There’s a certain menace in the name we’ve given to the day after Thanksgiving: Black Friday, touted as the busiest shopping day of the year. Historically, “black” days mark infamous events that caused large populations great stress and suffering: destructive wildfires, gruesome battles, stock market crashes and financial panics, even perceived acts of God against legislative bodies (as in the case of Black Saturday, August 4, 1621).

It’s funny, then, that we’ve given such a name to a day that is viewed positively by many people. Admittedly, it is said to be named so because retailers’s finances move back “into the black” that day, signifying a profit for the fiscal year. I prefer the negative connotation, though. There’s something about the armies of caffeine-addled “consumers” scrambling to shopping plazas and big-box stores at the crack of dawn to get the hottest new, soon-to-be-forgotten gizmo that doesn’t quite recall the holiday spirit of selflessness and human fellowship. That’s why I’ve avoided the day like the plague, otherwise known as the Black Death (or perhaps it’s because I’m a chronic procrastinator).

Anyway, it truly is the thought that counts. Just ask any parent whose received the same broken bath toy from a well-intentioned child for three consecutive years (this is, of course, a random, non-specific example). That thought can keep you out of the holiday shopping blitz if you make your gifts yourself. These do-it-yourelfers will show that you put time and thought into your gift, and they’ll save you some money, to boot.

A picture-perfect gift

If a personal and lasting gift is what you’re looking for (and, seriously, who isn’t?), giving photographs is a good option. A photo lasts long after a sweater’s elbows have worn through, and never goes out of style, which is more than we can say about that tie you gave last year.

The first, and most obvious, option is to give a photo that you’ve taken yourself—perhaps something artistic or a landscape. Another great idea is to find old family negatives and surprise your kin with a treasured photo from long ago. One year I found a box of my father’s old negatives and printed some beautiful black and white family photos that no one had seen in over 40 years. I put together a small album for each of my siblings and my parents. There was not a dry eye in the room, and each of them treasures that book to this day.

If you have negatives and the know-how to print photos yourself, CEPA Gallery has a darkroom available for hourly rent ($4 members/$6 non-members). You bring your own paper and essentially pay for use of the machines and chemicals. You must reserve the darkroom in advance, so check out CEPA’s Web site (www.cepagallery.org) for details and hours.

If you’d rather let the pros do the printing, try Nova Photo at their new location at 1508 Hertel Avenue. If you’re using digital files, you can simply drop off a disc or upload the photos at their Web site (www.novaphoto.com). The Print Wizard will even help you crop and prepare your photos for printing. If you have negatives or prints, Nova can give you a hi-resolution scan to print from. Print prices range from 29 cents for a 4x6 to $17.99 for a 16x20. Visit the Web site for a full list of sizes and prices.

Another good, local Web site is iprintfromhome.com, formerly Campos. iprintfromhome (1016 Niagara Falls Boulevard) offers some interesting paper choices such as fine art watercolor paper, canvas and a metallic paper for more artistic results. When your photographs are ready, they can conveniently be picked up at several Dash’s supermarket locations throughout the Buffalo area or at the iprintfromhome shop.

Once you have your photos in-hand, pick out a nice photo album or some attractive frames to complete your gift. Depending on how elaborate you want your frames to be, you can do it yourself with some easy-to-assemble frames from a craft store or have them professionally framed at shops like State of the Art (1781 Hertel Ave.). Mar can help you with some creative suggestions and custom cut mats.

The other obvious credit to giving photographs is that they’re said to “speak a thousand words.” If that’s true, then surely there’s no need to give the few poorly-composed lines found in standard greeting cards, too. Instead, save yourself the $4 and use it to by yourself a celebratory pint.

—rose mattrey

This gift’s in the can

For practical purposes, the local canning season is all but over: The frost is on the pumpkin, the harvest has come to an end. There are still apples for sauce, of course, and cabbages that can be turned into sauerkraut, but as gifts those lack the appeal of jewel-colored jams, pickled hot peppers or an opulent peach chutney. Still, if you have the inclination and the time, and if you don’t mind using produce trucked in from Florida, California and Mexico, it’s not too late to put up some garlicky dilly beans, which make a beautiful gift, a delicious snack and an inspiring substitute for the olive in a martini.

Here’s how you do it: Sterilize eight pint jars (available at most grocery stores, along with sterile lids to fit) by boiling them for ten minutes. Bring to a boil six cups water, six cups white vinegar and a cup of kosher salt. Keep this at a simmer while you fill each jar with the following: a handful of fresh dill, two or three cloves of garlic, a fresh hot pepper (red or orange make an attractive contrast to the green beans) and a tablespoon of mustard seeds. (Variations on this basic recipe might include star anise, or some sugar in the brining liquid to make the pickles sweet.) Pack each jar tightly with green beans which have been rinsed and trimmed. Ladle the brine over the beans, leaving a half-inch of space at the top of each jar. Screw on the lids and process in a water bath for six minutes to seal the lid—you’ll find instructions on the package of lids, but essentially this means submerging the jars in boiling water so that they’re at least an inch below the surface. It helps to have a canner, which is a big pot with a wire basket for lowering the jars into the boiling water and removing them—they cost about $20 at the grocery store, and are worth that if you’re going to make canning a habit. Otherwise you can use tongs to move the jars in and out of the water, and wedge table knives or chopsticks between the jars to prevent them from rattling against one another in the boiling water.

Let the dilly beans cool on a tablecloth; you’ll hear the lids pop, meaning the seal is complete. They need to be stored in a cool, dark place for at least two weeks before they’re ready to eat—so if you start now, they’ll be perfect by Christmas.

—geoff kelly

A home mead gift

Strangely, mead isn’t very popular in our country. An alcoholic beverage made from the fermented sugars of honey, mead is a sweet, smooth elixir that’s been brewed for millenia on the other side of the ocean. Also known as “honey wine,” it’s first mention is in the Rig Veda, an ancient collection of thousands of Indian Vedic Sanskrit hymns dedicated to the gods. Both Aristotle and Pliny the Elder wrote about mead in ancient Greece. According to Norse mythology, mead has wisdom bestowing powers and was the favored drink of the chief god Odin. These are all good reasons to brew your own batch of this delectable drink and give it as a gift.

Start by cleaning out two one-gallon glass jugs and their corks with a solution of bleach and anti-bacterial dish soap. Put 2lbs of honey into one of the jars. Add a 1/2 pound of raisins. Squeeze the juice of one lemon into a measuring cup, remove any seeds, and add it to the jar. Add three cinnamon sticks, 1/4 teaspoon of whole cloves and five allspice berries. Add a yeast nutrient to the mixture (available at Nigara Traditions Homebrew Supply) according to the directions on the package (generally 1 tablespoon per gallon). Fill the jar to the bottom of the neck with hot water. Add a teaspoon of sugar. Separately, add a package of champagne yeast to 1/4 cup warm water. Once the yeast becomes active, add it to the jar. Seal the jar for the next few weeks, until active bubbling stops and the raisins rest on the bottom.

Siphon the liquid (known as “racking”) into the second jar, leaving the dross at the bottom of the first jar. Fill the new jar to just below the neck again, as you’ll have lost some of your volume in the spices, raisins, etc., and seal the jar. This stage, the second fermentation, takes from one to three months. Rack the mead every three weeks or so until it clears up. Now it’s ready to be bottled (old wine bottles are ideal). Bottle it up, create your own label, and give it as a gift. Make sure they don’t drink it for four to six months, though, when it will be a properly aged, delicious beverage. Let’s see…looks like it will be ready just in time for next Christmas!

—peter koch