Taste the Honey Dallas Food Swap - the new Stitch 'n Bitch

The fabulous array of items!

Remember the Stitch ’n Bitch knitting craze in 1994 where flocks of young women wielding knitting needles gathered at fashionable cafes to chat and make fashionista ponchos? Check out this decade’s Stitch ’n Bitch – The Larder Swap! And Denise Bethel Molina of Honey Crew Granola & Darlene Rosen of Honey Girl Kitchen are the ladies heading the Dallas Taste the Honey Food Swappers.

“To IttyBittyFoodies from Uncle Alton”

So here’s a piece of advice from “Uncle” Alton Brown who said “We should all get back to the kitchen” when talking about cooking for our families at the American Culinary Federation Convention and that’s what 26 attendees of the first Dallas food swap did.

What have you got to swap?

The rules of the food swap are simple, bring at least 4 swappable food items. It can be foraged food or something you made. All the items are laid out on a long table with a sign up sheet for each one. Everyone then writes down what they have to swap on the sign up sheet belonging to the item they are vying for. At the end of the night, the owner of each item peruses the list of proposed swaps and chooses what they’d like to trade. FUN!

my swag

I brought Malaysian spice rub called Inche Kebin. It’s a fragrant rub traditionally for chicken but I’ve used it on seafood like octopus tentacles (see recipe). And left with an armful of goodies – homemade orange jelly & organic pancake mix, Java spice rub, zucchini sandwich cookies, and muffins.

For me it wasn’t just about going home with a swag bag. I loved meeting so many women & men who were passionate about food. It was a great way to meet new people plus we all got to try something that we don’t have in our own pantries. And food is something we can all take home and share with our families. I guarantee food swaps are tastier than Stitch ‘n Bitch clubs but just as addictive.

it's never too early to read Hip Girls Guide to Homemaking!

For tips on How to Hold a Food Swap check out Kate Payne’s Hip Girls Guide to Homemaking. She’s the gal that started the national craze, just because she tweeted about making too much marmalade and got an offer from a fellow blogger to swap for her hen’s eggs and honey. Or sign up for the Dallas Taste The Honey Food Swappers if you are interested in attending one. A monthly food swap is held the first Thursday of every month. The event is FREE and is limited to 40 attendees – so as Uncle Alton says, get back in the kitchen!

I also have a new article on the Dallas Morning News about Larder Swapping. Lots of info there.

Till our next Happy Meal!

Tags: artisanal food, cooking, Dallas, Dallas Taste the Honey Food Swappers, Darlene Rosen, Denise Bethel-Molina, food groups, Food swapping, hip girls guide to homemaking, home cooking, homemade food, Honey Crew, Honey Girl Kitchen, kate payne, larder swap, Texas