Anything that can ease the task of holiday shopping is welcome, so hail to CruMarket’s build-a-basket event (assuming you have people to buy for that are some sort of gastronome, that is). CruMarket offers products that are genuinely small batch and hand crafted to which the overworked term “artisan” can be properly applied—it’s a roster that includes goodies such as NW Elixirs hot sauces, Bluebird Bakers cookies, Bowery Bagels, Eliot’s Adult Nut Butters, Bee Local honey, Fat Dog Mustard, Pinkleton’s Caramel Corn. At the event there’s an opportunity to taste the products and then you can build and decorate a gift basket of your own making. Hot spiced cider will also be served and there is a wine tasting at neighboring CorksCru Wine Merchants; if only all shopping were this civilized. Portland Kitchen Cru, 337 NW Broadway, December 13, 10 am–4 pm, prepackaged baskets also available here
