"________ of the Month Club" gifts

[Gifted Gourmet]

With this being a very premature, pre-holiday gift time, I often think about what I will be buying for my friends during this festive season ... which, naturally, leads me to the topic at hand: Food Gift of the Month Club gifts... everyone knows about the Harry & David gifts ... then there are Cheese and Coffee/Tea and other type gifts ...

Do you give them because:

* it is the gift that "keeps on giving"?

* it is so simple to order online?

* the choices are so varied?

* the quality of the monthly offering is uniformly appealing?

And, in terms of being the receiver, do you enjoy getting a monthly food related gift?

Is a magazine subscription better?

What kind of _______ of the Month Club gift would you optimally love to receive? I would enjoy a champagne and/or caviar of the month gift ...

[melkor]

I'm still waiting for the cooking-fat-of-the-month club before I start placing my orders.

[bloviatrix]

I'm not a fan of the fruit of the month type gifts as I don't think the fruit you get tastes all that great. It looks pretty, but that's about it. I'm more apt to give a gift basket such as the ones from American Spoon Foods.

I used to have a secretary that loved to cook so one year I gave her a 2-yr subscription to Cooks Illustrated. That was a total hit.

[JennyUptown]

I have dropped a gazillion hints that I'd be overjoyed to receive the Bacon of the Month gift.

<<swinging pocket watch is in front of your eyes>>

<<concentrate>>

<<my birthday is Saturday>>

<<you want me to have the pork products>>

[Betts]

I think that the quality of the food varies from the worst commercial tasteless dreck ot some very fine offerings. Many times the packaging is a bigger deal than the contents.

My mother in law was a recipient of a " bouquet of the month " and was pretty tickled. She could pick from a seasonal selection at her local florist.

[jhlurie]

I'm curious about what the wackiest "of the month club" out there is. I've heard of ice cream, beer, wine, fruit, organic goods, potato chips, coffee, steaks, caviar, chocolate, nuts, candy, cheese, and muffins. Isn't there a Bacon of the Month club?

We should construct a catalogue of known "of the month" clubs and any relevant contact info. Food related only, of course.

[purplewiz]

I'm curious about what the wackiest "of the month club" out there is.  I've heard of ice cream, beer, wine, fruit, organic goods, potato chips, coffee, steaks, caviar, chocolate, nuts, candy, cheese, and muffins. 

←

Um, the oddest "of the month" club I know of isn't food related, nor is it mentionable in polite company. But it still makes me laugh :-).

I used to give my father a three month subscription to a Microbrew of the month club, with deliveries every other month. He really enjoyed trying the new beers, and being not much of a drinker, that was about enough to last him for the year.

Now I get my folks an every other month subscription to the "pasta of the month club" from Flying Noodle. It started out as "what to get for people who don't need anything and who I don't live anywhere near", but has been quite the unexpected hit. I've never tried their products myself, but apparently they're pretty good, as my folks have requested the same gift every Christmas for the last 5 years or so.

On the one hand, I really like the idea of getting a gift a month - something to look forward to every year. On the other hand, many of the food of the month clubs don't work with our diet, so I'd hate to receive one and have to explain somehow that we couldn't accept.

Marcia.

[Jason Perlow]

Isn't there a Bacon of the Month club?

Its amazing bacon, though. I did it from them once a couple of years ago. But in order to save money on shipping I had them ship me 13 different bacons all at once as opposed to getting a monthly shipment. We ended up eating it out of the freezer.

[Kevin72]

I started going Beer of the Month and Wine of the Month gifts to my father and brother a couple Christmases ago. I keep worrying that they're tired of it or it's too predictable but now when Christmas and/or birthdays roll around they start dropping hints.

[andiesenji]

I have long been a dedicated tea drinker (all my life) and have been a staunch campaigner to get people to try 'good' tea, not the supermarket swill.

Many times people are reluctant to spend the money on something with which they are unfamiliar so I give them a Tea of the Month gift from

Adagio Teas.

Along with it comes a nice teapot.

Many times the recipients have told me that they in turn gave the same gift to others, always most appreciated.

In the past I have given "Bread of the Month",from this place,

Cheese of the month from igourmet, wine of the month from the California Wine club, but one of the doctors in my office owns a winery and he suggested it for someone who loves wine. I do not drink any alcohol so am in no position to pick one by taste.

Cheesecake of the month was a popular gift to a friend who loves the stuff.

Chocolate of the month was also popular with a couple of my friends who are rabid chocoholics!

(I can't eat chocolate either.)

One year when I had been ill and unable to do all the holiday things I usually make, I went armed with a list of addresses and visited Hickory Farms and Harry & David and ordered a bunch of their "of-the-month" gift packages, with them all starting in January, since I figured everyone would have a lot of stuff in December.

One year I sent some of my Chile-Heads pals "Hot-Sauce-of-the-Month" gifts from a place that advertised in Chile Pepper Magazine. These were received with great anticipation.

There is a site here with the "Best" of the month clubs listed.

I personally have not received many gifts of this type. I make so many specialty food items myself that most of my friends give me gift certificates or now gift cards, to book stores, Williams-Sonoma, Bristol Farms markets, Chef's Catalog or Amazon.

I did get one 'of the month' gifts a couple of years ago. It was not food, but a "Plate of the Month" with paintings of African animals on plates for display. Nice, but my housekeeper complains they are just something else to dust.... along with the hundreds of other plates I already had.

Edited October 12, 2004 by andiesenji (log)

[Gifted Gourmet]

Slam dunk yet again, andiesenji!

This is terrific and is precisely what I needed to get the requisite gifts for the upcoming season!

[Cusina]

Last year we gave my father in law a wine of the month gift from this store in the Berkshires. He loved it. The store is on his way home from work and they would select a beautiful bottle for him each month. He doesn't drink that often, but has loved having special bottles, many of which will last for years in the cellar, to bring out for celebrations. I'm certain we'll give him this gift for Christmas for a long time to come.

I think these, _____ of the month gifts are great, if they are really well thought out and especially if they come from a local source. A lot of the people we buy gifts for really have everything they need stuffwise, so consumables like this are a good option.

[mklynch]

I gave my brother and his family Bacon of the Month club last year. In June they sent 4 months worth so they wouldn't be shipping in the summer. We had a great "bacon off" one Sunday morning, adding a couple more bacons and waffles. It was great! They are anxiously awaiting this months arrival and will be sad when it's over.

Be sure to live close enough to the person you give it to so you can get invited over to enjoy.

The best bacon so far was garlic studded. We're about to put in an order for that one.

Is there a cheese of the month club? That would be good.

[StudentChefEclipse]

I've never gotten a specific "___ of the Month" type gift, but my ex-husband did once provide me with a Treat of the Month certificate, entitling me to whatever caught my fancy, within reason, once a month. I got massages, pedicures, books, meals out, and once I used two month's worth to wrangle a trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It was one of the nicest things I ever got from anyone.

If I could get an OTM thingie nowadays, I would want some combo of tea and chocolate. Maybe something like "This month we celebrate strong flower flavors, with Earl Grey Tea and Lavendar Chocolate."

[jgarner53]

I've neither received nor given an "---- of the month" gift, but I think they're great ideas. I particularly like (and would love to receive myself) a wine, cheese, or beer of the month.

What I don't like are the gift basket things. Especially coming from close family. Especially when you handmade them their gifts. Hazelnut Vanilla Cappucino in the tin (you know, the kind whose ads features women on cozy sofas, all dreamy-eyed over their coffee?)???

Not that that's ever happened to me, of course.

[andiesenji]

I do gift baskets. However they are filled with things I make, bake, cook, draw, paint or whatever.

No one has ever sent one back..................

[Toasted]

I love giving and receiving gift baskets but I've found that by the time I've filled them I've spent way more money on them then I expected!. My in-laws are quite elderly and love getting the Fruit of the Month club selections and sharing it with their friends so we just get them that every year. Last year we received a one time shipment of the most amazing bread ( I think it was from ME.) and I would love to get some of that again.

[andiesenji]

Back a few years, when I could still work all day and half the night, I used to give my very best friends the gift of the month of me, preparing for them a special meal, once a month or every other month for a year. They could choose the day and time. (Well in advance so I could work around it but they got priority.)

These dinners were just for them, not including me. And for the single ones, a guest.

I did romantic dinners, anniversary or birthday dinners, sports dinners, to-go dinners packed so they could dine at the Hollywood Bowl, or picnic on a weekend, dinners to have on their boat for those who spent part of their time living in the marina.

I still get notes from friends who remember those gifts.

How I did it was to give them two identical calendars and together we marked the dates on each one. I kept one and they kept the other. Often there was much anticipation, wondering what I was going to pull out of the hat on the next one.

It was a lot of fun for me, and very challenging. Pushed my boundaries.

[hillvalley]

I love potatoes. I really love potatoes.

But after 4 months of the potato of the month club it was a while before I could eat them.

[Gifted Gourmet]

I love potatoes.  I really love potatoes.

But after 4 months of the potato of the month club it was a while before I could eat them.

←

Satiation is the number one problem in these _______of the Month Clubs ..

just be happy that you don't receive a Prune of the Month Club ....

now that could be quite tedious!

[daniellewiley]

I got my mother and step father the bread of the month club from Zingerman's and they loved it. They were able to freeze some of the breads, and they had them for a while. They still talk about it, and actually gave it as a gift to my cousin, so I know it was appreciated.

I also gave my father and stepmother wine of the month one year. That was also great, as the gift included a special binder, and each wine came with hole punched sheets to place in the binder, complete with information about that month's wine. This was from the now-defunct Virtual Vineyards, which turned into Wine.com - I'm not sure if they still do it the same way.

Cheese of the month would be the gift that would really float my boat. Zingerman's offers that, as does Artisanal.

[Curlz]

Great topic! And quite timely, seeing as I got the Harry & David catalog yesterday... Purplewiz, I'd love to know the OTMC that you're talking about!! PM me? Heehee

I've never given an OTMC gift, but have had great success with subscriptions to Cooking Light, Food & Wine, Bon Appetit and Cook's. The beautiful thing is, most of those magazines will offer a buy 1/get 1 free or at 50% if you renew your subscription and give one as a gift this time of year! My not-so-foodie friends will buy these mags on occasion or leaf through them at my house, but they don't seem as inclined to subscribe, but they've all been happy with their gifts.

[marie-louise]

Many years ago I gave my husband the Neiman Marcus Food of the Month. That ranges from caramel corn to ham to chocolate. He was giving it to his brother the same year, and was surprised that I gave it to him.

I picked out 12 places to have a picnic in the Bay Area. I made a handwritten book that had the date, a Xerox of the article about the location & the menu for each (using the Neiman Marcus food). I also customized a picnic basket by making a fancy lining w/ pockets for a knife & the corkscrew and stocked it w/ cool items (plastic dishes & wine glasses, a tablecloth, cutting board, lots of containers.) I wrapped the whole gift up in a matching fleece blanket.

We had a great time doing those picnics. He loved that I made a fuss over him once a month w/ this elaborate picnic. He still keeps that little book in a cubbyhole on his desk, and we still use that picnic basket & blanket.

[jetsie]

Here are a few I found after a quick Web search:

Italian Olive Oil of the Month Club, Mushroom of the Month Club, Salsa/Hot Sauce of the Month Clubs, Cheese of the Month Club, Vegan Cookie of the Month Club, and Chowder and Soup of the Month Club. ("Give the gift of chowder!")

[elswinger]

I would love to get one of those steak or roasts of the months gifts but I don't know anyone who'd spend $1100 on me.

http://www.stockyards.com/products.asp?dept=67