Yesterday Heather and I were lucky enough to attend our first ever homemade food swap, hosted by a group from Lansing called Mid-Mitten Homemade. You can check them out on facebook here.
The concept of the swap was pretty simple, but I was blown away at how great of an idea it is!

There were twenty or so people in attendance and each person brought a variety of food items that they made at home and wanted to share. From jellies and breads to cheeses, frozen entrees, home brewed beers and kombucha, even coffee syrups, pickled vegetables, sauces and ginger ale! We brought with us some hemp seed and sunflower oils, as well as some sauerkraut, Queen Anne’s Lace jelly and almond meal.

I really wasn’t sure what to expect at first and I didn’t quite understand how the whole swap thing would happen, but it was really just as easy as it sounds.. most everyone brought a sample or two and we just mingled about, trying the different foods and chatting. After about a half an hour, the organizer announced that the swap was on! Then it was an exciting 10 minutes of bartering our goods for our favorites of all the offerings. Right away I realized that there was way more good stuff to get than I had brought items to trade!

We ended up walking away with quite a variety of treasures though.. we scored ginger ale, a blueberry balsamic reduction, pickled garlic, stone ground mustard, hot sauce, cheese crackers, english muffins, goat cheese, mint syrup and even a home brewed Belgian style beer!

Not only were we able to trade our homemade products for some tasty Michigan made goodness, but we also got to meet the people that made the food and hear them talk about the process behind their items. I know that all of the food I brought home was made with quality ingredients by people who care about where their food comes from.. and it was also a lot of fun to meet so many like minded people! Hopefully our mutual interest in homemade, all natural, healthy foods will help us all grow closer as a community where we will be able to share and learn and grow together!

The next Mid-Mitten Homemade Food Swap is scheduled to take place in Lansing sometime in November.. I know that Heather and I will be there.. and maybe you can join us?