It Was a Very Intimate Queens Swap...

What can I say...last weekend's Queens Swap was as fun as usual, and each time is more interesting than the next, as we always switch up the venue.  This time, hosted at AJ's stylish apartment, we enjoyed an intimate gathering of quality swappers who brought some pretty neat things.  I'm confident in saying that everyone went home happy and satisfied, and we all had a blast during the event.  The hilarious doggie named Ira you see above just added to the fun, making everyone laugh, helping to break the ice between new swappers.  Here's what we traded:

Maple bacon fat popcorn - AJ
Homemade vanilla extract - Marie
Cucumber & ginger infused rum - Lisa
Cara cara orange & ginger infused rum - Lisa
Seasoned salt with dried sage, thyme, rosemary, oregano, crushed red pepper flake with Trapanese sea salt - Lisa
Assorted canned goods (including ajvar, blueberry jam, dilly beans and more) - Meg
Homemade pickled red cabbage mix - Lawrence
Homemade beer - Lawrence
Puppy chow snack mix - Lydia
Garlic powder - Rae
Homemade beef jerky - Fooditka

One big advantage of hosting it at home was that we could sample the different things people brought, which definitely influenced the swapping.  I was happy to trade all my beef jerky for some really fabulous things.  I ended up with the following:

1 jar of ajvar
Vanilla extract
Seasoned salt
Garlic powder
Homemade beer - flavored with rosemary, it was crisp and refreshing, and something you don't normally get in a beerPickled red cabbage mix - spicy and flavorful, I plan to eat it alongside a nice piece of roasted chicken or pork
Puppy chow - not what you may think, this is actually a popular snack in the Midwest, made of Crispix, peanut butter, semi-sweet chocolate and confectioner's sugar. It's insanely delicious and addicting.

I want to thank my fellow swap organizers Meg and AJ for another fabulous event. Can't wait for the next one in June!

Dan's Homemade Beef Jerky - About to be Swapped

It's about that time to swap goodies again at Queens Swap, which takes place this Sunday at 2 p.m., and I'm changing things up.  Instead of doing one of my usual bacon specialties, I'm turning to another kind of meat - jerky!  Dan came up with the idea actually and I thought it'd be fun to incorporate, as I haven't yet seen anyone swap it up to this point.  As he was pretty enthusiastic about it, he took on the task of dehydrating pounds and pounds of beef over the course of about 22 hours.  He did a nice job and the result is pretty darn tasty.  I hope you get to try some at the swap, but if not, we'll share the recipe with you.  Enjoy this meaty snack.

Dan's Homemade Beef Jerky

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds of beef round steak
1/4 cup of soy sauce
1 tbs of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp onion salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:

Trim and discard all fat from meat. Cut meat into 5 inch x 1/2 inch strips.

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the remaining ingredients and add meat. Seal bag and toss to coat. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

Place wire racks on foil-lined baking sheets. Drain and discard marinade. Place meat strips 1/4 inches apart on racks. Bake, uncovered, at 200 degrees for 6-7 hours or until meat is dry and leathery. Remove from the oven; cool completely. Refrigerate or freeze.

Dan used 4 times as much meat as the recipe called for, so he multiplied the ingredients accordingly.

Spring Queens Swap is Here - at a New Venue

I'm very excited to announce that the spring edition of Queens Swap, our bi-monthly food swapping event is back!  Held in a private home this time, which should give you guys new opportunities to sample the goods, we'll be kicking off the spring season with the latest and greatest cooked, baked, pickled, fermented, foraged, grown or what have you items.

For those of you who came to our last event in February, you no doubt have a good feel for what kind of items to bring in and swap, but in case you need a reminder, take a look at our Swapping Tips page.  We have about 20 spots for this event, so please RSVP soon to secure your space (all guests must be accounted for since we're hosting at a private home).  Meg, AJ and I are delighted to see our regular swappers and to meet some new faces - hope you can join us.  

Spring Queens Swap
Sunday, April 22nd from 2 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Location - will be released per RSVP
This event is FREE but donations are appreciated

RSVP here - can't wait to discover the fun, new things you come up with.  Just a heads-up that AJ will be doing a post on useful tools and resources you should know about for the next swap, but as a preview, please take a look at his post on these neat label templates you can use for your items.  I plan to!

Queens Swap at Sweet Afton Was Awesome

Another Queens Swap under our belts, and we couldn't be prouder.  Our fourth swap, which was held last week at Sweet Afton Bar was best yet in terms of attendance, and the items swapped were high in quality.  What I loved most about the swap though was meeting new people who came from all over the place, not only Astoria/LIC and Sunnyside but also Long Island and New Jersey.  So yeah...we had a pretty diverse crowd that kept us honest and always striving for more.  Here's a spotlight of the awesome things we exchanged last week:

AJ's dehydrated lemons and preserved lemons
Meg's water kefir soda pop and almond shortbread 
Kimberly's homemade granola bars (almond joy and "the Linsanity special")
Lauren's homemade rosewater marshmallows, chocolate truffles
Amy's kale chips, spicy pickles, and chocolate chip cookies
Tom's homemade hot cereal and homemade sauerkraut
Bella's mojito cupcakes
Carmen's fresh eggrolls and red velvet cookies
Caitlin's kimchi, blueberry jam, apricot jam
Lisa's sweet and hot red pepper jam and pistachio pesto
Liz's coconut bread
My bacon sea salt

Everything looked amazing, and the swap went on for quite some time, as people really took time and care in scoping out the goods, placing bids and then negotiating.  Even though I brought just 6 items, I was careful in my selections and was really happy with everything I got, including:

AJ's dehydrated lemons, which I already used while entertaining last week. I served them as a decorative touch, with Spanish cheeses, crackers, Caitlin's blueberry jam and dried cranberries. It looked gorgeous on the serving tray, and I got compliments on it. Thanks AJ!

Amy's spicy dill pickles were also partially eaten and the juice helped make a sour pickle martini (more on that soon).

Tom's hot cereal, which I had for breakfast the other day, was delicious, mixed with dried cranberries, which plumped up beautifully in the hot, savory porridge.

Lisa's pistachio pesto that has been used on nearly everything in our household from pizza bagels, crackers, hummus sandwiches and I can't wait to see what else...

Lauren's chocolate truffles, which we've already gobbled up were made of bitter chocolate, so they were naturally fabulously rich and delectable.

Carmen's homemade eggrolls were the real thing - crunchy on the outside but deliciously savory on the inside, stuffed with shrimp and veggies.

I'd like to thank my fabulous fellow co-organizers, Meg and AJ for another great event and for Sweet Afton for graciously hosting us.  Until next time in April...and I hope I've inspired you to sign up.  Check out our site for more info about Queens Swap and how to get involved. 

Homemade Bacon Sea Salt for Queens Swap

As you may have heard through my various rants, Meg, AJ and I held the 4th Queens Swap this past weekend at Sweet Afton Bar, and it was a smashing success.  Not only did we enjoy the most participation to date, our swappers came from all over Queens and even (dare I say...) Long Island.  It was refreshing to see everyone's enthusiasm for the food, and it was pleasure mixing and mingling the regulars with our newbies.  I'll write a more complete post about the entire event later in the week, but in the meantime wanted to give you a preview of my personal contribution, which was bacon sea salt.

Riding the wave of excitement from past swaps, I was ready to step it up this time with a pantry enhancing specialty item, rather than something for immediate consumption, such as my chocolate chip bacon cookies or the coconut yerba mate truffles.  To go along with the bacon theme, I chose a simple bacon sea salt, also gaining inspiration from my favorite salt makers - friends at Gardenfreude who produce expertly made herb sea salts.  
Overall, the item was a big hit, and I heard it come up many a times during the "negotiation" phase of the swap.  I was really flattered, but the ingredients spoke for themselves.  I got the recipe via a fabulous blog called The Wannabe Chef, which in turn received inspiration from the Food Network.  In any case, here's the recipe - and feel free to alter it any way you want.  You're welcome to make the bacon chunks a little bigger for extra texture - it's all about your preference.  Enjoy this important food group.

Homemade Bacon Sea Salt Recipe

Queens Swap is Coming to Sweet Afton

It's been a while since our last Queens Swap (November in fact), but we're back at it again for the first time this year.  As always, Meg, AJ and I are trying to shake things up, with a new venue, as the swap is coming to Sweet Afton Bar, located just a short walk from the 30th Avenue subway stop.

The event offers some great foodie perks including:

1. A fantastic platform for hard core foodies to meet and exchange unique, homemade eats
2. A taste of Sweet Afton's amazing grub, especially their burger, fried pickles and fantastic specialty cocktails

If you need a refresher on how to prepare yourself for the swap, check out our official Queens Swap blog.  The event is free, as usual, so please RSVP and spread the good word to your curious foodie friends.  We always have a fun time and come back with a diverse loot of goodies.  Just take a look at all the stuff I scored last time, including a spicy chili, homemade beer, apple sauce, fresh sourdough bread, tomatillo sauce and focaccia bread.

Queens Swap at Sweet Afton
Sunday, February 19th from 4 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
30-09 34th Avenue, Astoria
N/Q Train to 30th Avenue

RSVP for the event here - it's free!

3 Times A Charm - 3rd Queens Swap at Sweetleaf

As I mentioned a few weeks back, Meg, AJ and I have been diligently preparing for our 3rd Queens Swap, which took place this past Sunday afternoon at Sweetleaf LIC.  I'm proud to say the event was a hit, and we always manage to learn something new each time.  Also loving the mix of attendees, from loyalists to newbies, each event features something unique and keeps things interesting.

The Venue
Our friends at Sweetleaf LIC were generous to lend us their laptop room for the swap, which included a sectioned off space with a large, communal table with chairs and additional stools.  It was a cozy, intimate space that was conducive to networking and also displaying all our wares.  I liked the intimacy of it all because it enabled you to see everything easily and made you talk to virtually everyone - and let's face it, that's one of the core benefits of the swap.

The Swappers
While we had some newbies, which we always appreciate (new talent and hunger is what drives these events) but we also had loyalists that have become a part of our foodie family.  We appreciate your loyalty Laura, Jean, Lisa and Lydia.

Our newbies included Mira, Kim, Amy, Tim and Julie. 

Here's what everyone contributed - needless to say, there wasn't a shortage of intriguing items to swap:

Laura - Cranberry bread (jumbo sized) with fresh cranberries; garlic infused extra virgin olive oil
Mira - Beet relish
AJ - Rosemary, bacon focaccia; pear chutney; corn salsa
Kim - Home-brewed beer and curried cashews
Meg - Variety of canned goods including tomatillo sauce, canned tomatoes, avjar, blueberry jam, dilly beans, and more
Jean - Fresh apple sauce with cinnamon
Lisa - Apple cinnamon rum, sweet & hot pepper and red onion jam
Amy - Homemade sourdough bread and homemade chocolate flavored soy milk
Vivian - Peanut butter and chocolate buckeyes
Tim - Spicy beef chili
Julie - Almond tofu fruit cocktail
me - Coconut mate chocolate truffles

The Swap
The actual swapping process is two-fold, first you scope out your goods and place bids on the items you want acquire, and second you negotiate with the owner of the item to make the actual swap.  This process altogether took about 45 minutes, as there was a lot of back and forth going around.  I was happy to see that a lot of people bid on my truffles, and because my boxes were closed, I even included an iPad display that showcased them in full glory (more on that in a future post).

I like that Meg laid out the ground rules in the very beginning of the swap, making it clear that the mission behind a successful swap was to walk out with items that you really wanted.  And that it was OK to say no sometimes, which I ended up doing (albeit still feeling a tiny bit bad).

My Goodies
To say that I was thrilled with my goods would be an understatement, as I really did get everything I wanted and walked out as happy as can be.  Here's what I acquired:

Tim's chili
Kim's beer
Jean's apple sauce
Amy's bread (no pun intended)
Meg's tomatillo sauce 
AJ's focaccia bread

So far it's been a fantastic way to stock up my pantry, however I have to admit that some of the items have already gone (focaccia, beer, chili).  In terms of the other attendees, I can safely say that everyone seemed content, and overall I think we had another success on our hands.

I'd sincerely love to thank Sweetleaf for being gracious hosts - you guys rock and we thank you!

For more information about our next food swap, visit www.queensswap.com

Sweetleaf - 10-93 Jackson Avenue, LIC NY 11101
917.832.6726
7 Train to Vernon Blvd/Jackson Avenue
www.sweetleaflic.com

Our Third Queens Swap is Coming!

Image by Meg Cotner

For those of you who follow my foodie adventures know that I'm involved in a lot of different aspects of the food scene - eating, cooking and trading too.  Together with my wonderful colleagues Meg and AJ, we organize Queens Swap, a bi-monthly food swap targeted to the Queens community.

The last swap, held in September at Fresh Start Market was another smash hit, and we're back at it again this month with a third iteration, this time in LIC.  Graciously hosted by our friends at Sweetleaf LIC, the insanely delicious coffee house that serves the legendary Stumptown Coffee, our 3rd Queens Swap promises another afternoon of culinary adventures.

Part of what I really love about the event is getting exposure to passionate and genuine food lovers, who take pride in making, growing and foraging their food.  They experiment with new techniques and I find that I learn new things about food I couldn't get from any type of cookbook.  It's just a great big food think tank. 

So with that, I sincerely invite you to join us for the next one.  Here are the deets:

3rd Queens Swap Event
Sunday, November 13th from 4:00 - 6:30 p.m.

Sweetleaf LIC - 10-93 Jackson Avenue, LIC
917.832.6726
www.sweetleaflic.com

RSVP here - the event is free!

The 2nd Queens Swap is Here!

I'm so pleased to announce that our 2nd official Queens Swap, food swapping event is totally on.  Riding on the coat tails of the first successful event back in May, this second iteration of an urban food barter concept will raise the bar yet again. 

For starters, we have a new fabulous organizer, AJ from Handjobs for the Home blog, joining us.  We loved AJ's contributions so much from the last swap, and he's been such a part of our blogger family (both at the Fooditka and We Heart Astoria) that it felt only natural to extend the olive branch.  More than happy to accept, AJ has already made his mark on this program by suggesting a fantastic new venue and cooking up additional great ideas to make this swap even better than the last.

Here are all the pertinent deets of the swap, as well as the most important part - where to RSVP. 

2nd Queens Swap - Saturday, September 17th from 4:00 - 6:30 p.m.
Fresh Start Market - 29-13 23rd Avenue, Astoria

In the spirit of enjoying the great outdoors, the swap will take place in Fresh Start's lovely outdoor patio space and will be limited to 20 ambitious swappers.  So whether you've attended the last swap or are a newbie, I encourage you to take a look at our swapping tips page, which will help guide you.

If you'd like to swap with us this month, please RSVP here - there are only 9 spots left so don't wait, just go for it!

First Queens Swap - SCORE!

I am so very excited to report the good news about our first inaugural Queens Swap event - it was a success, as I think our participants would confirm. 

Taking place this past Sunday at the fabulous Queens Kickshaw, Queens Swap brought together passionate foodies with a penchant to share their culinary goods with like minded foodies. 

It was refreshing to see the diverse crowd that made their way into the back area of the Kickshaw, where we had a long, communal table set up for the swap.

How the swap worked:
We welcomed our lovely attendees with a warm hello and a few necessary materials to help them with the swap, including bid slips and a detailed schedule of events.  The bid slips were used to describe the item that was being swapped, as well as for swapees to write down what they'd be interested in trading for it.  Your item could get as many bids as possible - there was no limit.

The first half hour was for mixing and mingling, followed by the second half hour, during which everyone scoped out the goods and figured out what they were interested in.

During the last hour of the event, which was most exciting, participants engaged in actual negotiating for items and swaps were made.  Some items went faster than others (i.e. black onion relish, hot red onion and pepper jam, dulce de leche sauce, etc).  But in the end everyone received something, and some swappers who had extra items left over, shared the wealth amongst all of us.  Thanks guys!

Swapped Items:
Here's a full sampling of the fabulous items that were swapped - one was more impressive than the next.

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam - AJ
Black Onion Relish - AJ
Peanut Brittle - Amy
Marmalade - Autumn
Preserved Lemons - Autumn
Chocolate Chip Bacon Cookies - Foodista 
Granola - Jean
Homemade Cereal - Jocelyn
Carrot Honey Wine - John
Marshmallows - Kaitlin
Chocolate Chip Cookies - Laura
Kombucha Starter - Lawrence
Pickled Organic Cabbage - Lawrence
Hot Pepper and Red Onion Jam - Lisa
Vin D'Orange - Meg
Vanilla Extract - Meg
Maple Vinegar - Meg
Honey Lemon Apple Jam - Michele
Hot Fudge Sauce - Michele
Dulce de Leche - Michele
Olive Oil Granola - Rachel
Curried Pumpkin Seeds - The Queens Kickshaw
Amaretto Cream - Victoria

What I Scored:
Overall, I think I made out pretty well, and as I saw, it was beneficial to have goods in smaller quantities, as it allowed for an easier swap. 

My arsenal of goodies included:

AJ's Black Onion Relish - I already had it on a sandwich today and it was dee-licious.

Rachel's Olive Oil Granola - This too was hard to resist and I'm almost done with my batch, which is addictively delicious and includes ingredients such as coconut, pistachios, maple syrup, cardamom and more. It looks, smells and tastes divine!

Jocelyn's Cereal - Haven't had my bowlful yet, but will soon.

Lisa's Hot Pepper & Red Onion Jam - This dish has its roots in Italy and I can't wait to dig in.

Kaitlin's Marshmallows - They look wonderfully decadent and are so soft.  Hot chocolate action here I come.

Amy's Peanut Brittle - Crunchy, wonderful and oh so decadent.  It was totally addicting in the best way possible.

The Kickshaw's Curried Pumpkin Seeds - Given that I'm done with nearly my whole container is proof at just how stupendous these smokey treats are!

Meg, Charlene and I would love to thank everyone who attended and made this first swap so special.  We can't wait to see these friends as well as meet new ones at the next Queens Swap in July.  Stay tuned for details.

A BIG shout-out to the Queens Kickshaw for hosting this inaugural event.  We couldn't have done it without your generosity and wonderful-ness :-)

The Inaugural Queens Swap is This Sunday!

You may remember me mentioning Queens Swap - a cool, new food swap event that I'm organizing with two fabulous foodies, Meg and Charlene at The Queens Kickshaw. 

A really hot topic and activity in the food world right now, food swapping has already debuted in other boroughs such as Brooklyn and Manhattan.  But here's our effort to bring it to Queens.  And your opportunity to join.

Although Queens Swap has been sold out for a couple of weeks now (the event is free), we've opened up a few more tickets, so you still have the opportunity to sign up.  Here are all the deets you need to know and more about how to participate.

Inaugural Queens Swap Event:
Sunday, May 22nd, 2011 from 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.

The Queens Kickshaw - 40-17 Broadway, Astoria NY 11103. 718.777.0913

RSVP here - 3 seats left!

Queens Swap is a bi-monthly event that brings together passionate food enthusiasts, bakers, cooks, foragers to barter (or swap) quality, homemade foods.

Swapping at Queens Swap is free, but we're limiting it to 20 (now 25!) swappers for the first swap. If you can't get in, don't worry. We'll be having another swap in July. Queens Kickshaw normally closes at 4:30 p.m., but they're staying open later to host our event, so we encourage you to patronize them by purchasing coffee, sandwiches and other tasty items you spy on the menu. We happen to love the GOUDA sandwich!

Swap rules:
You can swap anything you want, but it must be made, grown, or foraged by you, personally. Product must packaged in some way - in cans, jars, paper bags or baggies, etc. This is because we need to comply with NYC health codes that prohibit "foods to be consumed on premises" brought in from outside the establishment. This means samples are also off-limits.

For more information on what to swap, head on over at www.queensswap.com

RSVP here.

QueensSwap Coming to Your Favorite Borough

Image by Meg Cotner

Ever heard of the expression "what's old is new again?" Words to live by, I think, as I often find myself falling in love with something old, refurbished, recycled, vintage - whatever you want to call it.  We know that the old but good comes back to us in all aspects of life including in ways of thinking, fashion, speech, music & art, and undoubtedly with food.  And that's why I'm here to tell you about an old idea of food barter, which developed into a new concept that I think you'll enjoy.  It's called QueensSwap.

What's QueensSwap?
QueensSwap is a bi-monthly event that brings together passionate food enthusiasts, bakers, cooks, foragers (I think you get the hint) to barter (or swap) quality, homemade foods.  The primary mission of the group is to not only share in the communal bounty of our culinarily rich region, but to also introduce each other to new tastes, smells, cuisines - and to meet one another.

Who's Behind QueensSwap?
Inspired by the passion of my good friend and We Heart Astoria colleague, Meg, QueensSwap is a harmonious collaboration between three ambitious and food obsessed women:

MEG, writer of Harmonious Belly blog, We Heart Astoria blog, and a staunch believer in the slow foods movement

CHARLENE, founder and editor of The Redhead Said, strategy extraudinaire and passionate baker

ME, your Foodista. I won't talk about myself - that would be embarrasing :)

Meg's inspiration behind this group came from the BK Swappers who run a successful food swap program in Brooklyn.  Run by two awesome chicas, Brooklyn Homesteader's, Meg Paska and The Hip Girl's Guide to Homemaking, Kate Payne the group has been around since last year, holding a handful of wonderful events, the next one happening in April. 

To find out about the intricacies behind food swapping, check out this recent New York Times article.

When Will QueensSwap Start?
Our very first food swap event will take place this May.  Location and details to come, but get ready because it's going to be awesome and filled with lots of goodies.

How Do I Find Out More About QueensSwap?
Follow our steady progress on:

Facebook
Twitter
and a website that's coming soon

Excited for you to join us!  In the meantime, please chime in and tell us about the foods you'd love to swap. We're all ears...