Unique food gifts from Michigan include coney kits, dry toast and chocolates

If you’re looking for gift ideas for the food lover or out-of-state family members who miss home, our mighty Mitten state has plenty to offer.

It's a way to celebrate the tasty treats that are unique to Michigan — everything from pies to jams and jellies to fudge.

You can even have Detroit's beloved coneys shipped out-of-state in a kit complete with buns, chili sauce and onion. 

And there's smoked fish. Around the block from Ann Arbor’s Kerrytown on East Kingsley street is an unassuming smoked salmon shop. Durham's Tracklements (tracklements.com) has been cold and hot smoking salmon in a myriad of flavors and shipping products all over since 1995.

Know an ex-Yooper (term for someone from the Upper Peninsula) who misses home? Send them a couple of bags of Trenary toast, a dry toast from the Trenary Home Bakery (trenaryhomebakery.com). A bag with 16 slices of plain hard and thick toast is $4.75. Its cinnamon flavor is a favorite and in December the bakery introduced a chocolate chip variety. 

And we can’t forget that Michigan is home to tons of cherries. Cherry Republic ( cherryrepublic.com) is the capital for all things cherries from salsas to jam to confections. 

Can’t decide what to send? Check out places like the Mitten Crate (mittencrate.com), an online food-subscription that seeks out locally made items, packages and ships them. The company's slogan is "Eat. Love. Michigan."

Before you order, keep in mind that most places have specific holiday shipping date cutoffs. Most charge extra for shipping.

Here is a dozen unique to Michigan food items to ship:

American Coney Island, Detroit

Coney dogs and chili are shipped within three to five days. A kit comes with 12 Dearborn Sausage brand hot dogs and buns, a sweet onion, a container of chili from Detroit Chili and an American Coney Island paper hat. Deadline for ordering for this year is Dec. 15; cost is $69 and includes shipping.

Order: 586-219-0995 or americanconeyisland.com.

Dave's Sweet Tooth, Harrison Township

Melt-in-your-mouth toffee available in several varieties packaged in a Mason jar and in jar-shaped bags. The company's mantra is on the label: "Hand Made. Homemade. Michigan Made." A five-pack sampler of 8-ounce jars is $59.99.

Order: davessweettooth.com.

Food For Thought, Traverse City

Wild-harvested and USDA-certified organic jams, sauces, salsas and more. Products are sold individually, in gift bundles or mixed cases. A six-pack of 9.5-ounce jars of preserves starts at $38.94 plus flat rate shipping of $12.95. 

Order: 888-935-2748 or foodforthought.net.

Germack Nuts & Coffee, Eastern Market in Detroit

The Germack family has been roasting pistachios, nuts and seeds at Detroit's Eastern Market since 1924. The product line has grown over the years to include dried fruits, chocolates, candies, craft-roasted coffee, nut butters and gourmet gifts.

Order: 2509 Russell at Eastern Market, 313-784-9484, germack.com.

Grand Traverse Pie, Traverse City

Best-known for its crumb topping and tart cherry pies that are made by hand and from scratch daily. The most popular for shipping is Peninsula Apple Crumb. Holiday Cherry Ganache is a specialty. Deep-dish 9-inch pies start at $29.99. Shipping is extra for all pies.

Order: 866-444-7437 or gtpie.com.

Grocer's Daughter Chocolate, Empire

Since 2004, fine artisan chocolate confections have been made at this bright-green shop that's minutes from Sleeping Beer Dunes National Lakeshore. A 16-piece box of Truffle and Honey Caramels is $39. There are also chocolate bars and drinking chocolates.  

Order: 231-326-3030 or grocersdaughter.com.

McClure's Pickles, Detroit

Pickle, relish and Bloody Mary products are made with McClure family recipes. Several variations of combo packs with four, 32-ounces jars of product are available for $40.

Order: 888-784-8434 or mcclurespickles.com.

Mike's Mustard, Charlevoix 

Created by Mike Washburne, this sweet, tangy and creamy mustard is terrific as a dip (especially with pretzels), slathered on a sandwich or used in cooking. Mustards are $5.50 for a 6 1/2-ounce jar or $11 for a 16-ounce jar. Gift boxes also available.

Order: 231-547-0585 or mikesmustard.com.

National Coney Island, Detroit

A kit 24 natural-casing hot dogs, 24 buns, a brick of National's homemade chili, hand-chopped onions and mustard. Cost: $49.95 plus shipping. A 12-pack is also available for $29.95; chili is available to order separately. The last day for Christmas ordering is Dec. 18.

Order: 888-442-6639 or nationalconeyisland.com.

Original Murdick's Fudge, Mackinac Island

The famed fudge shop has been known for its handcrafted fudge, brittle, toffee and caramel since 1887. A holiday box with four half-pound slices, a bag of caramel corn, 12 ounces of brittle and a box of toffee is $79.98. You can customize gift boxes.

Order: 906-847-3530 or originalmurdicksfudge.com.

Rocky Top Farms, Ellsworth

Specialty preservers, butters and topping with Michigan-grown ingredients packed in keepsake Michigan white cedar boxes produced in the family's wood shop. Gift boxes range in price from $33 to $61, plus shipping.

Order: 800-862-9303 or rockytopfarms.com.

Shatila Bakery, Dearborn

Home to some a huge array of Middle Eastern pastries. Its authentic baklawa pastries are stuffed with pistachios, walnuts or almonds and layered in crispy phyllo dough, dipped in butter and drizzled with a sweet sugar syrup. A full mix pastry with 64 pieces is $28.95

Order: 313-934-1520 or shatila.com.

Contact Susan Selasky: 313-222-6872 or sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter.