As the Autumnal Equinox is upon us today (equal day and night), I thought I would let you know what we have been up to regarding home grown food
On Saturday, the Melton Sustainable Living Group had its monthly meeting, which also included a workshop about container gardening for renters, and the yearly harvest festival. All members were encouraged to bring along stuff they have grown, preserved or made to swap or sell. I took along this basket of goodies.
It contained 2 dozen home laid eggs, a jar of cherry jam, a jar of feijoa jam, some eggplants, a bunch of spring onions, two bags of grated Parmesan cheese, and 200gms of Komijnekass. On the way past the garden I threw in 5 green and yellow capsicums (peppers), which filled up the basket.
Suffice to say, the meeting/workshop/harvest festival was good fun, and our friend Stacey put on a great workshop. Once it was time for tea and scones, the food swap started. The eggs and cheese when straight away, as did the cherry jam. I ended selling most of it, but swapped the spring onions for some ying & yang bean seeds, and the feijoa jam for a jar of plum jam.
Kim bought some tomato relish, and got given some bunches of herbs for drying (marjoram, rosemary, thyme).
I also learnt that there is a monthly food swap occurring not far from Melton, just down the road in Bacchus Marsh. I am going to look them up when I have a glut that I cannot get rid of.
Do any of you participate in Harvest festivals or food swaps in your local area? I am trying to gauge if this practice is growing at the grass roots level (pardon the pun). It would be nice if I could get a monthly event off the ground in our town to share the bounty of backyard food.
Yes Gavin, it is definitely a happening thing! There is a couple in the Blue Mountains that have started one called ‘Crop and Swap’ and it is doing amazing things for their community ( check out the funky frontyard farmers ..then go across to the crop and swap blog).
We have started a little group too in our area .
Isn’t it great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Transition Sherbrooke Food group got a monthly Fresh Food Buy/Swap/Sell off the ground about 18 months to 2 years ago. It has a small group of regular home producers and due to the very public venue we not only swap between ourselves we often manage to interest passers by who didn’t even know we would be there.
I’m not participating atm but we generally swap out side the Magpie House Cafe in Upwey on the last Saturday of the month (10-11:30 I think). Next one is a little different because it’s part of the Upwey Grass Roots Market on the 17th of March so for anyone interested they’ll be located in the newly created community food garden at the back of the Upwey council link office.
Kind Regards
Belinda
I believe there is one in Drysdale each month and think I read about one in Norlane (Geelong).
Donna
Great idea, we need a Sydney-based one. Maybe there is one already?
Hi Gavin, we have a monthly swap market in central Victoria called The Black Market. I love it and try to go every month. The other upside to these markets is the information exchange that occurs naturally because you are with like minded people.
We had our first food swap as part of our Transition Kwoorabup Denmark movement at the start of the year and I met up with a few others for a productive food meeting this week. We all brought surplus from our gardens to share. I took in a bowl of figs to make into jam and went home with five jars full and a bag full of beautiful organic tomatoes.
Hi Gavin, We have several food swaps happening each weekend in our area. We started 2 years ago with one in Greensborough, and now they are in Eltham, Diamond Creek, Hurstbridge, Montmorency, Macleod, Heidleberg and Yarrambat. As well as swapping food, they are great places to swap growing and cooking tips. We are currently putting together a local and seasonal recipe book which evolved from food swap discussions!Love your blog,Robyn
I bet it felt real good taking that little basket of home made produce along with you. There is something so wholesome about swapping produce. I currently don’t go to a swap market but I do have my gardening group, and I do tend to give away allot of produce to friends, neighbours, and family, and that gives me just as greater buzz. I might start looking for one though.