone’s gift giving habits than actually solving problems for the reader, but they are lots of fun.

It got me thinking about FOMO and the holidays, but mostly about what I’ll be missing as we approach the winter solstice. Then

Emilia Petrarca

of Shop Rat included a $110 Loewe candle on her list and I knew exactly what our winter inboxes needed - tomatoes.

So here, dear readers, are 10 tomato-adjacent gifts to get you through the winter.

Flamingo Estate’s Tomato Collection, $31 - $150

Cash in on the 1990s nostalgia of sun dried tomatoes without dirtying a dish. For the person in your life looking to have their hands and house smell fancier than Dominos, but can’t be bothered to pronounce Loewe.

Homemade Ketchup, Au Pied du Cochon, $9

I went to the Au Pied du Cochon this summer and came home with one of everything they had on site. Listen to these ingredients: tomatoes, sweet peppers, cabbage, onions, eggplants, apples, squash, salt, sugar, vinegar, mustard seeds and spices. That ketchup is gonna slap. For the person in your life that needs culinary baby steps.

Basilico & Fellini Eau de Parfum, Vilhelm Parfumerie, $90 for 20ml

“Federico Fellini was said to request extra servings of this herb (basil), rumored to be an aphrodisiac,” according to the parfumerie’s website. It sells the scent as leading with minty, warm basil followed by a peppery kick. Having smelled this first hand, it’s for the person in your life that wants to smell like they are elbow deep in caprese salad.

Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables, Joshua McFadden, $38

Really one of the most formative cookbooks for me in 2023. It reframed the way I think about vegetables and food shopping. Although Joshua McFadden doesn’t dedicate this whole book to tomatoes, it is peak seasonal eating. For the person in your life whose farmer’s market recaps are their whole personality.

Archie Throw Blanket, Lisa Says Gah, $138

Grandma’s blanket that covers the recliner meets downtown vibes. This serves both the roommate you cannot peel off the couch and the manic partner who thinks a cozy winter weekend is recreating a full summer picnic inside the living room.

Real Cherry Tomato Resin Earrings, $23 - 26

From Etsy, the place where weird aunts (myself included) go to spend money. Perfect for the person with too many magnets on their refrigerator.

Paul Robeson Tomato Seeds, Rare Seeds & The Seed Exchange, $4

Earlier this month I saw Debra Freeman, host of the podcast Setting the Table, speak. I’ve been devouring her work ever since. Her story about why Soviet Russia named a tomato after an American celebrity is especially interesting. For the person in your life that is not going to let urban living stop their quest for heirloom tomatoes.

Funky Tomato Trinket Tray, Etsy, $40

The trinket tray really epitomizes gift giving as pleasure principle. Affordable, memorable and kind of useless. For the person who bought you a decorative sword last year.

Staub Tomato Mini Stoneware Cocette, Sur La Table, $45

Ornamental bakeware is a great gift for the cooks in your life. It meets that “fun, but I’d never buy it for myself” qualification. For the person who makes you Half Baked Harvest recipes when you come over.

Carbone Pasta Sauce 3-Jar Variety Pack, $33

While $12 jars of pasta sauce might seem basic, Carbone is (successfully) selling itself as anything but. For the person in your life that only visits New York on Tiktok.

Happy Heirloom (Tomato) Holidays!

xoxo

• Reading - The Rise: a history of American Biscuits (2023) by Debra Freeman

• Listening - all the soul music on my Spotify wrapped.

• Snacking - on thanksgiving leftovers.

• Watching - so much football & snoopy.

• Smelling - Good Fortune by Viktor & Rolf (2022) which smells more saccharine than a bubble gum outfit from 2003.