Father’s Day is just around the corner. It is time to start shopping and do we have some fantastic finds to share with you!

Grilling Gifts

When do the men, who typically can only be found in the kitchen when dinner is finished cooking, have an uncontrollable desire to cook? When it involves a great deal of fire and smoke, of course! What man is not the master of his own grill? Show him you appreciate his grilling skills with the following gifts:

Aprons

Your grill master will need an apron so try one of these fun aprons on for size:

• From Sweet Bohemian Life a fun apron that is 100% cotton with the following on the apron “My House My Rules” and a picture of a “retro guy”. The apron is adjustable around the neck and has a double pocket in the front.
• For a simple statement that gets the point across try this apron from Cool Aprons . It is black poly/cotton twill with a gold embroidered crown and the words “King of the Grill” embroidered beneath the crown.
• Is your grill master in the armed forces? If so then check out this “Grill Sergeant” apron from the Lily Pad Shop. It’s an apron he’ll be proud to wear.
• Customize an apron for Dad at Customized Girl. Choose what you’d like on the apron and make it special for the one you love.

Spices

Every Dad has his special grilling secrets. Give him the gift that will make him a grill star!

• You can’t go wrong with this set of dry rub spices from Williams-Sonoma. Four 1.5 ounce air-tight canisters are filled with chili-lime rub, potlatch seasoning, spicy chipotle and smokehouse rubs.
• Looking for a less expensive, but still amazing spice kit to give Dad? Try the Gourmet Rub Set from Purpose Design. Dad will receive 6 tins filled with the following rubs: Memphis BBQ, Java Love, Southwest Chipotle, Ancho Chili, African Berbere, Café Pasilla.

Grilling Tools and Accessories

Dad can’t grill without them so personalize them just for him.

• Art Follies will etch your preference of sayings, names or initials into a grill flipper or a grilling set that includes an 18 inch knife, flipper and fork.
• Red Envelope will engrave a lovely solid maple cutting board just for Dad. This cutting board is ideal for Dad to show off his perfectly grilled London broil as well as his carving skills

Beer Related Gifts

Most men enjoy an ice cold beer while grilling. Some men just enjoy that cold beer while others are beer aficionados. These gifts will please all beer drinkers.

• Sample a variety of beers as this finely made brew sampler and coaster set holds his favorite craft beers. Handmade of curly maple and black walnut (black and tan…like the beer) this set is appealing to the eye. Find this at the shop of Taunton Green and make sure to look for some of the fabulous cutting boards they make as well.
• Dads are tough. Hammeronsteel creates churchkeys that begin as a “single bar of steel”. The churchkeys are made using “traditional hot-forging techniques”. The bottle opener can be personalized as well.
• Want to personalize Dad’s beer pint, pilsner or tankard? Check out Things Remembered where you will find a variety of styles from which to choose and reasonable prices, even with the engraving.
• Has he always wanted to make his own beer? If so give him a deluxe starter kit sold at Urban Brewery. The kit includes (but isn’t limited to) a 1 gallon glass jug fermenter with liquid crystal thermometer strip, 6” funnel, bi-metal thermometer and siphon hose with shut off valve. There are too many items to list here so take a look at Urban Brewery’s shop.

Avoid the same old stale Father’s Day gifts. Does Dad really need another tie, more socks or a new bottle of Old Spice? Maybe, but those gifts are akin to Moms receiving a vacuum. Check out our suggestions or just go to Etsy.com and search for Father’s Day gifts. You will find unique products that are handmade and will tell Dad that you cared enough to go the extra mile.

There was a day when jams and jellies weren’t a second thought, something haphazardly spread on a biscuit or toast as we run out of the door in the morning. There was a day when jams and jellies were the only way Americans could get a serving of fruit in the dead of winter. At one time in our history almost every woman knew how to preserve summer’s bounty. Jams and jellies became the rock stars of preserving because they hold the sweet, sun kissed fruits of summer.

Today more and more people are looking to learn the art of food preservation known as canning. But, for those who would prefer to buy a homemade jam or jelly we are seeing a large variety available for purchase at farmer’s markets and online. No longer are we limited to a jar of strawberry or grape jelly. We can choose from pear, jalapeno, rhubarb, elderberry and thimbleberry to name a few. We found these fabulous flavors at American Spoon. You can look at the rich color of American Spoon’s offerings and know that they mean it when they write : “At American Spoon we go through elaborate, time consuming steps to do what big companies work just as hard to avoid, packing as much fruit and authentic flavor as possible into every jar.”

American Spoon offers preserves and marmalades, spoon fruit, fruit butter and brandied fruit. In their shop you will also find salsas, grilling sauces, relishes, condiments and vinaigrettes. The first kitchen of American Spoon “amounted to two gas fired copper kettles that we stirred with long wooden paddles, a three-compartment sink and a maple block table where we filled jars one at a time by hand, in the basement of a candy store…”

American Spoon began long before a basement kitchen was outfitted. Two men, driven to bring America’s bounty to our tables, one who gathered natures plenty while the other, a chef, who transformed it into “distinctly American cuisine” are the force behind American Spoon.

Their story reminds us that a quality product doesn’t just happen. It takes a partnership of minds that think alike, a desire to do things the best way possible and dedication. Justin Rashid and Chef Larry Forgione began such a partnership in 1979. Rashid and Forgione have also forged relationships with local, Michigan farmers to ensure the quality of the fruit. “For almost thirty years, American Spoon has worked to build direct and personal relationships with Michigan fruit growers.”

Today we are lucky to have their superior products available to us through their website. Their kitchen has grown, but their methods have remained steadfast. Having received accolades from the New York Times, National Geographic Traveler, Dorie Greenspan and Eating Well, to name a few, American Spoon is no stranger to praise. Forgione is also a James Beard Award winner and Rashid is a NASFT Gold Award Winner.

When you stop by their shop be sure to keep in mind that the holidays are around the corner. Of course we all love gift cards, but who would ever re-gift summer in a jar? American Spoon sells their products individually or in gift assortment packs. Photo taken by Meagan @ American Spoon