What is a Slow Food Swap?
A Slow Food Swap is part silent auction/part village marketplace/part fun-loving open house where your homemade, homegrown, and foraged creations become your own personal currency for use in swapping with other participants. Diversify your pantry while meeting other Slow Food Shoreline friends.

Who can participate?
Everyone, as long as you bring something you made, grew, or foraged yourself!

What do people bring?
All swap items must be homemade, homegrown, or foraged by you. Think baked goods, jam, pickles, spreads, honey, vinegar, infused oils, cheese, granola, pasta, fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, homemade sausages, backyard eggs, milk from your cow, handcrafted kitchen spoons, garden seeds, you name it! You can bring a bunch of one thing or multiples of a few different things, and you bring samples for others to try.

What happens during the Swap Party?
The Swap Party will last 2 hours and will be held in a silent auction style. Each swapper will display his or her goods on a table, alongside a blank card. The first part of the swap is devoted to walking around, examining, talking, and sampling items from the other swappers.

If you are interested in an item, you write your name on the card next to the things you want, along with what you’re offering to swap in exchange (silent-auction style). For example, if Jenny has some pesto you’d like to swap for, you would write on her card that you’re name, and “1 dozen eggs” to indicate that you are willing to swap a dozen eggs for her pesto. Multiple people can put in swap offers for the same item.

Finally, everyone goes back to his or her original cards to review their offers. Then you go and find the people you want to swap with, via their names tags, and let the magic of barter commerce unfold. These offers are just a starting point for conversation; there’s no guarantee you will get what you “bid” for and, likewise, you are under no obligation to trade with the people who wrote on your paper.

Most importantly, have fun and enjoy the spirit of food-loving camaraderie. All swapping is done in the spirit of fun, and this is a great way to meet other slow food loving locals.

How much does it cost?
NOTHING! The Food Swap Party is free for everyone to attend.

For more information on this growing trend check out these articles and websites:
Throwing Together a Meal, One Swap At A Time
Food Swaps: Sharing Goodies, Stocking Pantries, One Trade at a Time
Food Swap Network