food swap :: march

 

Have you ever heard of a Food Swap?

Well, I hadn’t until only a little while ago when my neighbours shared that they would be holding one at their place in March and could we make it?

Food Swap’s are about local communities, neighbourhoods, getting together around a cuppa and a yummy nibbly morsel, to share their foodie goods with one another and talk gardening and farming and homey things. It’s a chance to meet new people, bond with your neighbours and share in the abundance that is life with a vegie garden or chooks or bees or whatever it is you do with your nest. {food wise,that is}.

So you turn up with a bundle of lovely bits and pieces to share. You pop it on the share table. Everyone else does the same. Then it’s cuppa and chat time. after a little while our lovely neighbour host gave a little talk about Food Swaps and how they work an who would be hosting the next one. Then it was time to start the taking.

It was awkward at first. It’s so much easier to give than take, don’t you think? People started off slowly and extremely polite. Apparently not all Food Swaps are as sedate and polite. I’m guessing that the more comfortable people are with one another the less likely they are going to be worrying about stepping on someone’s toes as they race to the table to grab the last of the garlic. The more inclined they’ll be to tug a little harder on the end of that silver beet, knowing that the strongest always wins the vegetable tug of war.

Such fun.

 

What a wonderful thing to be a part of.

At first I was really worried that I wouldn’t have anything to share, having a very new and minimal garden right now. But in the end I did manage to rustle up some produce which meant I could turn up without feeling like the taker of the group:)

 

 

I had some seedlings to share, beetroot leaves and coriander bunches. Next time I hope to have lots more. Other people shared honey, pickles, silver beet, apples, potatoes, seedlings, squash, bacon, grapes, peaches, pears, herbs, kale, eggs, tomatoes, rhubarb, jam, beans, swedes … what have I missed? There was SO much. An abundance of beautifully grown local produce.

 

 

 

As well as food swapping we also had some yummy morning tea and lots of time to chat and share with some really lovely people.

      

 

I left my neighbours house with a bigger  skip in my step and a smile on my dial. Gardening people. They are nice people. Local people. Country people. I likey.

Food Swap – have you ever been to one? If not, do you think you would?

Kim x