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 :-)