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My parents and inlaws are asking me for Christmas gift ideas so I've been building a wish list these past couple of days. Among the items I'm thinking (I'm going for a broad selection and price range here):

  • A tumbling composter
  • Square foot garden setup (hoping to square foot garden next spring)
  • Seed packets - maybe as a stocking stuffer :)
  • Ghee!
  • Book: "The Flavor Bible"
  • Book "Square Foot Gardening: Grow More in Less Space!"
  • An entire grass-fed cow (Kidding. Sort of. Wouldn't be kidding about it if my parents or inlaws were independently wealthy and actually dropped that kind of coin on Christmas gifts. ;-p)
  • An ice cream maker so that I can occasionally make my own ice cream with coconut milk and/or heavy cream and minimal, if any, sweetener.

I thought about listing FiveFingers but it seems like a bad item for folks to try to buy without the recipient right there to try them on.

What Paleo-oriented items are on YOUR wish lists this year? I may very well take some of your ideas to add to my own list for variety's sake, so thanks in advance for the inspiration. :)

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6 
 several years ago my dad's boss bought three local grassfed cows and gave out portions as christmas bonuses to his employees. i was vegan at the time so i only appreciated the locavore aspect of it. that is until my grandmother convinced me to eat a hamburger using some of the ground stuff through grandma guilt. it was part of why i stopped being vegan, which was an awesome indirect christmas present. also, i need a boss that does things like that! – amanda Nov 23 2010 at 2:32
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 Try on the FiveFingers at a shoe store, and then you'll know the size and style you like. – Ambimorph Nov 23 2010 at 4:23
Familygrok, that book The Flavor Bible looks very interesting. Seems like the authors are trying their best to approach flavor in a systematic way. And with pretty pictures. Might have to get that for someone who will let me read it ... – Paul Nov 23 2010 at 4:44
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 "The Flavor Bible" is seriously the best food-related book I have on my shelf right now. It's fantastic. If you have a basic knowledge of cooking that book will give you endless ideas. (If you don't get it for the holidays, buy it for yourself!) – blueballoon Oct 26 2011 at 16:17
I did actually ask for a 1/4 of a grass fed cow..... fingers crossed! Also Have you thought about maybe just getting an ice-cream maker attachment for a food processor? It's often more practical? Happy holidays :) – see Oct 27 2011 at 0:33
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21 Answers

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I told my dad that if he gets a deer this fall all I wanted for X-mas was a freezer full of venison. Fingers crossed!

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I don't know if this has been said or not but- a dehydrator and a vaccume sealer

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The dehydrator was on my list last year, and I got one :) Caved in and bought a vacuum sealer on my own. – WayfinderAli Oct 26 2011 at 14:32
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 A vacuum sealer is essential if you're freezing things. I don't know how people live without it. – trjones Oct 26 2011 at 14:46
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I am hoping Santa brings me...

a food processor

Primal Body-Primal Mind by Nora Teresa Gedgaudas

Perfect Health Diet by Paul Jaminet

new cookware

loose tea/tea ball

Mostly though, I am not being a good cavegirl, I want make-up and awesome boots. :)

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I just gifted myself some makeup this past week. Ain't no thang. :-D – familygrokumentarian Nov 23 2010 at 2:49
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 Who says cavegirls don't wear makeup. If that's true, I'm handing in my paleo card. – Shebeeste Nov 23 2010 at 15:42
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 Sweet. Sometimes the cold shower, Paleo toothbrushing things get to me and I feel like I'd not doing this whole thing "right". – sherpamelissa Nov 23 2010 at 19:43
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Since I got an atlatl last year, a CZ Partridge side-by-side double-barrelled 20-gauge shotgun. It should be just the thing for grouse and snowshoe hares.

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We're hoping jolly old St. Nick brings us a Vitamix :) (our gift to one another)

However, life will certainly go on if we don't get one either! Everyone has some great ideas & wishes on here! Slow cooker is certainly a good one. I'm surprised I haven't seen 'food dehydrator' on the list, though!

All the best to everyone, this holiday season!

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or a Blendtec blender ;-) of "will it blend" viral video fame. – FuelRestMotion Nov 19 2011 at 0:00
We ended up getting a Blendtec last spring - we LOVE IT. – The Food Lovers Nov 30 2011 at 4:59
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  • Outdoors/camping/hiking/climbing gear
  • Books on edible wild plants
  • Entry tickets to Mud Runs, Tough Mudders, etc
  • Entry to a MovNat session ($$$ big gift there!)
  • Whole or partial pastured animal for my freezer / bbq
  • Hunting/fishing/archery lessons and/or equipment
  • Gardening books/lessons/equipment
  • A good spear :)
  • Dance lessons
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1 
 Hunting lessons is a glorious idea--thanks for that! I am definitely asking for the loot to attend this course next year for my birthday: mainebow.com . My family will probably poop themselves with joy! They were sure i was going to be a boy (and therefore a hunter) so my birth present was a hunting rifle. Seriously. Instead I turned out to be a lame vegan girl who never touched the firearm. Tables.turning.now! – amanda Nov 23 2010 at 2:45
The Cold Steel boar spear is one hell of a spear. Just make sure to upgrade the (wimpy & short) screws for attaching the head to the shaft. – Fearsclave Nov 23 2010 at 3:04
Euell Gibbons wrote a series of books on foraging... – Dave S. Nov 23 2010 at 14:42
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 Ever eat a tree? Many parts are edible. – Shebeeste Nov 23 2010 at 15:42
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I don't really do holiday gifts but if I had unlimited amounts of wealthy friends and family:

I don't drive so some of these are outside-of-bike-radius activities:

Take me fishing or hunting. Teach me what you know.

Take me camping.

Take me hiking.

Take me to the beach so I can run barefoot in the sand.

Chinup bar.

Raingear for bicycle.

A Rivendell bicycle (a girl can dream...)

Chest freezer and a large part of some critter.

A big crock for making sauerkraut.

CSA share.

Fivefingers.

A month at one of the local Crossfit boxes.

Ditto on awesome boots and yummy tea.

Meanwhile my father has developed a habit of sending smoked meats for Christmas. I can live with that! I would list "food dryer" but I got an Excaliber for free from Freecycle! I am thankful!

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a Really good chef's knife and a lesson on sharpening, a food processor, and a pair of Coach snakeskin shoes:)

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Oooh! Do you have a link to the shoes? ;) – sherpamelissa Nov 23 2010 at 23:29
Coach.com click on shoes , then shoe sale! They are called "Buffy" and are $50 off ;) – texasleah Nov 24 2010 at 4:46
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Le Crueset terrine for pate and head cheese New lens for my NikonD40 (for those lovely shots on a hiking trip or farm trip)

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I'm asking Santa for a slow cooker.

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Me too. Santa = Mom. – Paul Nov 23 2010 at 4:35
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I'm hoping for a food processor so I can make some cauliflower rice!

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We typically just use a hand-held cheese grater - although it does make a little mess, its cheap and easy! – The Food Lovers Nov 24 2010 at 2:40
I'll give that a shot, thanks! :) – Jules K Nov 29 2010 at 12:50
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I am giving the first to myself- a intro to cross-fit class

I am getting my crockpot pimped to do sues verde

I am thinking about asking for a CSA share veggie and maybe pastured eggs

Copy of good carbs/bad carbs

Maybe a kettleball

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I wish I had a Crossfit gym ANYWHERE near me. I would totally get myself the same! – sherpamelissa Nov 23 2010 at 2:33
Weirdly enough my town has two, and I don’t live in a big city (pop under 200k) which gives me a choice. It must be the university. – Vrimj Nov 23 2010 at 2:56
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 You'd better tell them sous vide and Good Calories Bad Calories, or who knows what you'll get! :-P – Ambimorph Nov 23 2010 at 4:26
Same goes for a kettleball...could get a tea infusing ball at that rate. :) – familygrokumentarian Nov 23 2010 at 4:33
1 
 yeah, i live a five minute walk away from a crossfit gym and my city only has 64,000 people. i've been pulled into partial workouts spontaneously by crossfitters when walking by there just because i give them such a big smile every time i see them doing their thang outside. – amanda Nov 23 2010 at 5:34
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Steak! And guess what we are eating for Thanksgiving dinner? Steak! We will probably add a few taters as well since it's a special day and so we loosen up the diet standards a little bit. But I sure will be thankful when she serves me my steak!

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I'm asking for Call of Duty Black Ops....kidding

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Ooh, that's what I wanted! – Dave S. Nov 23 2010 at 14:44
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A massage. I could really, really use a massage. And maybe a pair of minimalist running shoes I can wear wool socks with. (I've got Raynaud's and the VFFs just won't cut it in the middle of winter.)

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A gift certificate for grass fed beef! I buy as much as I can afford but wish I could get more.

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Me too! I got one for my birthday, and have been eating grass-fed local beef all month courtesy of my generous parents. It was a great present. – curious Nov 18 2011 at 23:48
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EDIT: Just had more ideas! You know you want this Saber Tooth Tiger skull with 24 carat gold plated teeth. :)
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  • a stainless steel kitchen compost bin (to hold your kitchen scraps till you get around to taking them outside)
  • baby chickens!! (for starting a roost)
  • Small scale, home sized, mod-style beehive seen here: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/10/honey-at-home-phillips-urban-beehive-shrinks-your-ecological-f/
  • If you really wanna go big, you could buy them the Composting Kitchen Island from Phillips http://www.design.philips.com/about/design/designportfolio/design_futures/design_probes/projects/microbial_home/index.page
  • a solar charger for their iPod or iPhone: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-solar-iPodiPhone-charger-aka-Might/

    As I already have a dehydrator (X-mas gift from last year) a vacuum sealer (that I bought at a Wal-mart at 1am after a deep sea fishing trip) and a crock pot, my list is more indulgent:

  • Vibram Five Fingers KSO Trek Sports
  • Lurpak butter
  • a good knife
  • a small hand planer (to make a greenland kayak paddle)
  • chest freezer
  • a giant tire for me to flip
  • hot magenta Gore Tex pro shell
  • hunting/archery lessons and equipment
  • a new pair of amazing black high heels
  • a fire bowl (for the backyard I dont' yet have)
  • a bunch of my favorite things from various sellers on Etsy (I'm addicted) including a beautiful photo of a horse wading in the sea, a deer antler jewelry stand/ scarf hanger thing, a drinking horn, lots of clothes and glass storage canisters made from recycled wine bottles

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    I am Etsy addict for sure! I have a huge list of hearted favorites and I never get to buy any of them -and slowly one by one I watch them get sold. Why do I torture myself! – Senneth Oct 26 2011 at 15:48
    man, I do the exact same thing! It sucks being poor sometimes! But I can enjoy the beauty of the items even if I can't own them. – WayfinderAli Oct 27 2011 at 15:43
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    I really want a home espresso machine. Anyone have any suggestions that don't break the bank or break down in three months? (Or are we all still pretending we don't pollute our body with the dreaded caffeine?)

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    I know this might go against your paleo instincts, but honestly, buy a nespresso machine. Because unless you want to spend your whole life fine tuning bean grinds, tamping pressures etc. and are prepared to buy an expensive machine, do a lot of (expensive) practice and basically make "coffee" your hobby, you will be disappointed with the results. You cannot buy a budget counter top machine, use it only a few times a week and expect to get great results. You just can't! The coffee elitists will frown on a nespresso, but they're quick, easy, reliable and the espresso is prettaaay, pretty good! – Tom Oct 31 2011 at 15:35
    And if it wasn't obvious, I'm speaking from experience...! Plus, I know they might seem costly (along with the pods) but factor in all the coffee you're going to waste when your attempts with another machine fail repeatedly... – Tom Oct 31 2011 at 15:37
    I bought this OTC machine last xmas and it is still working great! Easy and cheap - and no mess to clean up. amazon.com/… – foodallergypaleomom Nov 19 2011 at 3:44
    Just an FYI, I don't want easy or cheap, I want tasty and fun. I want to tinker with espresso beans, tampering and output. Besides pods are nasty bits of plastic and I can't risk pre-packaged items having been contaminated with food allergens. – Senneth Nov 21 2011 at 17:20
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    Wait, am I not allowed to ask Paleo Santa to just fix evolution and make me not gluten intolerant? Fine! I'll take a food dehydrator and a book about fermentation. Hmph.

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    1. A food dehydrator so I can make jerky!
    2. Almond flour ($!)
    3. Gift cards to Whole Foods
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    		 store.honeyvillegrain.com/… This is the best deal I've found on almond flour.. and they e-mail coupons all the time. – Lutfisk Nov 19 2011 at 3:32
    After I wrote that I realized I wouldn't actually put the almond flour on my wish list, but the WF gift card would help with that. Thanks for the link Lizz! – Jane Nov 21 2011 at 6:28
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    A prowler, 2 o-lifting bars, 500 lbs of bumpers, a C2 rower, some grass fed beef, Vibrams, a toy helicopter, and puppy.

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