12 Gifts to Celebrate Tomato Season

New York Times

25-07-2025

In this edition of The Gift, we're celebrating peak summer with some whimsical tomato gifts. Because why not? Plus: the very best olive oil and what to gift a wiener dog mom.
Last year, I found myself soundly defeated by six cherry tomato plants. As a gardening newbie, I'd avoided weightier varieties, thinking they might be harder to prop up. Oh, sweet summer child. By July, my Sungolds and Supersweet 100s had already rapidly outgrown their tall stakes and then seized on the fence behind them in a junglelike thicket. Every few days, they produced so much fruit that I was giving them away in old pho containers to the baristas at my local coffee shop. But even in the midst of that late-season abundance, I still loved catching a whiff of tomato leaves on my hands after pruning the multiplying branches.
I know I'm far from alone in finding them irresistible. Just looking at red-orb designs on a bowl or T-shirt can conjure the feeling of dappled summer sun on your forehead, or a languid vacation dinner with fireflies glinting about. In that spirit, here are a few of our favorite knickknacks, clothes, and kitchenstuffs for gifting your favorite tomato-head or anyone you'd just like to treat this summer. For going out, I'm a fan of Staud's iconic beaded bag — the Italian-esque tomato version has a cheeky forkful of spaghetti on the back. This adorable fitted mini linen dress would also be a surefire hit on a sweltering August night. (It's a bit of a double entendre given that 'tomato' is, I recently learned, a synonym for a 'hot number.')
And for days at the office, these handy sticky notes, which newsletters editor Haley Jo Lewis calls 'the absolute delight of my desk,' will brighten workday drudgery with a pop of fuchsia. They're a sweet small token to lift a pal out of a 9-5 summertime sadness.
Several Wirecutter journalists love this fat heirloom tomato-shaped candle that smells like tomato leaves and, if it was sitting on a farmer's market table, would make you do a double take. Also, these cherry tomato-inspired dinner candles are both regal and eye-catching, and far more of a conversation starter than mere ivory tapers. It'd almost be a shame to actually burn them.
For pomodoro decor beyond candles: I love this glass tumbler with an adorable little guy popping up from its center for summer sips on the patio. And this extremely fun throw pillow tossed on a sofa would help anyone beat accusations of a millennial-gray living room.
Kids would be overjoyed to get this ridiculously cute plushie. Or for the canines: This hilarious canned tomato-inspired dog toy is squeaky and comes with three small tomato balls inside it. I think either are worth squeezing into what might already be an overstuffed toy collection.
Ignacio Mattos, chef-owner of a number of lovely Mediterranean restaurants in New York City, once told me he favors the rich jarred Miracolo di San Gennaro Pomodori from Bronx importer Gustiamo. And our kitchen team also thinks their sundried tomatoes are divine enough to eat straight out of the jar (or sprinkled on pasta).
Less on the nose — and quite special — are these hefty, handmade splatterware dinner plates from Puglia. While lacking in round, red imagery, they would contrast beautifully with a tomato salad.
As I wrote this newsletter, I found myself pining for my favorite BLT — one made with Japanese milk bread, thick-cut bacon, and fat heirloom slices at peak juiciness. It looks like one tomato in my garden is almost sandwich-ready. I pared it back this year, by the way, to two cherry tomato and two Brandywine plants. I think I've learned my lesson. But ask me again in August.
Including a quite cute (and curl-friendly) bucket hat.
Your plants deserve to thrive in a confetti resin planter or a glittering disco ball.
These exceptionally sharp pruners may be the last set you ever buy.
My sister-in-law is especially difficult to shop for, because she doesn't really love anything in particular, except for going out to dinners with friends, hiking, and hanging out with family. She is a career elementary school teacher, married without kids, and has a weenie dog as of five months ago (her first pet ever in her life). — E.S.
From gifting expert Hannah Morrill:
Going out on a limb here and guessing that your newly minted weenie-loving relative is as weenie-obsessed as my weenie-loving relative. If so, let's start her out with a sweet doggo hair clip that could delight her students, too. If you've got a good picture handy — check your text threads — you could get a pair of custom socks or a pillow made. Wrap it all in Dachshund wrapping paper, and you're set.
If you're not ready to go all in on the dog theme, some plush hiking socks are always appreciated, and our favorite Spanish tapas sampler would be lovely for noshing at home before dinner out. Lastly, if you've got the time, rescue memories from the digital graveyard by assembling a photo book of treasured family hangs. (Then schedule an IRL hang, too.)
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What I Cover
I cover a wide range of gift giving, with a specialty in food and drink gifts; I also touch on beauty on occasion. I work to ensure that we consider a diverse range of socio-cultural backgrounds in our guides.