10 tips for DIY food gifts Maggie Battista’s “Food Gift Love’’ is full of handy how-to information. Here are 10 of her tips to turn you into what she calls “the quintessential food gifter.’’

Know your recipient. It’s always best to play to the audience (no vanilla sea salt for the meat-and-potatoes friend).

Master a signature gift so you can make it quickly and have the ingredients in your head.

Embrace imperfection.

Put a label on each gift, identifying the contents and the date it was made and the person who made it.

Summer and fall are the best times to make gifts, when fruits and vegetables are plentiful and it’s a less hectic time of year.

Store the gift and the wrapping supplies together.

Reuse wrapping paper.

Check your recycle bin for treasures like old jars, cups, boxes, and other items that can be cleaned up and repurposed for packaging.

Shop your pantry, using what’s already there to make gifts, and keep it stocked with your own giftable items.

Host food-gift-making parties, to share the work, the expense, and the bounty.

JANE DORNBUSCH