Here are 5 Jersey-made holiday gifts for the foodie on your list
A gift you can eat is always a good idea, especially when it's something made right here in New Jersey.
From tea grown in Cumberland County to cookies baked in Jersey City, there are lots of locally made treats to share with the folks on your list. These are items you can't get anywhere else, and purchasing from a small business makes a big difference, especially this time of year.
Here are five Jersey-made gifts any foodie would love.
Holiday tea from Greenwich Teaburners Tea Farm
White, green, black and oolong tea all come from the same tea plant, the Camellia sinensis, which grows on Michelle and Rich DeMarco's Cumberland County tea farm.
"It's the way you process the tea leaves once they're picked" that determines what kind of tea they become, said Michelle, who with Rich has been growing, harvesting and packaging tea on their 3.5-acre Greenwich Teaburners Tea Farm in in Greenwich, Cumberland County, since 2006.
It's a labor of love.
"Tea plants are very slow in growing. You cannot even start harvesting off of a tea plant until it's three to five years old," said Michelle, who enjoys talking with visitors about the history of tea in this part of New Jersey (a tea-burning took place in Greenwich in 1774).
For the holidays, the DeMarcos offer a "12 Teas of Christmas" box featuring blends like chocolate peppermint bark, gingerbread, chestnut, sugar plum and spiced apple chai ($65, makes 24 cups of each flavor and includes a tea ball, honey and honey dipper). They use all-natural elements to scent and flavor their tea, like cloves, cinnamon, orange peels and cardamom.
For a sweet treat, try whipped honey with tea, a collaboration with Frog Ocean Honey of Salem, or turn this gift into an experience with a tea farm tour and tea-tasting, including tea-infused scones. Tours are offered through the winter.
Go: 1077 Bridgeton Road, Greenwich; 856-305-4404, greenwichteaburnersteafarmnj.com.
More: Jersey Shore home bakers are making cookies, cupcakes and more for the holidays
Coffee from Edgar Allan Joe
The literary minds on your list will get a kick out of a coffee gift from Dillon Cafiero's small-batch roasting company.
The name Edgar Allan Joe occurred to Cafiero as a college student, when coffee fueled his all-nighters. Later, as a Starbucks barista, he fell in love with the idea of making people happy with a well-made cup of coffee.
"That was where the lightbulb went off," he said. "This feeling I give to people, I want that every day."
His beans and grounds, which can be delivered in Monmouth County and shipped nationally, come in medium, dark and decaf, as well as in flavors like French vanilla, toasted hazelnut, and a seasonal variety.
More: Celebrate the season with these holiday drinks at Jersey Shore shops, roasteries
Cafiero has collaborated with Belmar's Beach House Brewery for a coffee imperial stout; Freehold Township's Jersey Freeze for a cold brew milkshake; and his canned cold brew soon will be sold at Mav's Top Buns in Middletown.
He also does pop-up events.
"I pretty much set up a mini coffee shop experience," said Cafiero, who hopes to turn his business into a coffee shop.
Go: Order at edgarallanjoenj.com or purchase at Calgo Gardens, 462 Adelphia Road in Freehold, and From The Garden Gift Shop, 353 Fairfield Road in Freehold. A portion of December's sales will be donated to charity.
Jack Daniel's barrel and foodie experience
In New Brunswick's Monument State Park stands a five-tier tree made of Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey barrels, one of a dozen trees that were built in Nashville and sent around the country.
The tree comprises 140 barrels stacked tall, the sale of which will fund holiday travel for the men and women of the armed forces. Most of the barrels had been sold as of press time, but an auction taking place through Dec. 22 gives foodies a chance to win a barrel and these restaurant experiences:
a pizza-making class with Jacqueline Mazza, executive chef of Clydz in New Brunswick. Includes charcuterie, pizza-tasting and wine.
tasting menu for four with Chef Ricky Stevens of Stage Left Steak in New Brunswick, plus an overnight stay at the nearby Heldrich Hotel.
a $100 gift card to Steakhouse 85 in New Brunswick and an overnight stay at the nearby Hyatt Regency.
Go: 5 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick; operationridehome.com.
More: Here's where to get sufganiyot or Israeli jelly donuts this Hanukkah in New Jersey
Cookies from Bang Cookies
Homemade cookies are great, but we promise, Bang Cookies are better.
The Jersey City-based cookie company bakes cookies of all kinds — sea salt chocolate chip, white chocolate macadamia nut, s'mores and rocky road, among others — and they are organic, delicious and baked to order ($5 to $5.75 each). They're also big enough to share.
The bake shop, which offers same-day delivery near its North Jersey locations, also offers their cookies by the box ($30 for six cookies to $130 for 24 cookies), plus brownies and cookie cakes ($5.50 to $60).
Go: 128 Newark Ave. in Jersey City; 55 Parsonage Road in Edison; and 1 American Dream Way in East Rutherford, bangcookies.com.
More: Even more ideas for the foodies on your list
A food tour with Beyond the Plate
Know someone who loves going behind the scenes? This is the gift for them.
Beyond the Plate offers public and private walking tours of three foodie towns: Red Bank, Jersey City and Somerville. Each includes stops at a number of restaurants, where tourgoers can sample dishes and drinks, and meet the chef ($105 per person for adults and children ages 8 and older; $40 for ages 3 to 7).
Potential stops include Razza, Ghost Truck Kitchen and Departed Soles Brewery in Jersey City; Bombay River, B2 Bistro + Bar and Red Tank Brewing Company in Red Bank; and Cafe Picasso, Blue Sheep Bake Shop and Village Brewing Company in Somerville.
There are also holiday food tours available in Jersey City and Somerville, featuring festive bars and restaurants, holiday-themed cocktails, dessert and holiday accessories.
Go: 551-233-9553, beyondtheplatefoodtours.com.
Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to sgriesemer@gannettnj.com, follow on Instagram at Jersey Shore Eats and subscribe to our Jersey Shore Eats newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: New Jersey holiday gifts for foodies on your list
