Registration is Open for the December Food & Craft Swap

Join the Sarasota Swappers for

 "A Homemade Holiday" Food & Craft Swap!

Saturday, December 8th

10:00am-12:00pm

Potter Park Picnic Pavilion

The Fall Swap, In Pictures

The temperature dropped just enough and just in time to welcome our homemade food & craft swap back to the great outdoors this month! The fall swap was simply fabulous, reflecting the season with lots of autumn-spiced goodness, pumpkin pleasures, and harvest colors. We had nearly 30 swappers join in the event, complete with a hearty potluck and a kids' craft table. Thank you to all our participants and their families who either came to the swap, or supported pre-swap production! And a special thank you to Gerardo Luna, husband of new swapper Melissa, who came from Tampa and took some amazing images of our event. So for this recap, I'll let the pictures tell the story...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 **All photos copyright and courtesy of Gerardo Luna.**

 

SAVE THE DATE: "A Homemade Holiday" December Food & Craft Swap

December 8th ~ 10 am - 12 pm

Location TBA

Fall Homemade Food & Craft Swap

Join the Sarasota Swappers for a

Fall Homemade Food & Craft Swap!

Saturday, October 13th

10:00am-12:00pm

Potter Park Picnic Pavilion

 

 

 

Swapper Spotlight :: Courtney & Strawberry Mint Jam

We have such a creative, interesting group of swappers in our community, I thought it would be fun to get to know each other and share some ideas! So, through Swapper Spotlights we'll be sharing fellow swappers' thoughts on swapping homemade food & crafts, as well as favorite recipes and craft tutorials. Enjoy!  *Want to be featured in a Swapper Spotlight? Email Liz at liz@sniegocki.com*

 

Today, I'm pleased to introduce you to swapper Courtney Davenport, who has been swapping her homemade goodies in incredibly cute packaging for six months. Welcome Courtney!

 

 

Why do you love swapping?

I love crafting and cooking! Swapping is a perfect combination of both hobbies. I also love meeting the other swappers and chatting with them about their creations.

What's the favorite thing you've ever made to swap?

Homegrown, Fresh Mint Jelly

What's the favorite thing you've ever swapped for?
So many things! Candied Jalapenos, Homemade Vanilla Extract, Calendula Orange Biscuits...

Why should others get involved in swapping?

It's very fun! It's a great way to share your creativity...and swap with other people who have different talents.  I love to swap with people who sew or monogram.

Anything else you'd like to add about your swapping experience?

I continue to be inspired by this fabulous group of women and am grateful to be a part of it. 

 

Courtney's recipe for: STRAWBERRY MINT JAM

Fresh picked, local strawberries (9-10 cups of hand-mashed strawberries)

Homegrown mint (pictured)

Sugar (2-3 cups depending on desired sweetness)

Fresh lemon juice (1/2 - 1 cup depending on taste preferences)

 

Simmer over medium heat, stirring very frequently (at least every three minutes) for about 45 mins or until it reaches desired consistency. Good consistency test tip: Put a plate in the freezer for about 25 minutes (while jam is simmering). After 45 mins of simmering, spoon a small amount of jam on frozen plate. It should have a nice jam consistency. If not, continue simmering and stirring away! I know this seems very labor intensive...but it really is worth it! This method makes such a difference in the consistency. 

 

Thank you for sharing, Courtney!

Summer Swappin'... Had us a Blast!

We packed the house at the August Homemade Food & Craft Swap, hosted by THRIVE Sarasota. Tables were piled high with all kinds of fantastic goodies showcasing the many culinary and crafty talents of our homemade swappers.

Debbie was back with her ever-popular feed sack bags, as well as farm fresh eggs and potted beach sunflower plants.

And we were delighted to welcome Karen to our group, whose daughter started the South Jersey Swappers after reading about our group in Edible Sarasota while visiting here last winter. This is the heart & soul of swapping... building community! Karen brought all kinds of yummy baked goods - pictured here, homemade biscotti and sweet breads - as well as tomato sauce and potted succulents.

Another new face we welcomed: Jina (pictured here), who took these gorgeous photos - thank you Jina! We loved your hand-painted, kitschy signs too. Also, her sister Breanne, whose Pinterest-inspired mason jar lanterns and t-shirt scarfs were a hit! Welcome, as well, to Farrel, Michele, Luna, Laura, and all our new swappers!

As always, non edible swap items this month included a wide variety of bath and body products and homemade jewelry. Also popular this swap: cork garden stakes for herbs, homemade play dough in a mason jar with cookie cutter, wool dryer balls, homemade smudge stick & blessings kits, and hand-painted burlap bunting.

Edible swappables were abundant! Among the many favorites were: white & milk chocolate magic shell, raw chai-spiced grain-free granola, marinated summer salad, shrimp & corn chowder, green gazpacho, cilantro lime vinaigrette, summer herb compound butter, boozy cherries, homemade Kahlua, caramel-bacon popcorn, lemon lavender cookies, ginger peach ice cream, curry seasoning, fresh avocados, and oh-so-much more!

Thank you to everyone who participated in making this Summer Nights Swap so successful, and so much fun! And thank you also to our gracious host, Sam, at THRIVE (next time, you swap too!). 

See you all in October...

**All images courtesy and copyright of Jina Johnson.**

Get to Know Our Host for the August Swap

THRIVE offers a unique and personalized approach to wellness, providing opportunities to support your body’s own ability to heal through ancient, time-tested, nature-based therapies from the East and West. Because every person is different, THRIVE offers a wide variety of healing techniques to promote physical, emotional, and energetic balance. Practitioners have extensive training in integrating science-based knowledge and research with traditional therapies, offering the individual a personalized approach to optimal health and a deeper level of healing. THRIVE is committed to creating a healthy community one person at a time!

Family Wellness ~ Acupuncture ~ Chinese Herbal Remedies ~ Craniosacral Therapy

Massage ~ Natural Pharmacy ~ Yoga ~ Qi Gong ~ Infrared Sauna ~ And more!

Both of the co-founders and Directors of THRIVE are naturopathic physicians specializing in a natural approach to treating the whole person using a combination of less-invasive, natural therapies.

Dr. Jessica Lipham is a Florida board certified and licensed Acupuncturist and received her naturopathic doctoral degree as well as a master of science in oriental medicine from National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon. In addition to acupuncture and customized Chinese herbal formulas, her specialties include cleansing and detoxification, anti-aging, age related cognitive decline, life lasting weight loss programs and individualized nutritional consultations.

Dr. Katherine Clements received her doctorate in naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington and retains her license as a naturopathic physician in the state of Oregon, where she is considered a primary care physician. She received her degree in massage therapy from Brenneke School of Massage in Seattle and is a licensed massage therapist in the state of Florida. Dr. Clements has specialized training in homeopathy, chronic fatigue syndrome, counseling, pregnancy massage, autism and ADD, chelation and detoxification.

Six Principles of Naturopathic Medicine

The Healing Power of Nature
Trust in the body’s inherent wisdom to heal itself.

Identify and Treat the Causes
Look beyond the symptoms to the underlying cause.

First Do No Harm
Utilize the most natural, least invasive and least toxic therapies.

Doctor as Teacher
Educate patients in the steps to achieving and maintaining health.

Treat the Whole Person
View the body as an integrated whole in all its physical and spiritual dimensions.

Prevention
Focus on overall health, wellness and disease prevention.

Visit THRIVE online at www.thrivesarasota.com.

Registration Open for August Swap

Our second "Summer Nights" Homemade Food & Craft Swap is scheduled for

Saturday, August 4, from 6-8 pm at Thrive Sarasota.

Register now! Event limited to 25 attendees.

First "Summer Nights Swap" a Success!

Homegrown, hand designed flower arrangement by Marcy.

Over 20 enthusiastic swappers joined swap co-coordinator Liz Sniegocki at her home on June 1st, for the first indoor, evening-time homemade food & craft swap. Despite unrelenting rain, swappers showed up with an impressive amount of summery foodie and crafty goodness - a fantastic way to kick off the season!


Christy spiced it up with pickles and fresh mango salsa.

Fresh seasonal tastes were in the spotlight with spicy dill pickles, mango salsa, BBQ spice rubs and bell pepper relish. Tomatoes were represented in fresh canned salsa, tomato basil soup, and homemade marinara sauce. Strawberries showed up in strawberry popyseed vinaigrette, strawberry lemonade concentrate, and multiple strawberry jams. And blueberries were on the scene in rustic blueberry tarts and fun blueberry pie pops.


Courtney's BBQ rubs - tasty and oh-so-cute!

Other edible goodies up for swapping included: chive herb butter, cultured veggies, sweet tea vodka, oragnic rose syrup, french onion soup, backyard eggs, European style breadsticks, kombucha, a very popular monkey butter, toffee bites, fresh baked bread, apple cider vinegar, honey habenero hot suace, unique homegrown spices and homemade spice blends, sugar glazed pecans, and more!


Unpaper towel sets, napkins, and market & produce bags by Debbie. And organic dog treats too!

And then there were the crafts and non-edibles, displayed so beautifully that Liz's family room was transformed into an upscale boutique! Gorgeous handcrafted jewelry was brought by multiple participants. Tanya's patchwork aprons, skirts, and bags blew us all away! Handsewn napkins, market bags, fabric bowl covers, and kitchen towels were abundant, and in high demand. Homemade body prodcuts included dark chocolate lip gloss, sugar scrubs, and both coffee and chocolate insused lotion bars. Artists swapped original art cards and prints. And more and more crafty swappables were tucked onto every available surface, ranging from lavender room spray, to homemade laundry soap, to cork photo-holders, to handpainted "magic" garden stones.


Tanya's sought-after patchwork aprons and skirts!

Everyone enjoyed sipping fresh "summer sangria" and elderberry wine (from a previous swap), while nibbling on the generous potluck spread. Thank you to all the new and verteran swappers who came out to kick off the summer season with our first-ever evening event. Hope to see you all again in August!

Summer Nights Swap featured on This Week In Sarasota!

Swapper April Doner wrote a really nice piece about her experience at our June swap on This Week In Sarasota, titled: "Summer Nights" Swapping: A Shift Toward Abundance? Stop by and read it... and be sure to "like" it too!

Event recap coming soon....

June "Summer Nights" Swap is On... Register Now!

Ready to get your swap on? For the summer, we're bringing the swap indoors and taking it into the evening! The June swap will be on Friday, June 1, from 6-8pm at the home of swap co-coordinator Liz Sniegocki. Please come join in a "summer night" of swapping and sampling homemade edibles and handcrafted goods.

Get all the event details and register to attend (limited to the first 25 swappers!) via the link below!

We hope to see you there!