By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of BobbisBargains.
UPDATE: There IS going to be a free food swap at Frugal Festival Food! Get your food swap ticket here.
PREVIOUSLY: I went to my first food swap this weekend and I immediately asked myself – Should we have a food swap at Frugal Festival Food! on June 25? I am hopelessly hooked on this new trend, and you will be too. Almost everyone there was a newbie. Even the hostess of the event, Faith Landsman, had only been to two previous food swaps. I don’t want to sound redundant, but REALLY, everyone was going around the room saying the same thing. “This is so much fun!”
What is a food swap?
A food swap is an activity where people bring homemade foods that they have prepared and packaged in such a way that
people can take them home. So instead of bringing a bowl of cookies to share, you bring several bags with several cookies in each that someone can swap for a jar of jam or bottle of marinade or a loaf of homemade bread. There is no money involved. In fact, one of the rules is that you can not sell anything. You can however, put money in a donation jar to cover some expenses for the hostess.
This fast-growing frugal trend was started in the Los Angeles area by Emily Ho of LA Food Swap after being inspired by food swaps in other areas. She wondered if anyone in LA would be interested in food swaps. They are!
So let me tell you what was so exciting about the food swap that I went to. First of all, there was the great sign you see in the picture above. Simple and homemade. The minute I walked into the house, I was “in” the swap. Tables were set up. There was a sign-in sheet, name tags, mailing list form, and tags for our food items. Most people listed ingredients on their labels.
When I arrived, people had already started to display their items. Some people had samples set up so you could taste their food. I had a chance to check out all the different offerings. If I wanted to swap with someone, I just put my name and swapping item on the “request to swap” sheet.
Everyone was soooo nice. We had social and chatting time before the actual swap began. Then the hostess announced it was time to swap. We got our lists and sought out the people who wanted to trade. A bit hectic, but fun. The actual swap goes pretty fast.
I brought chocolate covered pretzels, chocolate covered peanut butter filled pretzels and chocolate covered cookie dough balls. I took home:
- chocolate chip cookies
- marinade
- maraschino cherries
- whole wheat bread
- muffins
- loquat jelly
- chocolate covered cake balls
- chimichurri sauce
- granola
- zucchini bread
I also had acquired:
- new friends
- links to fabulous websites about urban farming, bees and good news
- a new love of food swapping
So, what do you think? Should we have a food swap at the Frugal Festival?
June 8th, 2011 at 7:35 am
Maybe not a good idea. Wouldn’t you have some liability if someone got food poisoning from an item they got in the swap?
June 8th, 2011 at 9:13 am
@Stan Good question! Food swappers won’t be eating any of the food they swap or receive at the Festival, just swapping it. And only people who bring something to swap will be admitted into the food swap area.
June 8th, 2011 at 9:20 am
@Stan, great point! While the swappers may not eat on the premises, they likely will consume it later (otherwise, what is the point?) If I were hosting, I would probably have a liability waiver for people attending to sign.
June 8th, 2011 at 9:22 am
Always some folks afraid of the big bad wolf. *sigh*
I think it’s a great idea, but there would need to be some sort of protection in place for the hostess to cover any big bad wolf issues. Too many Americans are sue happy and fear based to enjoy sharing delightful food and times with their neighbors and a few strangers who could be new friends.
Congratulations to you for venturing out of that box and having a pleasant experience!
June 8th, 2011 at 11:23 am
Swapping food is a great idea and a wonderful way to have fun!Count me in!
June 8th, 2011 at 12:30 pm
Really? The first thing people think of after hearing this idea is food poisoning and liability waivers? So sad. That’s the same, pathetic reason we can’t bring baked goods to our kids’ schools anymore; these days we either skip the special occasion or have to bring in trans-fat laden processed junk for a “treat”. Our fear-mongering society makes me so sad. Do you think our pioneer mothers and fathers ever worried about salmonella or did they just simply enjoy sharing homemade foods as a token of friendship and kindness to your neighbor? I’m betting the latter. This is a wonderful idea I hope to start in my own neighborhood community this summer!
June 8th, 2011 at 12:43 pm
Sounds like it would be a great idea among those that you know and trust. Church groups, Mommy & Me groups, and the like could probably feel comfortable doing something like this. Reminds me a lot of the cookie parties we have at Christmas and no one worries about those. Including the recipes for each item I should think would be a must so that food allergies could be accomodated. I can see this being super for seniors as there are tons of dishes that just have to be made in large quantities to be good but that much food is a turn off to a widow or widower. So, they could swap out with their friends in the park or neighborhood or church and have a variety for weeks or even the entire month. Gives me the idea to suggest that at our next senior get-together at my church.
June 8th, 2011 at 12:56 pm
“fear…sharing delightful food…with… a few strangers”?
Yeah, I’m afraid of that tuna/fruit/three-bean salad that was made under who-knows-what kind of unsanitary conditions and then sat in a car for an hour or 2. Can you say e-coli? 22+ dead in Europe, and they still haven’t traced the source.
Maybe the food swap should be limited to baked goods.
Sometimes a little paranoia is a good thing
June 8th, 2011 at 3:15 pm
Stan’s right as in “better to be safe than sorry.” People have different levels of cleanliness in their kitchens; why take unnecessary chances? As for the pioneers that Sarah mentioned, they didn’t have the life spans many do today. If we make comparisons to them, as Sarah is, then perhaps we should skip the vaccinations that protect us from so many diseases, ignore our seat belts, etc. C’mon, people, using common sense is prudent!
June 8th, 2011 at 3:39 pm
My point was simply that we are living in an age and state of hyper-fear – not that we should eschew anything that keeps us healthy and safe. The swapped foods listed in this blog are preserves, jelly, granola, bread… foods that are typically made in large batches and therefore perfect to swap/share. If you are afraid to eat food prepared by people you don’t know, then the food swap is clearly not something you want to be involved in, simple as that!
June 8th, 2011 at 3:42 pm
Everything is a gamble in life. Standing at a bus stop can get you killed. I say have the food swap. Those who do not wish to participate don’t have to. Those that do will have a good time. I would participate! Most people don’t seem to realize that the restaurants and fast food places are way more dirty then home kitchens. They also eat tons of bug parts every day that the FDA allows in food we eat. Lighten up! I don’t think anyone would be bringing tuna salad in sandwich bags to swap.
June 8th, 2011 at 3:54 pm
Having handled products related claims for 25 years, I can tell you that people do make mountains out of molehills. I will definitely host a swap, but I will also be smart about protecting myself from liabilities that may appear to be negligible. After all, “it’s all fun until someone gets hurt.” Happy Swapping!
June 8th, 2011 at 3:56 pm
I’m so glad to see so many folks who get the idea and embrace it. Life is a gamble…don’t let fear keep you from experiencing it.
Sarah and Teena: You got it right.
Stan: a little paranoia is never a good thing. Making an informed decision is. If you would even THINK of bringing a dish like that to a food swap…you shouldn’t ever consider swapping.
June 8th, 2011 at 6:04 pm
Am I the only one who’s confused? I wasn’t aware that a food swap was to part of this year’s Frugal Food Fest, but I do think it might be something worth thinking about. However, I stopped preserving foods in jars and cans many years ago, and can’t even imagine trying to cook or bake something in quantities to share at a food swap. I did like a couple of the suggestions about starting something like that in churches to accommodate senior members.
June 8th, 2011 at 9:08 pm
I love the idea of a Food Swap at the Festival. I really hope you add it in enough time for me to prepare some food to swap.
June 8th, 2011 at 11:35 pm
@Sarah ~ I don’t think these comments reflect “hyper-fear” at all but, instead, reasonable concern.
@Teena ~ I agree with you about participation. I question the veracity of your comment about restaurants and fast food places vs. home kitchens. Don’t know where you live, but here in L.A., restaurants receive grades from the Health Dept. and would be shut down if your comment were true. And on what do you base your claim about the FDA’s allowing us to eat “tons of” bug parts? It’s good that you don’t exaggerate. Finally, a quick question (rather 3): (1) Do you drive? (2) If so, do you have auto insurance? (3) Why? After all, “everything is a gamble in life.”
June 8th, 2011 at 11:47 pm
@BB ~ Sometimes, as with this topic, I receive an e-mail notifying of new comments. However, if I open the blog itself, there actually may be even more new comments than in the e-mail. I wouldn’t have known about these additional comments had I not opened the original blog. Are the e-mails supposed to reflect just a sampling of all new comments? Other times when I have gone back to the original blog, the new comments there are the same as those which the e-mail shared. And at least for this topic, I believe I am current as to the e-mail I received; that is, there were not several notifying of the new comments but just the one identifying some of the new comments. Sorry that was so wordy, but I am trying to be clear. The basic question I’m asking is are the new comments printed in an e-mail representative of all the new comments in the actual blog? Whew! I have to rest now.
June 8th, 2011 at 11:53 pm
@BB ~ Aw, gee, disregard that entire previous comment! Looking at my e-mail again, I now realize there were several! In Gmail, they were linked one after the other, and I just didn’t scroll down far enough. Sorry.
June 9th, 2011 at 3:37 am
Diane – I do live in LA and have many friends that have worked in the restaurant industry and with the FDA. Those grades really don’t mean as much as you think they do. As for the report on bug parts the FDA allows in foods, I have done my homework and know all about the “dirty report” the FDA has. It’s posted on the website. So before you go attacking me, why not do a little investigating so you don’t sound so ignorant. We’ve all been eating and using a little insect called the “Cochineal” that yields a bright red color when squashed that is used in many foods, makeup, medicine, textiles, etc. I did my homework on the subject so I do know what I’m talking about. You sound extremely bitter and rude. AS I said before, if you are so fearful then don’t participate. No one is going to miss you being there with your negativity.
June 9th, 2011 at 4:59 am
@EllieD The free food swap is something we’re considering adding to Frugal Festival Food! This post was a way to gauge the reaction – and boy did we get one! We’re deciding soon about the food swap so stay tuned!
June 9th, 2011 at 5:03 am
@Diane Your experiences answers the question, actually. No, emails about follow up comments may not include every single comment made. Some comments are approved automatically and appear instantly, while others have to be manually approved (for new users, this cuts down on spam). So your emails about comments are not comprehensive. Best to check the blog for the most up to date comments.
June 11th, 2011 at 8:14 pm
@Teena ~ I reread my comment to you to see what you were so defensive about. Seems like I hit a nerve–several nerves. As for me, fearful? No. Cautious and deliberate? Yes. Perhaps you can be more specific and direct me to the FDA Website and where this information is provided. Interesting that you felt I was “attacking” you while you feel I sound “ignorant,” “bitter,” “rude,” and negative. I don’t see any similar adjectives I used to describe you. Who is attacking whom?
June 11th, 2011 at 9:06 pm
Diane: And on what do you base your claim about the FDA’s allowing us to eat “tons of” bug parts? It’s good that you don’t exaggerate. Finally, a quick question (rather 3): (1) Do you drive? (2) If so, do you have auto insurance? (3) Why? After all, “everything is a gamble in life.” You don’t think that sounds sarcastic? Maybe you should have someone proof read your emails.
June 11th, 2011 at 11:11 pm
@ Teena ~ Not knowing you, I can’t imagine why you are so defensive and hostile. Let’s not waste each other’s time further.
June 12th, 2011 at 4:27 am
Diane – Obvious you’re oblivious to how you come off to people. You know what they say “Ignorance is bliss”. Keep living a blissful life.
June 16th, 2011 at 10:04 pm
Intresting blog and comments. I was fasinated by the comments between Teena and Daine which didn’t stick with the main topic. It was like driving by a accident and you can’t look away. Teena I am sorry to say it but you do sound defensive, Diane was sarcastic in that one place but you really let her have it. I dont know either of you but you should not speak for all people because that would include me and I don’t think she came off bad.
June 17th, 2011 at 12:46 am
OMG!!! I think I didn’t remember my email address right when I wrote my earlier comment. I’m embarassed and sorry!
June 17th, 2011 at 12:19 pm
L. Branes – I never said I spoke for everyone. Geez! I only posted my opinion and stuck up for the food swap idea. That’s it! I would never presume to speak for everyone.
June 17th, 2011 at 2:36 pm
Teena it was when you wrote how she comes off to PEOPLE and the things you said about HER. How she came off to YOU but not necessarilly others.
June 20th, 2011 at 6:27 am
[...] Pasta with garlic sauce – happened to have some left over with the sauce I got from a food swap [...]
June 20th, 2011 at 8:19 am
I think I would food swap, with a group of people I knew. I don’t buy from bake sales because I don’t know what other people’s kitchens look like… If there a group of 5 or 6 of my friends/families were interested I would be too!