There’s no place like Maine during the holiday season, and there is no better way to celebrate this time of year than by giving and sharing Maine-made and grown agricultural products for your family and friends to enjoy. You can ship to your home, or to those from away, or visit your nearest location that offers Real Maine items. Look to Real Maine to help you find the perfect “Gift from ME.” You can make your search in the profiles on our site as specific or as general as you like.
Here is a sampling of the many offerings from our Real Maine members this holiday season. Be sure to support local farms and producers and look for the Real Maine logo this holiday season.
A reminder that nearly every Real Maine member offers gift cards or certificates, which might be just what you’re looking for. Or maybe consider giving somebody a gift subscription to a CSA (for everything from meat and produce to flowers) or to a favorite local Real Maine market or business.
Gift boxes are a great choice for giving this holiday season – Real Maine members put together a wide variety of curated packages for you to purchase, or you could even take individual Real Maine products and make your own gift box!
Here’s another suggestion – make or bake a snack or dessert with local ingredients for sharing and gifting to others for the holidays. You could use recipes such as these Pumpkin Oat Cookies from Maine Grains.
FILL BELLIES, PANTRIES, AND GLASSES
Whether you are entertaining or gifting, food and drink from Maine is always a delicious choice.
For your next gathering, consider either making your own charcuterie board filled with local meats, cheeses, appetizers, and snacks or ordering one such as the Cheese Gift Box from Lakin’s Gorges Cheese at East Forty Farm, which includes a 1.5-pound assortment of farmstead cow’s milk cheeses, along with locally made crackers and honey. (NOTE: Lakin’s Gorges will donate $5 from the sale of all Gift Boxes until December 31, 2025, to the Waldoboro Food Pantry).
Real Maine products can be a palate-expanding way to help your family and friends add to their kitchens this holiday season and enjoy the taste that only local taste brings. Crafted at the peak of freshness, pair them with any meal or snack, or use them to help prepare your latest culinary creation. Maybe hot sauces from Farthest Field Farm, such as Golden Hour, a mild sauce made with husk cherries, or Epitaph, a ghost pepper sauce that is their hottest? Or some Sambuca Simmering Sauce from Luigi Del Conte Sauces, which they describe as a “twist on a light alfredo?”
Don’t forget the cooks on your list who might like to season their creations with Real Maine selections, such as small-batch paprika or chile flakes, or pepper flakes from Morning Dew Farm, or the Pumpkin Spice or Bourbon Spice blend, or some finishing salts from Lecker Spice?
Satisfy those with a sweet tooth on your list with confections such as the Maine Chocolate Lover’s Collection or the Luxury Bonbon Assortment from Bixby Chocolate.
The perfect complement to celebrations, gatherings, or a chilly day or night during the holiday season is sipping on just the right beverage. You could mix a cocktail with or just sip on Real Maine beer, cider, wine and spirits. Here a cozy idea: Real Maine member eighteen twenty wines offers pre-made mulled wine kits you can pair with their wines, which are made from local rhubarb. Have you ever tried mead? Maybe you’d like to sample Run Amok Mead flavors like Cherries in Knotweed or Wild Maine Snow Dragon? You can go the tradition route with a Holiday Wine Box from WillowsAwake Winery, or if you’re looking for a non-alcoholic beverage, here’s a suggestion: a variety pack of Honeypop from Green Bee, honey-infused soda with prebiotic properties.
TRADITIONAL FAVORITES OR SOMETHING NEW
With a full spectrum of choices from Real Maine members to help you cross items off your holiday gift list, you can opt for something familiar or maybe something new.
Maple is a flavor that has deep roots in our state, whether in the form of a bottle of rich syrup or in various foods and items that maple adds its distinctive smell and taste to. Here are some suggestions to sweeten your holiday season from some Real Maine producers:
- The Barrel, Bean and Bark Trio from Northern Reach Maple – maple syrup infused with organic coffee and cinnamon, and aged in bourbon barrels
- The Maple Morning Basket from Cole Farm Maple, which includes local maple syrup, pancake mix, maple sugar, and maple-flavored coffee.
- The Maple Lobster Gift Box from Hilltop Boilers, which includes maple needhams, maple drops, maple sugar, maple syrup, and a plush lobster
- The Maple and Honey Gift Box from Jackman Maple Syrup – maple sugar, maple candy, maple syrup, and local honey
Real Maine members are always creating natural skin and body care products that could make the perfect gift, such as:
Eco-friendly Shampoo and Conditioner Bars from Ledgeway Farm, made with goat milk and other natural ingredients
Peppermint Snowflake and Frosted Cranberry soaps and Candy Cane lotion bars from Spriggits, which crafts plastic-free, natural products
A Men’s Skincare Gift Set or Paw Balm (for our furry friends) from Heritage Homestead Co., made with tallow and other natural ingredients
Flowers can always add color and brightness to the holiday season – whether you’re giving them in bouquets or arrangements from Real Maine members or in the form of a wreath from Real Maine members like Lazy Acres Farm.
Maybe sending a do-it-yourself wreath kit from Piper Mountain Christmas Trees would be just the right way to celebrate the season?
NOTE: Ledgeway Farm and Willows Awake Winery will be featured on the Maine Life holiday episode airing in December!
Real Maine is the state’s official agriculture and agritourism promotions program. From holiday gifts and decorations to the perfect ingredients for your holiday meals and celebrations, plan your agricultural experience with Real Maine. Visit www.RealMaine.com to connect to farms, food, and agriculture throughout Maine.
