We all have a person who did the unthinkable and moved away from Pittsburgh. And, naturally, they get homesick sometimes. So here are a few of our favorite ways to send them a little Pittsburgh love!
Food
Image via: Lauren Roberts Image via: Lauren Roberts
Duh. We’re including mostly food in our box because we’re mailing it to someone who loves food as much as we do! There are so many local options, but here’s what we’re sending:
- Miller’s Banana Pepper Mustard – hot, of course
- Freedom Farms Strawberry Jam
- Freedom Farms Pickled Beets
- Edward Marc / Wigle Whiskey chocolates
We love going to places like Freedom Farms because they carry other local items besides their own. You can obviously get things like jams and pickles made with their produce, but you can also get everything from honey and maple syrup to coffee and loose tea. Plus stuff that isn’t edible, like soaps…but we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
It’s a good idea to put any glass containers in a ziptop bag in case they break, although we’ve never had a problem. We also wrap them in some bubble wrap to give them a little cushion.
Dranks
And we don’t just mean alcohol, although there are so many great local choices! Coffee and tea, especially if your special someone has a favorite they can’t get outside of Pittsburgh, are perfect to ship. Bonus that you don’t have to worry about them breaking and spilling! We’re sending:
- Nicholas Coffee (which we love, but is not pictured because we put it in the freezer until we were ready to mail it and totally forgot to get it out for these pictures…*face palm*)
- Mazzotta Winery Mango Wine
Note that a full bottle of wine won’t fit in the medium shipping box, but a 375ml bottle fits perfectly.
Home
With all of the boutique shops around the city, there is always something cute we see for our home! We love Pittsburgh-scented candles and Pittsburgh-themed decor. We’ve even seen jars of river water. If that doesn’t help with homesickness, we don’t know what will.
Clothes
We love all the local clothing retailers, but it doesn’t get any more Pittsburgh than some Made in PGH gear 😉 We have t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, even the cutest little onesie you ever did see! Our box has:
Beauty
Pittsburgh is full of local beauty resources. From soaps to lotions, deodorant to beard oil, you can always find something special to send. We even saw Pittsburgh-themed nail polish, which is such a fun idea…and might be going in our next care package. This one includes:
- Pip and Lola soap
- Freedom Farms soap
Miscellaneous
Travel mugs, artwork, tote bags, greeting cards, homemade cookies, photos – the limit for what you can mail does not exist! If you think it will remind your person of home, we think you should include it. It’s fun to browse the local shops and markets, picking up an item here and there to fill a box gradually. We think that makes what you’re sending even more special, because you’re getting things that make you think of whoever you’re missing. Our box has:
- CommonWealth Press map tote
- a couple cards
- homemade cookies
We know a lot of these items are heavy, but did you know the Post Office has flat-rate shipping boxes? Also known as “if it fits, it ships”…you can mail anything domestically that fits in the box, up to 70 pounds, for whatever the rate is based on the size of the box. So include as many or as few of these items as you want, and don’t forget to include a Pittsburgh rock or two!
This content was provided by a local, independent contributor to Made in PGH, a lifestyle blog.