By LAUREN CHAPIN
The weather might be frightful and the clerks at the mall spiteful, so avoid it all by shopping online. Here are some food sites for last-minute nifty holiday gifts.
Be kindSend the gift of peace with Kind Fruit + Nut Bars. Buy the Australian-made bars from PeaceWorks and 5 percent of the profits will go to OneVoice, a foundation dedicated to finding a moderate solution to the violence in the Middle East.
There are 10 bar flavors, including macadamia and apricot, banana and oat bran, sesame and peanuts with chocolate, and fruit and nut delight.
All are gluten-free and without sulfur dioxide and sorbitol. Most are also wheat and dairy-free. They sell for $15 for an eight-pack box. For more information, go to peaceworks.com or call 212/616-3006 .
From Stonehouse to your houseStonehouse Olive Oil, based in Berkeley, Calif., sells fabulous olive oils from 80-year-old olive trees in Oroville, Calif. The extensive catalog includes Olio Santo extra virgin olive oil, organically grown estate oils, several infused oils, and white and dark balsamic vinegar.
Prices range from $10 for the 17-ounce Olio Santo to $11 for the 7.61-ounce bottle of blood orange oil and $7 for an 8.5-ounce bottle of imported white balsamic.
Order from the Web site at stonehouseoliveoil.com. Questions can be directed to 800/865-4836.
Dibs on nibsMany of us have nibbled some of Scharffen Berger's fabulous chocolates. But check out the company's Web site and see what other scrumptious products it makes and sells.
The company has products for home bakers and for corporate gifts, chocolate bars and confections. Some ideas for the home baker on your list: cacao nibs (roasted and crushed cocoa beans, $8.50 per 6-ounce bag), natural cocoa powder ($8.50 per 6-ounce tube) and home baking bars in three varieties (62 percent semi-sweet, 70 percent bittersweet and 99 percent unsweetened; prices vary).
The Web site is scharffen
Other food sites to check out:
arizonavanilla.com--Shop here for organic vanilla beans from Madagascar, Tahiti and Mexico, vanilla extracts, Iranian saffron, Arizona navel oranges and orange blossom honey.
brcohnoliveoil.com--Bruce Cohn, manager of the Doobie Brothers, also produces fabulous wines, olive oils and vinegars on his Sonoma property. His newest product is the pear Chardonnay vinegar.
bakerscatalogue.com--Equivalent to a candy store for the home baker. A lot of whole-grain mixes, flours and bakeware and cookware.