Pop quiz:
- Is your mom an enthusiast of all things food and drink?
- Does she tend to know about the cool new restaurant openings before you?
- Would a traditional bouquet of flowers or box of mass-produced candy leave her feeling a touch disappointed this Mother’s Day?
If you answered “yes” to any — or all — of the above, then you’ve come to the right place. We polled our staff to find the best locally made food- and drink-type gifts to help you show mom how much she means to you. Just do yourself a favor, and don’t ask her to share, okay? She should get a few things in life that are solely for her, and her alone.
Coffee Subscription
This is especially pertinent if you’re celebrating Mother’s Day with a new mom, or a mom who has small kids: Coffee is a survival tool. But that doesn’t have to mean it’s squeezed out of a stale K-cup! Make sure the hard-working moms in your life are never out of delicious, responsibly sourced coffee with Lancaster County Coffee Roaster’s subscription service. Just choose from the mouthwatering varieties like blueberry cinnamon crumble, butter rum, chocolate raspberry, marshmallow bunny and fastnacht and then add a subscription to your cart. You can choose the amount and regularity of the deliveries (which all come with a free sample) and Mom can customize it to her liking, as she goes! 747 E. Ross St., Lancaster; (717) 392-2080.
Pilgrim Roasters in Philly offers three and six month subscriptions with a variety of coffees for Mom to try and Butler County’s Silver Stream Coffee Roasters‘ delivers freshly roasted, small batch coffees to her door.
Small Batch Olive Oil
For moms who love to cook, help take her pantry up a notch with the artisan-quality olive oils, vinegars and other specialty products from A Taste of Olive. You just know these are the kinds of gourmet ingredients she wants but will likely never splurge on: Sicilian Lemon White Balsamic Vinegar, Key Lime Macadamia Mustard and Tuscan Herb Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Shop at its brick-and-mortar locations in West Chester, or peruse A Taste of Olive’s wide selection online — nationwide shipping is available. 26 S. High St., West Chester; (610) 429-0292; 8505 Germantown Ave., Chestnut Hill.
Women-owned Laurel Highlands Olive Oil in lovely Ligonier offers a delectable array of olive oils covering the whole palette. There’s the Olive Wood Smoked, hot-sweet Cayenne, Greek Leek and Persian Lime olive oils, among so many more, and unique balsamic vinegars like Lychee Fruit and Cara Cara Orange Vanilla. Can’t decide? Let mom pick her own flavors with a gift card. Ship or shop in-person! 140 East Main St., Ligonier; (724) 441-4243.
A Spot of Tea
Coco Love Teas are artfully blended, beautifully packaged teas are handcrafted by a former pastry chef in Philadelphia who knows how to make flavors sing. Whether you choose to give mom a few extra moments of zen with the Emma Genmaicha Green Tea, a glamorous midday break with the Juliet Shimmer Chai, or a bit of floral wakeup with the Lily Golden Oolong tea, each box looks like it came straight from a boutique. We love how the teas are feminine, thoughtful, singular and strong — just like the woman who brought you into this world!
Quite the Stir blends and ships artisan tea from Gettysburg that satisfy nearly any mood and palate. The Brew Up Tea Sampler package lets her try a few varieties, while herbal tea drinkers will love a luxurious pause with raspberry and white chocolate tea. Forever Love is particularly suited for Mother’s Day, meant to honor precious, eternal bonds and made with black tea, rose hips and a vibrant pull of pomegranate.
For more tealightful local tea sources, check out our Pennsylvania Tea Grower and Artisan list. If you’d like to gift mom with a tea experience, check out our Afternoon Tea Bucket List for amazing tea houses and shops across the state. From Victorian-inspired cottages to bohemian-styled tea rooms, there’s no shortage of cute, cozy spots for mom to unwind.
A Cheese Share
A heady hunk of cheese would make a fabulous gift for your mom, but why stop there? With an ongoing CSA cheese share, mom gets to be part of a club with other cheese-lovers, and will receive luscious, local wedges of artisan cheeses for months. Lancaster Farm Fresh has a bi-weekly summer cheese share, Two Gander Farm in Downingtown partners with Birchrun Hills Farm for a summer cheese share, and Philly Foodworks offers a pay-as-you-go cheese share and, in Bucks County, Living Hope Farm features The Grand Fromage. Check out our curated list of cheese clubs and subscriptions for more variations on the ultimate gift that keeps on giving.
A Wine Club Membership
Speaking of awesome clubs, if your mom is into wine, we beg you: Do not just go into a state store and grab some random bottle off the shelf. Stick local and gift her the curated, small-batch selections and access to a community of likeminded wine lovers. Most wineries have wine clubs of some shape and size, so you might want to start with those close to Mom so she can tap into in-person events, tastings and tours.
The Chaddsford Winery Wine Club, Waltz Vineyards Wine Club, Armstrong Valley Vineyard & Winery Wine Club and Mural City Cellars Urban Winery Wine Club all offer quarterly shipments/pickups of their award-winning and constantly evolving wines, early access to special debuts, discounts and events, and plenty of opportunity to learn from the winemakers while breaking bread with fellow burgeoning connoisseurs.
Gluten-Free and Vegan Cupcakes
Just because mom is vegan or gluten-free doesn’t mean she shouldn’t be able to indulge like a queen on Mother’s Day! For sweet, gluten-free treats across PA, check out these 14 gluten-free bakeries that are sure to delight. Thanks to the dairy-free and wheat-free options from West Chester bakery, Dia Doce, you can treat her to cupcakes in deluxe flavors, like Black Magic (chocolate cake with a vanilla center and fudge buttercream) and Vanilla Salted Caramel. Baked True North in the Pittsburgh area offers packs of customizable cupcakes with cake flavors like carrot, apple, Earl Gray, vanilla and chocolate with all sorts of tasty frostings and buttercreams (vegan options included)! Dolce Vita Desserts in State College has gluten-free, made-to-order cupcakes like classic yellow with salted caramel, chocolate lovers and red velvet with vanilla frosting.
Rosé Cider
Of course we’re not suggesting a rosé cider because it’s pink! Give us a little credit. We’re suggesting it because rosé ciders are one of the most refreshing, delightful and on-trend things to be drinking this summer. Especially perfect for mom who loves a cold one on a warm afternoon but isn’t a beer fan or must avoid gluten, we’ll place bets that rosé ciders will be one of her new favorite adult beverages. Chester County’s Dressler Estate offers a lightly sweet Golden Rosé cider with apples and strawberries from Weaver’s Orchard co-fermented for a ripe yet delicate profile while Big Hill Cider Works in Adams County offers a medium-sweet Farmhouse Strawberry variety. Philly’s Young American Hard Cider & Tasting Room makes a sour cherry cider with sharp tannins and a bright, dry profile that commands attention, and Bella Terra Vineyards’ Rosé Cider and Levante Brewing Co.’s Honeyfire Brut Rosé Cider sell their canned varieties in packs of four or six.
Fresh Flower Subscription
If your mom loves fresh flowers, do one better than a one-time bouquet, and sign her up for a CSA-style flower subscription. These CSAs abound in PA, and you can look to your local farms for gift subscription options. Bee Well Blooms in Lehigh County offers a June, summer and fall CSA for four weeks of glorious blooms available at five convenient pickup locations. Philly’s Terra Luna Herbals has paired with the Germantown Kitchen Garden farm stand (Saturdays) to offer cut flower CSA shares including half shares for spring/summer and summer/fall or a full share for the whole 24 weeks – starting on Mother’s Day! Pittsburgh’s Tiny Seed Farm offers spectacular cut flower CSAs including full and petite blooms at weekly or biweekly regularity. Or, take mom flower-picking or grab her a lovely bouquet from one of these 13 beautiful places to purchase and pick blooms in PA!
Finishing Salts
Finishing salts by Humming Hills Farm
A fabulous finishing salt is a game-changer for home chefs. Just a dash can elevate a meal from everyday to extraordinary. Mom will love this small pantry staple that packs a tremendous punch in a conveniently small package. Artisans are making finishing salts of all kinds across Pennsylvania, including this floral finishing salt with Lancaster County-grown petals, a special seasonal ramp finishing salt by Sundry Mornings, the earthy and aromatic porcini rosemary finishing salt by Humming Hills Farm and the light, delicate Fleur de Sel by Steel City Salt Company.
For a bit more of an adventure, we love the koji-fermented salts by fungi specialists MycoSymbiotics and Unkle Fungus, which offer rich umami flavor, round mouth feel, subtle sweetness and a slightly funky tang.
Artisanal Chocolates
Yet another scenario where quality always trumps quantity: chocolates. With cream and butter sourced from Lancaster County and fruits, herbs and honey from local farms, the confections from Philadelphia-based Marcie Blaine Artisan Chocolates are some of the best of the best. You may recognize the name: Chef Marcie Blaine Turney is the co-owner of some of the most popular restaurants in the city, including Barbuzzo, Little Nonna’s and Bud & Marilyn’s. She brings her wealth of culinary experience to her chocolate creations, and the resulting flavors, like Moroccan (with cardamom, sesame and fig), blood orange and French Farmer (with elderflower and champagne) are seriously next-level. Order them online or in person through Verde. 108 S. 13th St., Philadelphia; (215) 546-8700.
Check out other artisianal sweet-tooth satisfiers throughout the state in our 22 Delectable Candy Shops and Chocolatiers in PA.
Cookbook from a Local Chef
If your mama loves food, chances are she loves to cook. Why not treat her with a “must-have” cook book by a local chef or writer? We’ve done the work and rounded up 10 cookbooks by Pennsylvania authors that every home cook should own; from low-proof cocktails to artisan pizza to masterful Japanese food, there is something for every taste!
- Feature photo: Collective Creamery
- Tea box photo: Coco Love Teas
- Winery and cupcake photos: Bigstock
- Rosé Cider: Dish Works
- Love 'n Fresh Flowers photo: Regina Miller for Origin Photography
- Chocolates photo: Marcy Blaine Artisanal Chocolates
- Pizza Camp cookbook photo: Abrams Books
