This year, I am trying to buy or make more gifts from nature. I love this idea… give a mushroom garden from BACK TO THE ROOTS. This grow-your-own kit comes with “soil” made of recycled coffee ground (The company is on track to save 1 million pounds of caffeinated refuse from the landfills in 2011), and the packaging box doubles as the vase. Within 10 days of opening it, you can harvest up to 1.5 pounds of recipe-ready pearl oyster mushrooms. ($20. Backtotheroots.com)
Blooming Garden Designs 