Tag Archives: food swap

Del Ray Food Swap, Spring 2013

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Katie | Leave a comment

Swapping homemade food, trading recipes and cooking techniques, getting to know neighbors — it’s all part of the Del Ray Food Swap, the community event we’ve been hosting for the past year. Despite hot and humid temps, the Spring Swap, held on June 1 at the Empty House Studio, was another fun-filled event and everyone went home with a basket ‘o plenty.

If you’ve never been to a swap, the concept is simple: bring individually packaged and labeled food items and trade with others. The amount you bring is the amount you can trade. The sky’s the limit in terms of swapping items. We’ve seen canned items like jam and sauces, baked goods such as cakes and granola bars, things to mix into others (spices, salts, pesto and drink starters) and even fresh herbs and vegetables.

We definitely saw some unique creations this time around — marshmallows, salad dressing, limoncello, a sampling of 20+ types of biscotti, homebrewed cider, just to name a few.

Plants were also popular — fresh cut herbs, daffodil bulbs, lettuce starts, even trees!

And of course we can’t forget the door prizes and special guests. In addition to her own swapping items, Tara from Nalls Produce brought a pot filled with herbs and several food and garden books for our door prize raffle.

We also raffled off several gift certificates and prizes from the Dairy Godmother, Liz Davis. One lucky swapper went home with the “official” ice cream scoop used at the Dairy Godmother and two swappers received magic wands. Liz also provided a whole bunch of refreshing ice pops in six different flavors, made from herbs foraged from neighbors along Windsor and Bellefonte avenues. These were a huge hit and helped cool us off from the brutal swamp-like heat.

Jackie from the future Emma’s Cafe (coming to Del Ray later this year!) brought delicious chocolate chip cookies for all to sample and gave a sneak peek at the plans for the inside of the cafe.

And Heidi from azure b llc came by to chat about kitchen composting and beekeeping. Who knows, maybe we will have homemade honey at the next swap!

We also want to thank Sarah from the Empty House Studio who so graciously hosted the swap at her house for the second time (she hosted the Winter swap back in February). Alas, the Empty House Studio in Del Ray closes down at the end of the month as the new homeowners move in. We look forward to following Sarah and her Empty House Studio adventures on her blog and facebook.

We hold swaps four times a year and the next swap will be held at the end of summer. We look forward to lots of homegrown items from Del Ray gardens at this swap! If you would like advance notice of the next swap, send an email to info[at]diydelray.com and we’ll put you on our food swap email list.

Hope to see you at the next swap!

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Posted in Eco Del Ray, Food/Drink, Special Events

Tagged food swap, garden, homegrown, homemade

Crispy Rosemary Flatbread Crackers

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Leslie | 2 Comments

A Washington Post recipe for Rosemary Flatbread Crackers says “they couldn’t be easier.” So of course I wanted to try them as my swapping item to bring the Spring Del Ray Food Swap last week.

First, you harvest fresh rosemary and ideally enlist a small family member to pull the leaves from the stem. You’ll need about 2 T of coarsely chopped rosemary.

Put a baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 450. Stir 1 and 3/4 a cup of flour, 1 t of baking powder, 3/4 t of salt, and about 1 T of the rosemary together.

In a well in the center, pour 1/2 cup of water and 1/3 cup of olive oil. Mine didn’t stay put in the well.

Stir the water and oil into the flour gradually.

Until you determine that the dough is “soft and shaggy.”

On a floured work surface, knead the dough 4 or 5 times and then create a “soft, smooth ball.”

Divide the dough into 6 pieces and put them under plastic wrap so they stay moist.

Take each ball and from it, roll out 6 crackers in the shape of a long oval. I let Nadja help, but I did most of the rolling so I could strive to make them as thin as possible.

I’m holding this one up to the light so you can see how thin I made it. I also learned, after baking the first batch which took a really long time to brown, that it’s probably best to roll them using the least amount of flour on the rolling pin or surface you can manage. You want to keep the dough as moist as possible, so they brown and get crispier.

Before baking, prick the crackers with the tines of a fork.

Arrange the dough on parchment paper.

Brush the tops with olive oil and sprinkle some more rosemary and salt on top.

Slide the dough with the parchment paper onto the oven in the rack. I found I could only fit about 7 crackers in the oven at a time. While one set was baking, I’d roll out another set. The recipe says they take about 4-6 minutes to brown, but I found they took about 8-9 minutes in my oven.

I made two batches to bring to our Spring Food Swap, about 40 crackers in all, against my family’s pleas to let them eat every single one.

My final assessment: The rosemary flatbread crackers are fun as a novelty recipe and the taste is excellent. I wouldn’t make them as a pantry staple, though, even though the ingredients are simple items most of us always have on hand.

Also, even though the tasted great, they could have been crispier. I’d like to try to increase their crunch. But how? Any ideas of what part of the recipe to adjust?

The recipe calls for a heavy baking sheet. I think mine was a standard weight. Would a heavier one help?
Should I use the best olive oil I can buy?
Was my dough not as shaggy and soft as the recipe described?
Should I try to roll them even thinner?

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Posted in Food/Drink

Tagged baking, crackers, food swap, rosemary, rosemary flatbread crackers

Winter Del Ray Food Swap

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Katie | 2 Comments

Our latest Del Ray Food Swap is further evidence of what we already knew — Del Ray is chock full of talented and creative cooks. We held the swap last Saturday at The Empty House Studio with the help of TEHS crew Sarah, Henri, and Christine. Here was the swapping table before things got crazy (in a good way).

Now take a look at the table during the height of the swap, loaded with so many incredible creations.

Participants brought a wide range of homemade items: Brazil nut milk, beet hummus, kefir, home-roasted coffee, savory and sweet jams, chutney, mustard, jelly, artisan bread, pickles, seasoned salts, soup, chicken stock. We had a second table in the front room, every square inch covered with a mason jar or package.

In addition to savory offerings, there were sweets: “loaded Rice Krispie treats,” assorted chocolate truffles, cookies, biscotti, and peppermint bark, to name a few.

And even some seeds to kickstart your garden this year.

The concept for the swap is simple — just bring something homemade, homegrown, or hand-foraged and package individual quantities in the container of your choice (we encourage participants to reuse/upcycle containers they already have on hand). The number of items you bring is the number of items you can take home.

Participants are given a swapping card when they arrive to describe their product with space below for people to make offers. “I’ll trade you a jar of lentil soup for a loaf of artisan bread.” Then the bartering takes place.

We were fortunate at this swap to have two amazing local home-based businesses to serve as “sponsors” and share samples of their products. Yiwah from No. 1 Sons came with a few buckets of “kicky koshers” and some “salsa so verde.” He entertained the crowd with some interesting tidbits about the ancient art of fermentation.

Our other sponsor, Rebecca Underley from Del Ray Cakery, brought this stunning cake for all to try. She also attended as a swapper and traded her famous cake pops. Seeing the wide range of food people brought, Rebecca exclaimed, “Next time I need to up my game!”

To thank everyone for coming, we thought it would be fun to have a few DIY door prizes. Leslie made felted wool dryer balls and room scents which we raffled off halfway through the event. The dryer balls go right into your dryer with your wet clothes to help minimize static cling and the amount of time you need to run your dryer.

She made four kinds of room scents in mason jars — you simply empty the container into a pot and lightly simmer on the stove to release the fresh aroma throughout your house. After each use, let the liquid cool, place back in the jar and store in your fridge until the next use. You can reuse these until their aroma fades.

Several guests also provided samples of their items. We had over 25 people in attendance and not everyone went home with one of each item so this was a good chance to try things you might not have been able to swap.

In the end, I think everyone went home with a pretty good bounty and lots of inspiration to experiment with new foods at home.

We’ll have our next swap in the Spring — if you’d like to be on our email list to get advanced notice, email info@diydelray.com. Otherwise, follow along on Facebook and Twitter for updates. In the next week or so, we’ll also share recipes, more photos and step-by-step instructions for making some of the swapping items. Stay tuned!

And for more about our fabulous sponsors visit their websites — No. 1 Sons and Del Ray Cakery. If your local food-based business would like to be a sponsor for a future swap, email advertising@diydelray.com for details.

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Posted in Entertaining

Tagged del ray cakery, empty house studio, food swap, number 1 sons, sustainable

Fall Food Swap Spectacular

Posted on September 25, 2012 by Katie | 4 Comments

The second day of autumn was the perfect day to host our second Del Ray Food Swap. Our first swap back in July brought garden fresh vegetables, sauces, drink mixes, granola, eggs, and homemade cheese. For the fall swap, I was looking forward to trading with guests who signed up for artisan bread, bourbon peach jam, and a variety of home-canned garden vegetables. And it did not disappoint.

We held the swap at Catherine’s house on the hill at the top of Del Ray. Our host went all out to set the scene with fresh-cut flowers from her garden and autumnal-hued linens on the tables.

Knowing the sun would soon set, Catherine and guest Kristen stoked the fire pit and lit lanterns along the edge of the yard.

While we waited for more swappers to arrive, we snacked on smoked salmon and dilled cheese roll-ups.

A hearty salad with tomatoes from Catherine’s garden, cheese, and pine nuts.

A classic nut-crusted cheese ball with mango chutney (I could have eaten this in its entirety).

Decadent pumpkin bread with a cream cheese swirl.

And roasted red pepper spread (a sample of a swapping item) with goat cheese and a baguette from Del Ray Cafe.

Food swappers love the charming nature of drinking out of mason jars –

Especially when hosts make sure everyone’s glass is always full.

And then it was time to swap. We oohed and aahed when Anastasia walked in with a basket of fresh-baked artisan bread (some of us even went home with multiple loaves). This bread is incredible — hearty, flavorful and just the right consistency to dip into a seasonal minestrone or to slice into an open-faced grilled cheese.

Other swapping items included roasted red pepper spread in reusable hinged glass jars.

Cute as a button cupcakes in mason jars (great party favor idea).

Basil pesto

Lavender hand scrub (thanks to this idea, I’ve got some holiday gifts covered!).

Bread and butter hot pickles and dilled green beans to enjoy summer’s bounty well into the winter months.

Chocolate chip cookies (truly amazing recipe, by the way).

Baskets of fresh peppers, tomatoes and garlic — ingredients for some homemade salsa perhaps?

Bourbon peach jam (I can’t wait to make some biscuits to enjoy with this).

Using the same procedure from the last food swap, we used cards to indicate the items we wanted, and then we swapped and swapped and swapped.

Catherine’s yard is an entertainer and a gardener’s dream. The flagstone patio has plenty of space for a large dining table. There’s even a wall behind the table that doubles as seating and an area off to the right where her husband David keeps his grill and smoker.

Though we didn’t need them tonight, outdoor lights on the pergola make evening gatherings even more festive.

They built these raised beds themselves (from a mail-order kit). The beds line the sides of the yard and are the ideal size for herbs, low-growing small vegetable plants, and flowers.

Along the back of the property, Catherine showed us more of her garden where she still has flowering vines and an abundant crop of hot peppers…

There are also plenty of green beans.

And at least three different varieties of tomatoes.

While we traded recipes and tips for canning and storage, it was clear the fire pit was just about ready for another seasonal treat, roasted marshmallows.

The kids grabbed sticks and marveled at the crisping and oozing sugar.

Couldn’t have asked for a better day for a fall food swap. Though our group was small, everyone left with a large bag of new foods to try and a ton of tips and ideas for growing and preserving homemade food. If you’d like information about future swaps (we are currently pondering possible dates and themes) or would like to host a DIY Del Ray event at your house, please contact us at diydelray[at]yahoo.com.

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Posted in Entertaining

Tagged food swap, gardening, sustainability