Giftable Edibles: Sauces to ship

I sure hope you have the current issue of My Table ~ Houston’s Dining Magazine. Not only is it one of our best issues (we’re received many compliments this month!), but it includes a list of 10 wonderful, locally made Houston products that are perfect for gift-giving. Here is an eleventh suggestion.

My friend Joanne Witt did me a big favor the day she called me over to The Grateful Bread & Other Good Things booth at Urban Harvest’s Saturday farmers’ market on Eastside. “This man,” she said, gesturing toward proprietor Al Marcus, “makes the best bacon in town.” So I bought some. That was three or four years ago, and Grateful Bread bacon has since become a staple at my house.

The Grateful Bread sounds like a bakery because it started out as one, but these days it exclusively sells the “Other Good Things.” In addition to bacon, The Grateful Bread sells many other handmade foodstuffs. For example, Marcus makes two different kinds of vanilla extract: One is rum-based, and the other has vodka. On my visit to his booth last weekend, he had five different sausages: chicken poblano, andouille, Italian, chorizo and bratwurst. I always keep a few of these on hand in the freezer for easy weeknight meals.

An alderwood-smoked cheddar was available. It was delicious, as is the pistachio-studded paté de campagne (coarse country-style pâté).

These and The Grateful Bread’s other fresh items are available for local delivery, making this a super-easy holiday gift. Delivery is free within 10 miles of downtown Houston zip code 77002, and Marcus is even offering a 15 percent discount off orders $25 or more until December 23. Or, just pop over to the farmers’ market this Saturday and buy things to make your own gift basket to give to your favorite hostess.

You can send a taste of Houston to your out-of-town friends and family, too. The Grateful Bread is offering a gift bag consisting of four or five items. The four-item gift bag has handmade Worcestershire, sriracha and hoisin sauces, as well as an all-purpose spice rub. The five-item gift bag has these four items, plus vanilla extract. Shipping to anywhere in the United States is $5 with an order of $25 or more until December 23.

Christmas is only 10 days away. Hopefully this will help you get those last-minute gifts covered! Visit http://sales.thegratefulbread.com/ to place your order online.