Recap of the May Swap at The Scrumptious Pantry

Sunday May 12 was not just Mother’s Day; it was the latest meeting of the Chicago Food Swap! Our host for this Mother of all Food Swaps (ha!) was The Scrumptious Pantry, a company that produces heirloom pantry items, from pasta to pickles to catsup, using ingredients from sustainable family farms. Owner Lee Greene had observed the February swap at Katherine-Anne Confections and was so charmed by our swappers and their amazing products that she offered to host a future swap on the spot. The Scrumptious Pantry has a beautiful open office space in Logan Square that was perfect for a food swap. Lee even swapped some of her homemade relish and preserves!

Although some of our veteran swappers had family commitments and could not join us, we still had a great turn-out of first-time and repeat swappers. As always, the items up for swapping were varied, delicious and unusual. If you were looking to plan out your breakfasts for the week, you would’ve wanted to score some of Sara’s whole milk yogurt (I did!) and Genevieve’s pumpkin seed granola to sprinkle in it. Maybe a swirl of one of Ava’s gorgeous jams, like plum orchid tea, to sweeten the deal? If you prefer eggs for breakfast, there were frittatas available from two different swappers. I was lucky to enough to get one of Katherine’s frittatas with a delicious gluten-free crust and one of Genevieve’s potato, cheddar and chive frittatas. If breakfast pastries are your thing, you would’ve headed straight for Laura’s blackberry lavender scones, Rachel’s Swedish cinnamon buns or Maureen’s adorable pink doughnuts. I was lucky enough to get the Swedish cinnamon buns and they were delicious! I’m already planning how to make my own.

Some people look to the food swap as a way to stock their pantries with unusual items to help them cook and bake better. To that end, people found crystallized ginger from Shanna, fresh herbs, two different spice mixes and vanilla extract from me, walnut thyme honey, compound butter, flavored nut butters, poached apricots, hot pepper and and green tomato relishes. If you were at the swap looking to round out your dinners for the week, you would have found focaccia and fresh pasta from Karen and Evan, chicken mole sauce from Michelle (got some!) artisan breads, and gravlax and dill labneh cheese from Dora.

Of course, some people just want to satisfy their sweet tooth at the swap and those people were in luck as well. Peanut butter whoopies pies from Morgan, amazing brownies from new swapper Chelsea, caramels, French macarons, my oatmeal cookies and Serena’s divine chocolate raspberry sauce. And don’t forget the drinks! There were flavored syrups ranging from ginger to rhubarb and I even spied some infused bourbon.
In all, it was a terrific event with lots of enthusiasm and connections made. We even had a little bonus for our swappers: free copies of a book on dehydrating foods thanks to swapper Jill. (Her own cookbook on dehydrating will be out in July and I am excited to see it.) I expect we will be seeing some dehydrated goodies in swaps to come.

As mentioned in the previous post, the next swap will take place on June 23 at 2:30 pm at Gallery 1028, a raw gallery space at 1028 N. Hooker St. on Goose Island. We are incredibly lucky to have access to this space and to finally be able to open the swap up to everyone who wants to attend. Registration for the June swap is open now on Event Brite.

The only downside to Gallery 1028 is that it is a completely raw space, meaning no tables or counters to display swap items. We are asking swappers to bring tables, chairs, sawhorses — whatever they can and to share with one another. Luckily, there is plenty of street parking right out front of the gallery and I am confident that our swappers will figure it out. I hope that you will join us for what is sure to be the biggest and best Chicago Food Swap ever!

Announcing the June Food Swap

The Chicago Food Swap is excited to announce that the June swap will take place on June 23 at 2:30 pm. Our host for this event is Gallery 1028, a raw loft space on Goose Island. A huge thanks to Calihan Catering for letting us use this beautiful and roomy space.

Gallery 1028 has over 4000 square feet of space and a raw, vintage feel.

The good news is that Gallery 1028 is an enormous, open space and for the first time, we will not have to limit attendance due to space constraints! That's right: everyone who wants to attend can. While we still ask that swappers register in advance so that we know who to expect, we will not be capping registration at a specific number. So, spread the word. Bring your friends. We want to this to be the biggest and best Chicago Food Swap event yet!

Registration is now open and you can find the link here.  As always, it is free to register.

The bad news - if it can even be called bad news - is that Gallery 1028 is a completely raw space. That means no tables, no counters, no chairs -- no nothing! If you want a table to display your swap offerings, you will have to provide it yourself. We will not be providing any display space.

If you don't have a portable table or other item to display your wares, do not despair. We hope that enough swappers will bring tables and can share those tables with others. We can use our Facebook page to coordinate efforts to share tables.

The doors of Gallery 1028 will open at 2:30 pm to allow people to set up. As usual, the swap will begin at 3 pm. There is plenty of street parking available right in front of Gallery 1028.

Thank you for understanding and for your enthusiasm! We are so excited to have the opportunity to accommodate everyone who wants to swap with no limits or waiting lists.

Recap of the April Food Swap at Local Goods Chicago

Fancy fudge!

Breakfast this morning was a homemade whole wheat bagel with cream cheese for JR and two chocolate chip muffins for Zuzu. (Me? Why, I had a lemon buttermilk doughnut, thank you very much.) I packed Zuzu’s lunch box with three homemade Filipino egg rolls — also known as lumpia — and some spinach orzo salad with feta and pine nuts. This kind of weekday feasting can only mean one thing: it’s the day after the Chicago Food Swap.

This past Sunday was the April Chicago Food Swap held at Local Goods Chicago, a charming and eclectic boutique featuring clothes, jewelry, crafts and foods by Chicago-area artisans. Although the space was tight, our gracious host made room for us by re-arranging her store, and we appreciate all her hard work. I know many of our swappers were entranced by Local Goods Chicago’s wares, especially the Chicago-themed ones. If you are looking for a unique birthday, baby, wedding or house gift, you should definitely stop by Local Goods Chicago. Zuzu picked up a ring and headband for herself and I bought a beautiful hand-crocheted blanket for a friend’s new baby.

But, back to the food. As always, the swap offerings were diverse, creative and delicious. On the savory side, there were several varieties of bagels and crackers from first-time swapper Katherine; pepperoni rolls made by Todd; Filipino eggrolls from Pamela — who scored a huge hit in February with her empanadas — Bolognese sauce from veteran swapper Serena; spinach-orzo salad from Michelle; and some dips and spreads, including spinach pesto, my own pumpkin seed pesto, vegan garden pâté and hummus. It’s always interesting how swap items come in waves. At the February swap there were at least three different kinds of hummus on offer; this time, I was the only one who brought hummus.

Vanessa brought doughnuts from the new cookbook In Jennie's Kitchen by Jennie Perillo

 
Naturally, there were also many decadent sweets. We had two different kinds of fudge; delicate citrus-scented palmiers from Jules and chocolate chip muffins from her sister Melisa; Mexican chocolate pound cake from Nancy — which I really meant to get, darn it! — stunning chocolate espresso tarts from new swapper Sandy; two different varieties of doughnuts from Chef Druck and family; salted caramel sauce; Julie’s tiger butter bark, which looked as good as it tasted; and professional-looking carrot cake cupcakes — those I did get, yum!

Beautiful jars

As always, we had plenty of food in jars. Pauline brought her global cuisine-inspired hot sauces, like Peri-Peri and Indian green chutney; Erielle made grapefruit-ginger curd; and I saw jams, marmalade and pickled vegetables of all kinds. Something new this time: swappers Melisa and Jules, who aren’t canners themselves, brought back empty jars from previous swaps for people to take home and re-use. What a terrific and eco-friendly idea! Drink syrups are always popular swap items and we had a few goods ones. In addition to my sour cherry syrup, we had date cola and coffee syrup from Nancy and ginger brandy from Meg, which smells divine. I was lucky enough to score a bottle.

I am always intrigued by swap items that aren’t to eat right away but rather are designed to help you cook better in the coming weeks. Among the pantry items that I saw were flavored salts including lemon rosemary and Sriracha from swapper Katje. Pauline, who as we know loves all things spicy, was so inspired that she went home and made hot sauce-infused salt that same night.  That is the beauty of the Chicago Food Swap in a nutshell. Not only do you come home with loads of delectable goodies, you also come home with new ideas of things to try in your own kitchen.

The May 12 Chicago Food Swap at The Scrumptious Pantry is now completely full. If you still would like to join us at that event, please put your name on the wait list. We always end up opening some spots. Also, stay tuned for updates about future events, including, we hope, our biggest swap yet!

Press for the Chicago Food Swap

There is so much going on with the Chicago Food Swap these days!

Gorgeous local mushrooms at the Good Food Festival

First of all, we are gearing up for the April 7 swap at Local Goods Chicago. As anticipated, because of the small size of this swap, there was a long waiting list of people who would like to join us, but for whom we don't have space. Those folks on the waiting list had first crack at registering for the May 12 swap.

Speaking of the May 12 swap, for which we will be returning to happening Logan Square -- this time at the office of local heirloom food company The Scrumptious Pantry -- registration is now open. You can click here or on our Facebook page for a link to the Event Brite registration. This swap will be a bit bigger than the April swap so we hope to accommodate many of you!

Stay tuned for announcements on future swaps. We are exploring lots of possible locations. As always, if you know of a good space that we can use for free for a future swap, please let us know! Many of our location have been scouted by swappers themselves. Local boutiques and business with a do-it-yourself, food, or local focus are often willing to open their doors to us -- and we are very grateful to them!

Local artisanal food products were everywhere at the Good Food Festival.

We are finding new swappers all the time, in part thanks to some exciting articles in local food publications. If you haven't seen these write-ups about the Chicago Food Swap, be sure to check them out:

• Co-founder Emily Paster wrote this piece about the Chicago Food Swap for popular locavore site The Local Beet: http://www.thelocalbeet.com/2013/03/25/it-doesnt-get-more-local-than-the-chicago-food-swap/

• Chicago Foodies featured the Chicago Food Swap, including an interview with co-founder Emily Paster here: http://www.chicagofoodies.com/2013/03/chicago-food-swap.html

• On March 12, 2013, My Daily Find Chicago featured the Chicago Food Swap calling it "the ultimate way to eat local." Read the rest of the article here.  

Thanks to the writers and editors of these publications for spreading the word about the Chicago Food Swap.

Thanks also to the organizers of the Good Food Festival Chicago for inviting Emily and Vanessa to speak at the Good Food Commons about how the Chicago Food Swap creates community around food. It was a terrific event for those who are interested in the local food movement, with many fascinating speakers and exhibitors. Not surprisingly, we saw more than one swapper there.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone on April 7 and May 12!

Upcoming Events: Good Food Festival, April and May Swaps

There is a lot going on at the Chicago Food Swap!

First, we will be at the Good Food Festival on March 16.  This is a great event for anyone interested in learning more about local farmers, artisans and others interested in Good Food. There will be over 150 exhibitors, demos from amazing local chefs, speakers and workshops on topics such as urban gardening, foraging and DIY kitchen projects. Sound like anything you might be interested in? We thought so! Emily and Vanessa will be there talking about how the Chicago Food Swap builds community around food at three different workshops at noon, 2pm and 4 pm. The basic ticket for Saturday's festival is only $15 in advance. You can buy your tickets here. We hope to see many of you there!

Local Good Chicago: site of the April swap

Next, we have not one but TWO upcoming swaps to announce. The next food swap will take place on April 7 at Local Goods Chicago, a boutique in the Edgebrook neighborhood on the north side that features handmade products from local artisans. Registration for the April swap is open now at this link: http://aprilchifoodswap.eventbrite.com. As always, it is free to register and spots are already starting to fill up. So reserve your spot now!

Some of the locally made craft items available at Local Goods Chicago

This event will be small -- we are capping registration at 30 swappers due to space constraints. We know that many of you will want to join us and we regret that there may not be space for everyone. To that end, we have also scheduled a swap for May. The May swap will take place at the Logan Square office of The Scrumptious Pantry, a company that manufactures pantry staples such as sauces, pasta and oils using ingredients sourced from small farms and made from heirloom recipes. Some of you may remember owner Lee Greene, who stopped by the February swap. She was so excited by what she saw there that she offered to host a swap on the spot!

Registration for the May swap is not open yet. We will be allowing those swappers who wanted to join us for the April swap but were not able to priority registration for the May swap. If you were shut out of the April swap, please let Emily or Vanessa know and we will put you on the list for priority registration for May.The May swap will be larger and we hope to accommodate as many of you as possible.

As always, if you are not able to get a spot at the April swap, put your name on the waiting list! Spaces do open up as we get closer to the actual swap date. And please remember our cancellation policy. We ask that if you do need to cancel your registration for a swap to do so with at least one week's notice in order to accommodate those on the waiting list.

Thanks to all our swappers for your enthusiasm, creativity and generosity. Seeing how our community has grown over the past year and a half is beyond inspiring.

Questions? Feel free to reach out to Emily or Vanessa at any time. Don't forget to continue the conversation on our Facebook page.

We can't wait to see you all in the coming months!

Chicago Food Swap: It's About More Than Just Food

Cross-posted from swapper Toni's blog Food (Just Sayin')

Last night, my husband, son and I attended our very first Chicago Food Swap. With great intentions of at least attending one of them last year, swapping sadly never happened. But, oh, the excitement now. Honestly, we really had no idea what to expect. I knew several of the people attending, so that was comforting. I joined the Facebook page. I took advice from “veteran” swappers. I asked questions. Even after all of that, we still felt a little unsure about what we were bringing, how to package, etc. That’s three OCD only children, for ya.

Food swaps are becoming quite popular as they are found all across the country and maybe even internationally. According to food swap network, “A food swap is a recurring event where members of a community share homemade, homegrown, or foraged foods with each other. These events are a delicious way to diversify the homemade foods in your own pantry while getting to know members of your local food community.” Last year, the Chicago Food Swap began with 10 participants and has already grown into 40 swappers with a waiting list.

Since all three of us had RSVP space, we each needed to decide what we would bring to swap. Our son made 1/4 lb. bags of salted caramels (with & without toasted pecans) while my husband made hummus (original and spicy) along with naan (packaged in three’s.) I decided to bring half dozens of local fresh farm eggs, jars of lemon curd and a few packages of blueberry lemon poppyseed scones. I believe I failed in my scone packaging as I grouped them into fives. It seems that was probably too “big” because most baked goods, like large cupcakes, were grouped separately or in pairs (the smaller ones.)

Even more than the endless food possibilities we have with all of these items, we had a TON of fun with old friends and met many new friends; amazing people who share our passion for food. I highly suggesting attending a food swap in your area. If there is not one close to you, maybe you could consider starting one yourself! I’m already thinking that as we speak…how about it northwest/north central Indiana?

Top left: Meyer Lemon Marmalade – Bottom left and around: Focaccia, Salsa Verde, Chicken Empanada, Valentine’s Sugar Cookies & Challah, Raspberry Ganache French Macaroons

With our whole one-time attendance of a food swap, here are a few things that we quickly learned…maybe they will help you, as well!

• Be organized – The venue for the swap may have limited space. Have your items organized and ready to display rather quickly.
• Samples are encouraged – Part of the fun is going around and tasting different samples. There may be an item offered that you didn’t think you would like, but ended up loving after tasting the sample.
• Bring pens – You don’t want to be stuck without pens. Bring one to lay by each of your swap cards and also, one to carry around with you. Don’t miss out on a wanted item simply because there was no pen available to sign-in your offer.
• Fill out your swap cards ahead of the event - You need one of these for each type of item you have. Why waste precious browsing time filling out paperwork when you can do it at home and bring it along? You’ll be happy you did.
• Think about venue space – Depending on the location, you may have very limited venue & display space. Keep that in mind when deciding what to bring. Larger items work fine if you are outside at a park, but small, stack-able products fare well in a few square feet of table space. \
• Prepare to feel overwhelmed – It seems, all at once, people are setting up, tasting samples, filling out papers…and you feel like you are standing in the way at every moment. It’s okay. Everyone feels that way. Don’t panic. You’ll realize it’s part of the fun and it all works out in the end.
• Support the venue – This is not required of the food swap, but is just generally nice. Most likely, the place hosting your food swap is doing it for free. Drop them a few tweets, give them a shout out on Facebook or simply purchase something (if the location is store.) It’s a way of showing appreciation for their service. Without the generosity of the venues, food swaps can’t really happen (especially in the winter when you can’t swap in a park.)
• Take home boxes – Be sure to have a basket, boxes or bags in which to take home your haul. We used our boxes that we carried in with, but some items are larger or smaller. Just make sure you have enough.
• Like what you are swapping – Be comfortable and confident with the food you are bringing. There will be things you like and things you don’t like…that pertains to how others feel about your products as well. Everyone has different tastes. We’ve already tasted a few items that we don’t like. It will happen. Expect it. Send it to work with your husband and let him put it on the break table. Maybe someone else will enjoy it.
• Encourage others – Even though it probably happens,  no one should leave a swap feeling bad. If you have a few extra items to barter with, maybe trade for something less desired. Just realize that it’s only food and maybe what you made will be one of their favorites! Everyone wins in the end and it helps to build relationships and the food swapping community.
• You don’t need a ton of food – One person brought three jars. Another brought twelve. I brought…well…probably too much, but I had no idea what to expect. Think about how many people that are RSVP’d, and how much you want to bring home. If the swap has 15 people and you bring 20 items, you’re probably able to go home with one of everything. If you’re okay with bringing home five different jars of preserves, then bring only five items. There’s no too little or too much. It’s whatever YOU want and how much you want barter.
• Small and several – To bring home the biggest variety of items, bring several types of food items packaged in “smaller” packages. Here’s why: If you bring a box of items, all the same…and someone else brings the same amount of items, but a variety of three types of foods, you (most likely) won’t be able to get one of each of their products. They probably won’t want three of the same of what you have. Makes sense? In regards to “smaller” packages, most things are packaged pretty small. A jar for a jar. Four cookies to a bag. One or two large cupcakes together. You can bring a whole cake if you want, but what would you want to trade it for? Probably not for a package of cookies or a jar of jelly. It seems harder to get rid of a “larger” item.
• Be among the first to trade – As the co-founders say, find the items you can’t see yourself leaving without. When swapping begins, take one of each of your items directly to those items you want BAD and trade them first. THEN, you can stand by your table and make trades or casually make your way around the room, looking for willing swappers.
•  

Just to name a few items we brought home: Crusty Honeycomb Challah, Focaccia, Limoncello, Salsa Verde, Pickled Beets, Pickled Collards, Rangpur Lime Curd, Numerous preserves, syrups & marmalades, Chicken Empanadas, Zucchini relish, Beef Veggie Soup, Cupcakes, Biscotti, Cherry Hand Pie, Cookies, Raspberry Ganache French Macaroons…

I’d like to end with a HUGE thank you to co-founders Emily and Vanessa. Thank you both for caring enough about our food culture to start this food swap. Also, a quick thank you to Katherine-Anne Confections for being the host site. You’re generosity is appreciated by all who attended…and just look at these truffles, caramels and marshmallows with which we came home! The next swap will be April 7th but does not have a location. If you would like to volunteer a venue, please contact the Chicago Food Swap and let them know!

Recap of the February Swap

Cross-posted from co-founder Emily's blog, West of the Loop.

Emily's swap offerings had a citrus theme.

For most Americans, February 3 was Super Bowl Sunday. For me, it was Super Swap Sunday. The Chicago Food Swap held its first event of 2013 on Super Bowl Sunday not as deliberate counter-programming, but merely for lack of a better date. The conflict with the Big Game did mean that some of our veteran swappers were not able to attend and we missed their delicious items — I mean, we missed them. However, we did not have a hard time filling our 40 available spots with a healthy mix of repeat swappers and newcomers. The percentage of first-time swappers was higher than usual due to a very exciting mention on The Tasting Table’s Chicago events page. This little bit of publicity to the food-obsessed readers of that publication not only brought us enthusiastic new swappers, but several promising offers to host future swaps from local businesses. Touchdown us!

The host for the February Super Swap, as I am going to insist on calling it, was Katherine Anne Confections, a Chicago candy company that makes mouth-watering truffles, caramels and marshmallows using only the finest ingredients, including local and organic wherever possible. Katherine Anne Confections are sold at specialty markets all over Chicago and it also has an adorable storefront in Logan Square, where locals pop in for mugs of unctuous hot chocolate and pastries. Katherine Anne Confections is a perfect business for the Chicago Food Swap to partner with because owner Katherine Duncan started, like the swappers themselves, making her candies as a hobby. She honed her craft over time and began to sell her decadent treats. Now she runs one of the most successful artisan candy companies in the city. What an inspiration for those of us toiling away in obscurity in our kitchens!

As always, I was amazed at the diversity and creativity of the offerings. If you were there to indulge your sweet tooth, you had only to chose between cherry hand pies, chocolate stout cake (made with beer!), sea salt caramels, scones, Valentine sugar cookies, raspberry hazelnut macaroons, caramel corn, chocolate-caramel brownies and cupcakes made by Katherine Duncan herself. But if you were there looking to feed your family healthier fare, you were also in luck. Among the savory offering were chicken and beef empanadas, veggie beef soup, beautiful breads like foccacia, challah and naan, fresh farm eggs, multiple varieties of hummus, granola, cheese crackers and homemade yogurt. As always, the canners in the group showed off their talents with stunning jams, jellies, curds, salsas, relishes, pickles and marmalades. One of the most unusual items was a homemade wine vinegar, fermented by veteran swapper Lissa.

I was intrigued by the homemade wine vinegar.

I had a theme for my swap offerings: citrus. I brought blood orange marmalade, blood orange syrup, citrus sugar, candied pomelo rind and Rangpur lime curd. I traded it all away for six dozen farm eggs, a 1/4 bag of caramels, a box of cheddar crackers, a jar of whole milk yogurt, some white bean hummus — no sesame! — cranberry pepper jelly, a chocolate stout mini-Bundt cake, a cherry hand pie, four chicken empanadas, and foccacia — enough to keep my family snacking all week.

The best part of the swap, as always, was not the amazing food — although that was pretty thrilling. Instead it was seeing the connections that people made over their food. Veterans swappers hailed one another like old friends. First-time swappers made new friends. Everyone traded recipes, cooking tips and inspiration along with their goodies. As one of our swappers aptly put it” it’s about more than just food. (Read swapper Toni’s recap here.)

Upon leaving, everyone asked when the next swap was going to be. The answer is that we are planning one for April 7. There might be a chance that we could do one sooner. If you are interested in participating, the best way to keep abreast of our events is to become a fan on Facebook. If you want to join a food swap in your area — or perhaps start one — your best bet is the Food Swap Network.