Please visit the Food Swap Network website, launched November 2011. This listing of swaps around the country (and world!) will eventually be represented only on Food Swap Network’s site, as existing and new hosts continue to upload, update and add their swaps!
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Hosting a food swap is a fun and easy way to trade goods you make with others. Photos courtesy of Jo Ann SantangeloHow to host a food swap:
1. Make (or gather) stuff that’s edible and swappable, i.e. a loaf of bread, a jar of preserves, a half-dozen eggs from your backyard chickens, portions of soup, packages of homemade candy, etc.
2. Find a friend or two that can share the planning and hosting duties. It’s about the same amount of work as hosting a potluck every month or two (and in other location cases you won’t even need to clean your house).
My friend Meg and I formed a team; we called ourselves BK Swappers. Create a Facebook page, and if you’re a Tweet’er, use a unique Twitter hashtag (#yourfoodswap’suniquename) so attendees can connect before and after your events.
Set up your rules as you wish. We decided to keep things simple and only stick with food items that YOU made (not the farmers market jam mistresses, not the local artisan baker, etc.)
3. Invite your pals over (ones you know and maybe haven’t had the pleasure of meeting in real life, yet.) and have a big, long table ready for their swap goods.
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4. Arrange for attendees to bring a homemade potluck item so there will be non-swap snacks, and you’re not put out to feed and entertain 20 people. Food people like to bring food to events, trust me. Everyone wants to show off something they took the time to prepare. Adding a potluck feature also opens the event to people who maybe don’t have a swap item, but would like to join in the food fun with a group of like-minded friends.
5. Nametags are a handy, if not essential, way for people to find the people who wrote on their swap sheets. To help swaps happen, we created this document, which you’re welcome to download and use at your swap.
Our categories include: What (is the item to be swapped), Who (is the swapper), and Offers listed by Name/Item (Who to talk to and what will be offered in exchange). We leave room for 10 offers, hot items can continue receiving offers on the back of the card.
Here are a couple other swap documents to choose from courtesy of East Bay CA Food Swaps and MPLSswappers (link coming soon!).
Let your swappers know that writing your name on something does not mean you will get it. Actual swapping takes place via discussing exchanges. The names on your item’s card are good places to start when you begin chatting and swapping since the people listed already want your item. (My swap strategy involves scouting out what I’m most interested in taking home, regardless of whether the items’ owners wrote their names on my sheet!);)
Display tags for items help guests make the swap.6. Designate a time when the swap will take place within the context of the party. Our parties last for about 2 hours, and the swap usually happens at the start of the 2nd hour. This gives guests time to assess the table and make their top picks before being thrown into the pit of chatty swappers vying for delicious goods.
Still have questions? Check out Meg’s post here and Emily’s post here for more helpful, swap-hosting information. This article on CHOW helps to answer some of the commonly asked swap etiquette questions.
Food Swaps popping up around the US
California
East Bay CA Food Swaps: East Bay CA
- Swap blog
- MEDIA: Great article in Bay Area Bites about their first swap, April 11, 2011
LAX Swappers: Los Angeles CA
Pasadena Food Swap: Pasadena CA
- Swap blog
San Diego Food Swap: San Diego CA
- Swap website
San Fernando Valley Food Swap: San Fernando Valley area CA
SF Swappers: San Francisco CA
- Swap blog
Santa Monica Food Swap: Santa Monica CA
Vallejo Food Swap: Vallejo CA
Ventura County Swappers: Ventura county CA
- Swap blog
Colorado
Pike’s Peak Community Cupboard: Colorado Springs CO
- Swap website
Mile High Swappers: Denver/Boulder/Ft. Collins CO
- Swap website
Manitou Springs’ Community Swap: Manitou Springs CO
Connecticut
Coventry Regional Farmer’s Market Swaps: Coventry CT
Florida
SFL Food Swap: Fort Lauderdale FL
Tampa Food Swap: Tampa FL
Hawaii
Honolulu Food Swap —Links and contact info coming soon!
Illinois
Windy City Food Swappers: Chicago IL (more info to come!)
Trenton Food Swap Market: Trenton IL (east of St. Louis, MO)
Indiana
Indy Food Swappers: Indianapolis IN
Kentucky
Derby City Food Swap: Louisville KY
- Swap blog
Louisiana
Nola Food Swap: New Orleans LA
Massachusetts
BOS Swappers: Boston MA
- Swap website
- MEDIA: Video feature from the Boston Globe
Northampton Food Swap: Northampton MA
- Swap blog
Michigan
G-Rap Swappers: Grand Rapids MI
Real Good Food: Ann Arbor MI (a food-sharing collective that hosts swap events)
- Swap/org website
Lakes Area Swappers: Lakes Area MI
Royal Oak Food Swap: Royal Oak MI
Minnesota
MPLS swappers: Minneapolis MN
- Swap blog
- MEDIA: Article on The Heavy Table about the inaugural swap, March 22, 2011
Missouri
St. Louis Food Swap: St. Louis MO
New York
BK Swappers: Brooklyn NY
- MEDIA: NYMag, July 12, 2010 issue, featured in New Collectivism story.
- MEDIA: Brokelyn featured the August 1, 2010 swap here.
- MEDIA: New York Times article, March 13, 2011
- MEDIA: Meg Paska describes the advent of BKSwappers here on the Huffington Post.
Queens Swap: Queens NY
- MEDIA: Intro blog post by the Foodista
- Swap website
FSC (From Scratch Club) Swappers: Capital region including Albany, Saratoga Springs, Troy NY
- Swap website
- MEDIA: Metroland Article, August 17, 2011
CNY Harvest Swap: Utica NY
Westmoreland Food Swap: Westmoreland (between Utica & Rome) NY
North Carolina
Charlotte Food Swap (info to come!): Charlotte NC
Ohio
Cbus Food Swap: Columbus OH
Oregon
PDX Swappers: Portland OR
Pennsylvania
Philly Swappers: Philadelphia PA
Texas
ATXswappers: Austin TX
- MEDIA: Featured in The Austin American Statesman, January 26, 2011
- MEDIA: Multi-media piece produced by Jo Ann Santangelo featuring January 2011 swap
- MEDIA: Featured in The Austin Chronicle, February 18, 2011
BAHSwappers: Houston and Bay Area TX
Dallas Taste the Honey Food Swappers: Dallas TX
- MEDIA: Featured in the Dallas Morning News online (partial article) and in print, Sunday, August 28, 2011
North Ft Worth Food Swap: Fort Worth TX
- Swap blog
Fritztown Swappers: Fredericksburg TX
Washington
Bellingham Food Swap: Bellingham WA
Oly Food Swap: Olympia WA
- swap blog
Seattle Edible Exchange: Seattle WA
- swap blog
Wisconsin
Madison Food Swap—Links to come, visit their Facebook save-the-date event page for the June 12, 2011 swap.
UK
London
London Swappers: UK (yes, that’s right, Eng-a-land…said like Roger Miller)
- Swap website
Canada
Ontario
Swappers in the ‘Burg: Amherstburg Ontario
GO Food Swap: Guelph Ontario
Windsor Swappers: Windsor Ontario
Are you planning to start one in your city? Feel free to email me with questions, your info to be added to this listing or just to let me know how it goes!
Also, email me if you’re a swap host and would like to join our Facebook support group (it’s a closed group so you’ll need one of us to invite you).