The day before Thanksgiving is the day to tie on an apron and deliver a loaf of bread or other baked goodie to someone in need.

National Tie One On Day was started by “apron lady” EllynAnne Geisel to help us put the giving back in Thanksgiving.

Her idea is that each of us should use the Wednesday before Thanksgiving as a time of sharing instead of stressing. It’s time to temporarily stop fretting over preparing the large holiday meal and focus on others.

It’s easy to get started. Just take a moment out of your day, wrap a loaf of bread or other baked good in an apron or a towel and deliver it to someone who could use a kind gesture.

This year has been a particularly difficult one for so many of our neighbors, family members and friends, I can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t appreciate a home-spun surprise like this.

Homegrown jalapeño chile peppers and coriander mix with vinegar, ginger, sugars and spices to make a festive gift for the holidays.

The magazines that clutter my desk from October through December are loaded with recipes for cookies, candy and sweet holiday treats that look irresistibly delicious. But I’m always on the lookout for ways I can use goodies from my garden to create savory treats, too.

One of my favorite gifts to grow, make and give is a jar of spicy pickled grapes. The red and green grapes fit the colors of the season and the recipe lets me use some of my garden-grown jalapeño peppers and coriander seeds. It’s an added bonus if you grow your own grapes, too.

Jalapeño chile peppers are easy to grow and are an essential ingredient for flavoring Mexican food dishes and are used to add some heat to Thai and Chinese recipes, too.

Bitters is a combination of fruits, herbs and spices steeped in alcohol and used to add a finishing touch to cocktails and aperitifs. If you start with a few simple ingredients now, your homemade bitters will be ready to bottle and give as delicious gifts for the holidays.

In the November issue of 5280 Magazine, there’s a Behind the Bar article  about some fine dining establishments in the Denver area that are mixing up their own house-made bitters.

At Frasca Food & Wine in Boulder, the bar manager adds cardamon, orange peel, star anise and cloves to 90-proof whiskey for his take on a bitters concotion popular in the 19th Century.

You don’t have to be an expert mixologist to whip up your own creation. Homemade bitters are easy to make from common ingredients you might already have in the kitchen pantry.

This edition of “Garden Clippings” features three tips for more enjoyable gardening from guest blogger Cynthia Pasquale, a Denver writer and editor. She says her gardening inspiration comes from her father, who seems to be able to grow anything, anywhere, anytime.

Just days ago, only a few lips of clay pots dared peek out from the 18 inches of snow burying my yard. This week temperatures have risen into the 60s mimicking early spring. This microcosm of incongruity speaks volumes about gardening. Mother Nature, especially in Colorado, never ceases to provide surprises. And it is not just the weather that can wreak havoc with plantings. It’s enough to make some grudgingly admit defeat, dump out the Miracle Grow, and throw the High Country Gardens catalog into the recycling bin.

What separates happy gardeners from frustrated ones is simply state of mind. Gardening, at its base, is a game of chance, occasionally won but more often not. What’s important is enjoying the journey.

Thanks to everyone who shared the lessons they learned from the 2009 gardening season. The winner’s number was drawn at random by the computer genius at Random.org.  Even though gardeners from around the country posted their comments, the winner lives in Denver, Colo.

Judy Lemieux is a licensed acupuncturist who enjoys photography as much as gardening and horticulture. Her garden taught her that she should be realistic about her watering habits and select plants that will survive our dry climate and her failure to water regularly.

This photo shows a corner of her garden that is flourishing with Russian sage, purple and white iris, agastache ‘Golden Jubilee’ and ‘Dimity’ knotweed.

“I seem to kill so many things with my forgetfulness to water,” Judy says.

“I’ve  had several beautiful pots die a sudden death from missing one day.  Now I plant pots with a variety of succulents and other extremely xeric plants that thrive on neglect.  As for the things I plant in the ground – if it can survive a summer with my erratic watering, it can stay, otherwise it goes.”

Gardeners in cold climates rely on different strategies to survive the chilly months between gardening seasons.

Some gardeners take their gardening indoors, turning their attention to hydroponics or house plants; others simply enjoy a few months of quiet reflection.

Freelance writer Teresa O’Connor, of Boise, Idaho, recently asked five gardeners in cold climates for their winter survival tips and shared the tips with readers on her Seasonal Wisdom blog.

In addition to my comments, Teresa included ideas from Amanda Thomsen, from Chicago, Kathy Purdy from upstate New York, Helen and Sarah Battersby from Toronto, and Lynn Felici-Gallant from New Hampshire.

Whether hitting the antique malls, keeping in shape, or spending time in an indoor garden conservatory, gardeners find creative ways to cope with the cold weather months.

How do you survive winter? Please drop by Seasonal Wisdom, read Teresa’s post and share your winter survival tips with other hardy gardeners.