April F's great idea: local gift basket

April Finnen gets the prize today for having a good idea. She needed to come up with a gift basket for an office party, so she put together one using products from Frederick County. Here are the contents of her basket, quoted from her blog page:

• Elk Run Vineyard wine - I chose a chardonnay, since that's all the liquor store was offering, and I didn't have time to visit the vineyard. (Making this basket could really be a full-time job.)
  
• Flying Dog Double Dog Double Pale Ale - I sent my husband out for this one, with the request only that he didn't choose the Raging Bitch... this is a work party, after all.
• Dublin Roasters Guatelmalan Antigua artisan roasted coffee, hand-roasted in New Market, Md. I was hoping for some Highlander Grogg, but the selection is whatever's been recently roasted. I also picked up a couple other items for the basket in their cute little store, including:
• Local honey from Bill McGiffin's apiary in Mt. Airy, Md., and
• A selection of Seven Angels lotions, made in New Market. I think I've seen them at farmers markets too.
• While in New Market, I stopped at the New Market General Store, hoping for something small by a local artist. I found McCutcheon's Buttermilk Pancake and Waffle Mix, and some Swedish fish (for my husband, not the basket).
• And what basket would be complete without chocolate? First, a variety box from Perfect Truffle in Frederick's Shab Row.
• Finally, my personal favorite, a Raw Bar (with cocoa nibs) and an Espresso Bar from Zoe's Chocolate, a relatively new addition to downtown Frederick.

I think this is a fantastic idea. Other thoughts: McCutcheon's has their factory outlet on Wisner and a store at the FSK mall. Zoe's also has the world's best candy canes, according to Saveur Magazine. For wine, also check out Berrywine Plantations/Linganore Winecellers, Black Ankle Vineyards, Frederick Cellars, Loew Vineyards, and Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyards. Flying Dog was ranked one of the best American breweries by Forbes and won best in show at the Great American Beer Festival this year as the best mid-size brewing company in America. The Common Market has some local gift items, as does the Muse (disclaimer- I sell my necklaces at the Muse).

While I am on the topic of local gifts, if you are looking to participate in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) next year and get fresh produce all season, Several may still have openings.

• Summer Creek Farm, Farmer Rick Hood (organic), farmer@summercreekfarm.com
• Mt Zion CSA, Farmer Chad Stull (organic), stullproduce@yahoo.com, 301.473.7068
• Thanksgiving Farm, Darby Zimmermann, 301.662.1291

What are your local gift ideas?