Midwest Gifts from the Heartland

The trademarks of a classic present straight from the Heartland are pretty simple.

They’re made with style and quality. Food items are produced from the best ingredients and packaged with care. Home goods have a touch of ingenuity and bring warmth to any room.

Whether you’re looking for something tasty or unique and long-lasting, these top Midwest gifts from the Heartland have something for everyone.

10. Gift basket loaded with goodies

Can’t decide between a pound of decadent fudge, beer bread or summer sausage? You don’t have to. Choose a Midwest gift basket to satisfy every craving from handmade candies, preserves and corn cob syrup, to savory soup and bread mixes. These treats will add festive flavors to any occasion.

9. Skin heroes

It’s no secret that winters are downright cold in these states. Naturally no list of Midwest gifts from Heartland would be complete without the tried and true defender of dried and chapped skin: Worker B Rescue Putty. This thick lotion infused with honey is all you need to enjoy a pain-free winter.

8. Scented jar candles

They say smell is the strongest sense, so why not fill your home with the refreshing scents of nature? Take one whiff of a peony scented soy candle and you’ll instantly remember what it’s like to sit in the backyard with feet up watching the sun go down and fireflies come out. Look for candles made from all natural ingredients.

7. Reused barnwood furnishings

Midwesterners are not wasteful people. Many furniture makers from the region salvage wood from old barns and give them a second life. Every barnwood table and tray is made to last. Some even have the location and story of the barn they originated from printed on the bottom.

6. Winter wear

The northern states are famous producers of winter wear. For example, Stormy Kromer wool caps are warm, comfortable, designed to fit and incredibly effective at protecting you from severe temperatures. Plus they have that classic understated style you gotta love.

5. Specialty soaps

You may not know that Minnesota is home to some of the best natural hand and body soap producers. J.R. Watkins is one company that has a catalog of over 400 baking and home products and health remedies, including its famous hand soaps and lotions. Thanks to the old-fashioned packaging, these goods can double as eye-catching room décor.

4. Homebrewing kits

There’s no shortage of independent beer brewers working in this region. The beer muse is generous and tends to inspire those who cross her path to try their hands are brewing their own. Homebrewing kits include all the beer lover in your life needs to make their own batch of beer and crown themselves with the fancy title of Brewmaster.

3. Cookbooks with Midwestern cred

Check out the host of the new Food Network show Heartland Table Amy Thielen’s new cookbook ‘The Midwestern Table’ for a collection of area favorites, including pounded cheese with walnuts and port syrup. For dessert, turn to the Sweetie-Licious Bakery Cafe in Michigan’s new baking book ‘The Hoosier Mama Book of Pie’.

2. A taste of Wisconsin

Wisconsin is famous for its rich heartland cheeses, bratwurst and other sausages. If you’re shopping for a homesick native, nothing will make them happier than the smell of hot sausage or a plate of fried cheese curds. Perhaps there’s a little of the heartland in everyone because it’s hard to imagine anyone not being delighted by a selection of smoked cheese spread, sharp cheddar and Edam.

1. Gourmet steaks

Sink your teeth into some of the tenderest Midwest gifts from heartland. Throw some T-Bone and porter house steaks on the grill and you may attract nearby natives within a 10-mile radius. The next best thing to paying a visit to an authentic heartland steakhouse is having choice cuts from the area shipped right to you.