Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/406441
24 g o i n g p l a c e s | w i n t e r 2 0 1 4 100-Mile Gifts Where to shop locally this Christmas by Shel Zolkewich Made in Manitoba ere's no place like home. And there's nothing like a gift from home. ankfully, keeping it local is a breeze when it comes to holiday shopping in Manitoba, with its abundance of unique (and often tasty) homegrown products. ough their facilities may be small, local producers have managed to cultivate wide distribution chan- nels, making Manitoba products popular outside our borders. But lucky for you, they're available down the street, without the high shipping cost. So make that list, check it twice and start placing orders for a box of GORP bars to stuff in stockings, the perfect pair of beaded moccasins or sweet bottle of birch syrup harvested in the north. 1 Winnipeg Jets Gear More than one Winnipeg Jets fan is hop- ing there's an official jersey with Bogosian emblazoned on the back under the tree this season. Official team merchandise goes far beyond clothing to include backpacks, wall clocks and signed photographs in the retail space of Manitoba's beloved hockey team. Stocking stuffers – like a puck with the team logo – abound. Or blow the budget on a game-worn jersey from captain Andrew Ladd for $1,500. Cost: $5 and up. CAA members get 10% off. Where to buy: Jets Gear, 300 Portage Ave., or in St. Vital Centre, 1225 St. Mary's Rd. 2 GORP Bars Colleen and Grant Dyck are all about being fuelled up and ready to go. That's why this Niverville, Manitoba, couple invented the energy- boosting GORP bars, packed with good-for-you ingredients. You can't go wrong with honey, hemp, almonds, oats, flax – and dark chocolate chips. For the health nut in the family, take your pick from Cocoa, Hemp & Almond; Peanut Butter & Apple; or Peanut Butter & Raspberry. And in case someone should ask about the name, it's a backpacker acronym from the 1960s for Good Old Raisins and Peanuts. Cost: $3.45 each. • Where to buy: Purchase online or at retailers listed at www.gorpworld.com. 3 Mordens' Russian Mints You might want to buy two boxes of Mordens' Russian Mints – one as a gift and one for yours truly. If you don't, it's a decision you'll soon regret. ese local favourites have been melting in mouths for decades. But be warned that when you pop into the Sargent Avenue store, you'll likely leave with much more, including dark-chocolate-covered ginger, freshly roasted cashews or those addictive toasted coconut-covered marshmallows. Cost: $16.50. • Where to buy: 674 Sargent Ave., 204-783-4551. 4 Botanical PaperWorks Give that recycling bin a break. A gift from this Winnipeg company means paper never goes in the trash; instead it goes in the garden. Heidi Reimer-Epp and Mary Reimer started the plantable paper company in 1997 with an eye to creating environmentally friendly options for invitations and stationery (clients include Starbucks, Sony and TimeWarner). Offerings range from confetti and calendars to notebooks and herb seed bombs. Simply plant the paper in the soil and wait for the green to shoot up. Cost: $5.75 and up. • Where to buy: Online at www.botanicalpaperworks.com. Shopping for someone with a bad case of wanderlust? See great gift ideas from CAA on pages 14-15 or stop by a service centre.