Swap recap: summertime eatin'

With our next swap coming up on October 1st, seemed high time to get up a recap post on our last swap...in July.

Not surprisingly, we had a lot of BBQ and hot sauces, a variety of things to scoop them up with, plus plenty of other summertime treats mixed in. Margarita mix, anyone?

Take your pick, BBQ 3x by Kelly

Bourbon BBQ by Stephanie

Jalapeño hot (!) sauce by Hima

Apricot Lime Margarita Mix by Kari

A trio of toppings with focaccia by Sole

Sweet-and-sour red onion jam and blueberry cinnamon shrub by Aimée

Curtido (fermented red cabbage relish) by Erin

Pickled lemons, orange confit and more by Yael

Shrimp chicken rolls by Dee

Apricot jalapeño savory jam by Erin

Apricot almond protein balls by Kari

Savory salmon & cream cheese madeleines by J.K.

Beautiful bread loaves by J.K.

Delectable truffles by Becky

Fig newtons and seed bread by Molly

Collecting bids

Cheese penny crackers by Kate

Lavender shortbread and lemon rosemary shortbread by Deanna

Fennel and other flavored salts by Yosh

Hibiscus syrup by Tina

Swappers preparing their stations

Socializin' during the potluck

Here's a what I came with vs. what I left with shot

Can't wait to do it all over again!

May swap recap

Even though we've been hosting food swaps in San Francisco for over 3 years now (!), I'm always surprised and impressed by the creativity of my fellow swappers. And, I'm always interested to see what "themes" naturally emerge from a diverse and essentially disparate crowd. The theme of the May swap was definitely 'booze-related'. From handcrafted bitters and infused vodka, to nocino and jun and liqueurs, we enjoyed some tasty libations.

Ginger Liqueur by Andrea

Jun by Adal

Nocino by Bowen

Fruit infused vodkas by Stephanie

Bitters by Hiya

Gold Rush cocktail for the potluck

Vodka sodas for the potluck

Bitter flights at the "bar"

But there were many non-alcoholic things of delight too. Although I am noticing that I definitely did not photograph them all this time... I expect I was spending too much time at the bar "sampling". But truly, my iPhone camera is on the fritz and disappears photos lately. (Blame my love of pudding--my phone hasn't been the same since I dropped it in boiling hot milk.)

Breads and cookies by Ann

Patricia arriving laden with fragrant herbs

Meyer lemons from Patricia's garden

Rhubarb syrup, compote and apricot jam by me

Chimichurri by Christina

Sorrel and lemon verbena pesto by Chistina

Kombucha by Adal

Lavender focaccia for the potluck

Red wine reduction sauces and Thai spiced marshmallows by Sarah

Herb bunches by Sophie

Fruity ice cream sauce by Angela

Tea-flavored marshmallows by J.K.

And lastly, Jonathan gets a special shout-out for typing up bitters labels on-the-spot with this awesome stylishly portable typewriter.

Has this sampling made you hunger for food swap participation? Our next one will be on Sunday, July 20th. Save the date.

Boozy Swap Recap x2: January & April presented in pictures (and glasses)

We had a packed house for our January swap, and a big crowd for our 2 year anniversary swap in April too. The most noticeable theme? Booze! Yup, at the January swap we had bourbon cocktails being made to order as samples the awesome Earl Grey Soda Syrup shown below, plus a couple homemade wines on another table, and the April swap had not one but THREE kinds of alcoholic beverages on offer for the potluck, plus cordials and other spirited elixirs on the swapping block. There were even flavored sugars for cocktail glass rims. Now you know how SF swappers roll...

Along with the alcohol there was a lot of garden fresh produce, so it really felt like spring up at our April swap.

There was so much other good stuff too! But, I'm off to Mexico in a couple days, and am trying to cram a lot in before I leave, so am keeping this post short. I did just finish my taxes though, so cheers to that! Since this snapshot view has no doubt left you wanting more, go peruse the full photo galleries from both swaps here and here. Then mark your calendar tentatively for the first weekend in June.