Seattle Food Swap

Ryan's no-knead artisan bread

Making labels at the food swap

Sampling and food-swaping in action

Ryan's fresh bread and swapped butternut squash soup

Yesterday Ryan and I attended our first food swap in West Seattle. I read about food swaps first on Food in Jars. The idea is that a group of people get together with their homemade goodies and trade! It was a bit like being at a farmer's market, but instead of paying $8 for a jar of canned goodness, you could trade for something you'd brought. I found the Seattle Swappers by following a link on The Hip Girl's Guide to Homemaking which lists food swaps all over the country.

I brought a variety of canned stuff, mostly apple sauces, a couple of jams, Mrs. Wages Pasta Sauce, rhubarb BBQ sauce, and yellow squash relish and roasted red pepper ketchup from Put 'em Up. As I suspected, the roasted red pepper ketchup was a big hit and several swappers were disappointed they didn't end up with a jar. I was surprised though that the pasta sauce was so popular. After I made it, I wasn't particularly impressed, but maybe I'll make it again for the next swap! It was such a hot item that someone even went home with my open sample jar.

Ryan made FIFTEEN loaves of Artisan bread, all baked on the morning of the food swap! He made the regular white bread as well as thyme and rosemary and light whole wheat bread. The thyme and rosemary went the fastest (it's my first choice too). Ryan was the only one with bread at the swap, so he had some good bargaining power. And, it was still warm when we arrived.

We came home with two types of granola, salty oatmeal cookies, black bean brownies, macaroons, italian plum jam, concord grape jam, canned italian plums, butternut squash soup, pear ginger chutney, blackberry jam, several types of chocolates, and homegrown potatoes. We already ate one jar of the butternut squash soup for dinner last night with some of Ryan's leftover wheat bread (this is the first time he's made the wheat version and it was delicious) and some of the granola for breakfast.