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.
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...
