Grocery Swapping
Excess eggplant? Surplus squash? Set up a food trade with friends
No
matter how much you adore eggplant or zucchini, there comes a point
where a bumper crop spills over into a glut. Rather than leaving your
unwanted harvest on your neighbors' doorsteps in the dead of night, why
not search out other similarly burdened folks and arrange an
old-fashioned food swap?
The year-old British group VegExchange offers free listings of excess backyard produce, as well as a directory of farmstands, CSA-style arrangements and small-scale farms. Both cash purchases and barters are permitted, and home growers are encouraged to participate.
Even nongardeners can get in on the action. In San Francisco, food blogger Marco Flavio's set up a food trade bulletin board. So far, he's traded home-made sausages for tuna confit and a bottle of fancy vinegar; another participant swapped home-grown apples for a share of the cider pressed from them.
London's Growing Communities group holds in-person Good Food Swaps. Autumn events feature home-gown and foraged produce, including pickles and preserves; winter get-togethers may have treats like mince pies, foraged mushrooms and homemade breads. Best of all, no money changes hands; it's all bartered for other items brought to the table.
Anita Crotty
Anita Crotty is co-author of Married... with Dinner, an award-winning food blog that chronicles the continuing adventures of "a couple of San Francisco food dorks." Anita and her husband Cameron are both professional writers, amateur cooks, and avid diners.read full bio.
Comments | Add a comment
SOLE Food Digest is a weekly roundup of articles on sustainable, organic, local, ... read more.
rss
|
||||||||||||
 |
Enter your city or zip code to get your local temperature and air quality and find local green food and recycling resources near you.
|
 |
||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||
Connect with Us 
: 
: More Options
