Happy December! It’s been a little quiet around here, but I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving and are enjoying all the holiday preparations. We’ve lit our (organic, real) Christmas tree and visited New York, now we’re counting down the days to Hanukkah and Christmas. Phew. As we get down to gift-giving business, I have a little holiday gift for you. Read on for the giveaway instructions.

I always have great intentions to make hand-made holiday treats, only to run out of time and have to buy something in a rush. Instead of combing the local mass retailer for something semi-natural (please tell me I’m not the only one who can’t even buy a tiny bottle of hand lotion without reading the ingredient list?), Equal Exchange offers the perfect fair-trade gift baskets for anyone on your list — gifts the recipient will love and that you can feel good about. (Think daycare teachers, the milkman, the boss, etc.)

Equal Exchange’s Fair Trade Mixer Gift Basket, for example, includes a variety of coffee, chocolates and nuts in a fairly traded kaisa grass basket imported by Ten Thousand Villages from Dhaka Handicrafts, a non-profit that works to improve the lives of children and rural families in Bangladesh. The gift basket is on sale  for $47 until December 15th. Also find other fair trade gifts that support small-scale farmers, ranging from $27-$75. Order online and get 10% of your order and receive free shipping on orders over $75. Use coupon code: giftme10 during checkout. Coupon expires 12/31/09. Visit www.equalexchange.coop today to order!

And here’s my gift to you, courtesy of Equal Exchange. One lucky reader will receive a FREE Fair Trade Mixer Gift Basket.* Just leave a comment below sharing your favorite holiday treat to give or receive, by midnight (Eastern time), Sunday, December 13. A winner will be selected randomly on December 14. One entry per person, please, and please help spread the holiday cheer by telling a friend! Please enter a valid email address when commenting (it will not be posted) so that I can contact you if you win.

The Fair Trade Mixer Gift Basket includes:

• Organic French Roast Coffee – 10oz, drip grind
• Organic Hot Cocoa Mix – 12oz
• Organic Very Dark Chocolate – 3.5oz bar
• Organic Dark Chocolate with Almonds – 3.5oz bar
• Organic Milk Chocolate with a Hint of Hazelnut – 3.5oz bar
• Organic Tamari Roasted Almonds – 5oz
• Roasted Salted Pecans – 5oz

*Please note the fine print: All shipments are sent via United Parcel Service (UPS). Orders will be shipped within the contingent United States only. We do not ship to PO/APO/FPO’s, American Samoa, Guam, Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, or Virgin Islands.

And the FoodieTots.com disclaimer: all reviews are the opinions solely of myself and the FoodieTots family, and are not financially compensated in any way. Equal Exchange is providing the winner’s gift basket.

Don’t forget! The first installment of Kids Cook Book Soup — theme: Apples! — is now open for entries through this coming Sunday, October 18.Monday, October 26 — extended an extra week! Check for round-up Tuesday, October 27th.

To simplify the challenge, here’s all you need to do: cook (with your kids!) any apple recipe … and share where you found the recipe. It can be from a story, a cookbook, or a family recipe. The only requirements are a) that it contain apples, and b) that you involve your kids! And have fun!

You’ll send me a link to your post &/or picture (no blog needed to participate), and we’ll post the round-up right here, on the 3rd Tuesday of the month.  Just email your link &/or photo, along with your name (or name you want printed), kid’s age(s), blog name and location to me at foodietots @ gmail.com.

And, everyone who participates will be entered to win a great food-themed children’s book.

Please help spread the word! Click the “SHARE THIS” button below to share on Twitter, Facebook &/or Stumble It!

It’s the final weekend to enter the Foodie Tots <3 Farmers Markets photo contest so grab your kids, your camera (and your rain gear if you’re on the East Coast) and head out to the market this weekend! Snap a shot of your kid(s) and post it to the Foodie Tots <3 Farmers Markets Flickr pool by midnight Monday, August 31, and you’ll have a chance to win a kid-sized reusable market tote filled with foodie goodies. For an extra entry into the drawing, blog about your local farmers market with a link back to this post &/or retweet a link to the “Foodie Tots <3 Farmers Markets” Flickr pool.

As for us, we’ve been on the road and while we’ve visited farms, we’ve not set foot in a farmers market in days. Today the boy squealed at the sight of fresh produce at a Brooklyn storefront so I could hardly say no when he asked for “raspberries, blueberries, red plums, black plums, and green pears!” It was his birthday, after all. Fill us in on what your kids pick out this weekend!

All right folks, National Farmers Market Week begins this Sunday, August 2. Here’s your chance to support your local farmers and vendors and get more than just yummy, fresh food in return.

Submit a photo of your tot(s) at the market to the Foodie Tots <3 Farmers Markets Flickr pool during the week (August 2-9) and you’ll have a chance to win a kid-sized reusable market tote filled with foodie goodies. For an extra entry into the drawing, blog about your local farmers market with a link back to this post &/or retweet a link to the “Foodie Tots <3 Farmers Markets” Flickr pool.

Remember it’s hot out there, so head out early and pack your reusable water bottles! (Need more encouragement on why you should explore your local farmers markets with your kids? Read my article on “Healthy Habits Take Root at the Market.”)

(Sharing this at Fight Back Fridays hosted by the Food Renegade; check out this week’s round-up for more resources to find fresh, real food for your family.)

I have to thank everyone who shared their favorite food memories for our contest. From fresh from the field, or off the truck, sweet corn to blackberry picking in Oregon and the apple orchards of Ojai, Michigan and upstate New York; date shakes from Palm Springs and the cheese of Marin County with a family connection – it was fun to read such an array of stories. I’ve made a contribution to Farm Aid’s Family Farm Disaster Fund (tacked on an extra zero to my pledge), and judging from the number of clicks through to their site, I’m guessing a few of you did as well. So thank you for sharing and supporting our family farming friends in the Midwest!

And without further ado, our free cookbook winner – as decreed by the random integer generator – is … Lelo in Nopo! Who shares the following:

Eating local and supporting local farms was inherent to my childhood. In the fertile valleys of Southern California, some of the very best growing conditions for produce existed. I’ve written extensively about my memories on my blog, but last fall I wrote about a recent trip to an apple orchard, and how as a child, we’d visit Ojai, California, to pick apples. Today that area is so different than it was then, but my memories shape who I am, and where I put my money, today, even though I live in a different state. You can read about it here.

Visit the original post to read the other stories. Thanks everyone!