My regular food swap group has had a bit of a lapse in activity, but we are now back in business! Our most recent swap was hosted by the lovely family you may (or may not) recall from our swap in June 2011. They have a nice piece of land in a small community south of Austin, and have turned it into sort of a mini-farm with a massive garden, complete with chickens, goats, and rabbits. Just visiting the place is a refreshing escape, wandering around the garden looking at all the fruits and vegetables and making friends with the critters.
And, of course, the food is always great. The refreshment table was filled with great-tasting samples from the swap, and, much to my delight, a big' ol' pot full of mussels. Mmmmmm. I discovered putting the mussels into the beautiful heirloom tomato soup that was also a part of the offerings was a stroke of purely lucky brilliance.
Our numbers were not huge this time, but big enough to make the swap worthwhile (and it was incredibly easy to navigate). This time I brought several bags of organic loquats from my tree and a couple of jars of a mild red chile sauce (which I originally created as Buffalo sauce but have been using it in place of Tabasco on eggs, in gumbo, and what not). In addition to that, there was homemade peanut brittle, Swedish pound cake (this has become a swap favorite), fresh eggs, loquat jam (yep, it's loquat season here in central Texas), strawberry sauce, pickled beets, heirloom tomato soup, cake pops by Cake Pops by Karen, and strawberry turn-overs.
I came home with a nice selection that included heirloom tomato soup, strawberry sauce, pickled beets, 2 bags of peanut brittle, eggs, and cake pops... plus a bonus bag full of garden-fresh onions and carrots that our hosts graciously offered to everyone as non-swap items.
For more information about food swaps, including how to host or to find an existing swap group near you, visit the Food Swap Network.
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