Last Saturday, at our Spring Homemade Food Swap, writer Jesse Hirsch spent some time with us observing the swap. Check out the wonderful article he wrote to help spread the word:
Food on the barter system
by Jesse Hirsch
by Jesse Hirsch
"In the East Bay barter economy, eggs are the hot ticket. “Everybody must be doing the backyard chicken thing, because we’re seeing tons of eggs right now,” said Kendra Poma, founder ofEast Bay Homemade Food Swaps. “Last fall I think everyone was making home-brewed beer … You start to notice trends.”
Poma started these swaps last February after reading about similar events happening all over the country. The premise is simple: 25 to 30 food artisans and backyard farmers meet up at a pre-ordained East Bay location (past swaps have been in Emeryville, North Oakland, and Golden Gate). Each swapper keeps a sign-up sheet in front of his or her goods, and other participants write down what they are willing to trade, e.g. “four muffins for one jar of salsa.”
This Saturday was the first food swap since the event took a winter hiatus, and 25 people descended on an undisclosed Oakland location (“drop-in swappers” are discouraged due to space constraints). Poma always gets well more applicants than there is space for; participants are chosen on a first-come-first-served system unless there’s a glut of certain items. This month she had to turn away some egg swappers in the interest of variety."
Read the rest at EastBayExpress.com
