Do You Mail Order Food For Friends During the Holidays?

I've moved 9 times over the last decade and everywhere I've been I've made friends along the way. I make a great deal of the gifts for close friends and family, but when it comes to giving gifts to those who live far away I'm simply horrible about getting to the post office to mail things. Instead I turn to online ordering a few artisanal products and I'm wondering if you do the same and what your favorites are?

Every single year I tell myself that it's not really that big of deal to just hop in the car and make it to the post office, but when you're in a city with sucky mass transit and walking is out of the question, then time just seems to slip by and every year I fail once again.

Instead I've learned to embrace my suckiness (technical terms keep it real right?) and just order a few great products for friends that live out of state. Sure I could send them a kettle or kitchen gadget, but when you don't see someone everyday the chances they won't be able to use it are pretty high, but food — food is always welcome.

This year I've been looking into a Minnesota based company named Cool Jerk. My husband and I have the best memories from our time spent up north and this particular company makes the best jerky... ever. It's like sending a piece of us in a piece of meat. Fun right?

Likewise, around the Apartment Therapy offices we've been snacking on Quince & Apple marmalade that is light, bright and amazing on everything it graces. It's the gift you might pass by for yourself, but is the best thing every when someone sends it to you!

Do you have a favorite gourmet food you send out? That you order at the holidays just for you? Bacon of the month club? Favorite hometown snack? Let me know what I should be ordering next year in the comments below!

Related: Would You Order Meat Online?

(Image: Sarah Rae Trover)

Comments (10)

Big Paw's Tuscan Oil...It's delicious and made here in Northern CA (where I live). It's always been a big hit at dinner parties I've had. Not too expensive and if I order 4 they Fedex for for free. I like supporting a local, small company.

There are a number of family and friends that I send food or wine - in all cases because 1) I know they will appreciate what I'm sending and 2) because they already have enough "stuff." And I do focus on what I think THEY would like, rather than what I think I should be sending for other reasons.

I have scheduled to send a lot of my relatives "crownies" this year. They are cookies baked into brownies and come in a few different flavors (I ordered the red velvet cookies with white chocolate brownie for a bridal shower and it was delicious). The baker is my friend's husband and he recently started a facebook page:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Crownies/318355088193778?sk=wall

Every winter, my mother orders a big box of fancy pears or grapefruit to split with my and my near-by sister, and I look forward to them every year! They're bigger, more flavorful, and juicier than the fruit I can buy in local stores and they're a nice foil to all the supersweet desserts that dominate the holiday season.

I make mail order food. I'm on vacation now but I'll return next week.

motherfudgerfudge.etsy.com

My bf who lives in the states sent me a f*****g huge box of jerky as I can rarely find it in Germany. I love my jerky :)

I am a big fan of the marshmallows from 240sweet. I sent my sister some marshmallows for her birthday and she loved all of the unusual flavors.

If you want to try out ordering food online, we've got a selection of food from some pretty amazing folks at http://localmarketsouth.com! You'll have to hurry for Christmas delivery, but your gift recipient (or you!) will love anything from us any other time of year, too.

ok, help me out. My family is from England, we moved to the US when I was 6 but went back when we could. I live in the south now and really miss black pudding and pork pies. Anyone know a good place to mail order these things?

American Spoon Fruit, from Michigan, yum!