The Best of Both Worlds: Local, Artisan Foods to Order Online

NASHVILLE - Shopping for a gift that will please can take a lot of fun out of the holidays—and a lot of cash out of your pocket, especially when you tally up the cost of fuel spent driving from store to store and the value of your own time. The only thing worse than spending a day shopping when you could have been home by the fire is going to all that effort and still coming home with a gift you really don’t feel good about giving.

At the Pick Tennessee Products Web site, visitors can go straight from the homepage to the ‘Taste of Tennessee’ online store, making all sorts of farm-direct, traditional and gourmet foods not only easy to find but easy to send, as well. All items listed within the store do ‘e-commerce’—which means foods can be ordered and sent all at the same time online with a credit card. Products ordered online can be shipped to the buyer or directly to their ultimate recipients, making gift giving more convenient and a good alternative when shopping days get down to the single digits.

The “Taste of Tennessee” online store is a feature of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Pick Tennessee Products Web site.

When you see an item you want to consider, just ‘click’ on it and you’ll be immediately linked to that product’s own Web site, where you can order, pay for and then send what you buy. These local farm products can be shipped just about anywhere, and an aged country ham, a jar of sorghum syrup or a block of buttermilk cheese may seem exotic to someone who lives another part of the country. Sending a taste of your home and local culture for friends and family to enjoy or share at a holiday gathering is a win-win situation.

The online store features a surprising variety of gourmet and specialty products in addition to Tennessee’s traditional farm fare. Tennessee produces international award-winning caviar, handmade artisan chocolates, farm-direct cheeses (including goat and even sheep cheeses), fruit butters and sauces. You could even send someone a naturally raised fresh turkey for a holiday meal, or just about any other type of meat, straight from the farm—even a Christmas goose. 

Several companies specialize in gift baskets made with Tennessee farm products, and a number of the state’s wineries are happy to put together and send a basket of upscale items from their gift stores. Just ‘click’ on the gift basket picture to go directly to Tennessee gift basket companies and wineries with online gift stores and gift basket options. Gift baskets are also a common option from other ‘Taste of Tennessee’ producers who make a variety of products, like honey and jelly producers, so it’s worth taking a look in their online stores, too. Baskets are a great choice not just for family and friends, but as a token of appreciation to business associates, as well.

But what about all the farmers who have great traditional products to sell but are not quite ready for this new-fangled way of doing business? You can still find all those producers on our Web site; you’ll just need to contact them the old-fashioned way, by telephone.

Gifts of food are one-size-fits all and are guaranteed to be a welcome addition to holiday tables.   

This year, don’t agonize over whether to fight mall crowds or go without a gift for loved ones; get the best of both worlds. You can stay in the house, off the roads, go over the top and land under budget by going online to find local, artisan foods at www.PickTNProducts.org. 

To access the online store, visit www.PickTNProducts.org and click on the “Taste of Tennessee.” To find other Tennessee farm food products, click on “Food and Beverages” and then click on any food category button.