Seasons Greetings!

I know, it's August, but in our world it's time to start planning for the Holiday Season. It's actually lots of fun. Catalogs from all of our suppliers are arriving daily and we get to go SHOPPING! Shopping is my favorite sport.
This year we are putting together a new line of New England gift baskets but will continue to feature locally made treats like pancake mix and maple syrup from the Pioneer Valley, chocolates and cranberry candies from Cape Cod, jams and jellies and even salsa from the Berkshire hills. We will be bringing back some of your old favorites like Little House of Thyme and adding some new ones we know you will love like Appalachian Naturals.
We love the shea butter soaps and beeswax candles handmade by local craftspeople and will be featuring these items in many of our Bath and Body Gift Baskets like our Holiday SPA Gift Basket shown here.
We will be posting our new designs on our blog so check back with us regularly. If you have any design favorites, let us know.
Enjoy the rest of your summer,
Marie

Summer Time In New England

It's summer time in New England and the Pioneer Valley is covered in lush green under a bright blue sky. Farm stands are filled with local produce. We've lived here all of our lives and every summer we enjoy shopping at the local farms. There's nothing tastier than fresh sweet corn on the cob or a veggie kabob on the grill. From acorn squash to zucchini you'll find it all in our little corner of the world.

We love living in New England. At Laurel Mountain Basket Company we spend a lot of time traveling around, constantly on the look out for new and different products to add to our gift baskets. We've recently discovered Bleu Cheese Chipoltle dip and Sundried Tomato Horseradish dip from Appalachian Naturals. Bleu cheese chipoltle and sundried tomato horseradish are not flavors usually associated with New England but these taste treats are made right here from ingredients grown on local farms.

Our Home Grown Gift Basket (photo above) is a new and different taste of New England. Summer time is the time for family gatherings and one of our New England style gift baskets makes a great hostess gift.

Have a sunny summer and remember to eat your veggies!
Marie

Laurel Mountain Cupboard

I'm often asked where I get all of the wonderful products we use in our gift baskets. Although we design gift baskets for all occasions and themes, we are known through out the US for our New England style gift baskets. I believe one of the reasons they are so popular is that we work with a number of small local vendors. Having access to so many sources means that we always have a wide variety of items to choose from. I am always looking for new vendors from our local area or from around New England to add to our list.

I found my local honey supplier when a man approached me in the parking lot of a grocery store. (I have signs with the Laurel Mountain Basket Company logo and contact information on the front doors and tailgate). He is involved with a local apiary association and recommended a really fine apiary not two miles from my home. It is a small operation so I wasn't surprised I had not heard of them but their honey is fantastic!

I was recently asked by a client to custom design a breakfast gift basket . He had seen the one on our site but he needed one for a group of 20 to 30 people and he wanted us to use products from all six New England states. The challenge was to find product that was ready to eat since the gift basket would be presented at a morning breakfast meeting of corporate executives. We contacted a local bakery (one of my personal favorites) to provide fresh breads and muffins then set out to find several different jams, jellies and honeys, as well as fresh roasted coffee, blended tea (check out our friends at www.teaguys.com if you want some really excellent tea!)and other items like cheeses and salsas. It goes without saying that all of the products we use at Laurel Mountain Basket Company have to be delicious, but we require that they have a nice presentation too. Our gift baskets are a reflection on our clients and our job is to help our clients make a great impression.

I found so many wonderful new products while designing that gift basket that I decided to add an new element to Laurel Mountain Basket Company . We will be stocking our Studio with many of the locally made products that we use in our gift baskets and make them available to our clients. A couple of jars of jelly or a small jar of honey and a canister of tea make a great little gift. So, stop by and check out the cupboard!

Happy New Year,
Marie