I'm still waiting for a third thought. A preserves swap might be good - I'll bet they have those on the harvest forum. Or maybe a marinade swap.

Lars not everyone makes/cans preserves but I like the idea of sending something homemade. What about a swap where we only have three categories, (1) Something homemade, (2) Favourite Cookbook, (3) Something local? Lots of options within each of these categories.

Ann

I like this idea!

Yeah, like anyone here would go by the rules. Remember the "five item" rule??

I'm good on the local and cookbook items. I guess I could do home made. I'd get my mother to do it.

Oh! I like those categories. Just worried about the homemade one though. Aside from home canning items, what other homemade stuff ships well?

May, Homemade would cover all kinds of categories. It doesn't have to be something you canned or a food item. If you sew it could be an apron or placemats or maybe cloth napkins. The last swap Stacy sent me a beautiful painting that she did of Stetson. Diane is an artist with her camera and sent framed photos. I 've sent homemade candles before. Just a few ideas.

Ann

If you do this, I think you need to very strongly insist that it is three items only. Tell people there will be swaps where they can get carried away, but his one is a three items only swap. However, because some people can't do the homemade thing, what if you made that category homemade OR personal favorite. That way if someone, for instance, can't make cherry butter, they could send American Spoon Fruit cherry butter instead? That kind of thing. Then those people who are "homemade challenged" can still participate.

Well goodness knows I don't can or sew and I ahve only just mastered bread and that doesn't travel well......but I certainly can make something!! I really like the three categories and would be honoured to get ANYTHING homemade!

But...I would not want anyone to feel left out if they felt the absolutely could not do homemade.

janet

Well homemade isn't all that hard. This time of year craft shows and bazaars are getting big. I think it could be someone else's handmade or handcrafted??? Yes..NO??

I love the idea..I'm all for it!

But I always send something homemade. ~wink~
And something local is way easy and a cookbook is easy too.
Funny I think I hit all 3 categories in my last swap box.

~giggle~

Sherry, I like your idea that anyone wanting to participate in this swap has to agree to stick to the "three items". We might need to clarify "Items" though. ie.. You might only send one jar of jam, or one cookbook, but you wouldn't send one placemat or one napkin, but a set of placemats or napkins. Some things naturally come in sets or pairs, etc.

Terri, exactly. Homemade doesn't have to be something that you make yourself, it could be something that someone else made. At the Farmers Markets that I go to there are a number of different vendors that sell homemade jams/jellies/pickles, etc, as well as crafts, such as the handpainted wine glasses, chimes made from old silverware, wooden bowls and boards, placemats, etc.. But the idea would be to stick to the general idea of "three".

So homemade shouldn't be to hard to come by.

Ann

Wow, this whole idea is all coming together beautifully. I'm for it! It sounds like it will turn out to be a wonderful fun swap!

The homemade category might give me a little trouble if it absolutely had to be made by me. Wait, just thought of something I could do! Regardless, if you open it up to homemade by anyone, that would be easy. In the last swap, I sent a jar of sour cherry jam made by a small, local bakery - that would cound has homemade, right? I also love sheshebop's suggestion of a "personal favorite" category.

I splurged on the last swap because it was my first, but I'd be happy to have a 3 item only rule this time around. Then we can be out-of-control on the one after that, right?

GG, I still think folks will get out of control.
I can't! I have to set a limit. But I love doing these!

Yes, Homemade/Handmade, by your or someone else, good enough for me.

However, it's not to hard to use the web to find a spice blend or some other "dried" thing one can put together and send. A bread mix, a cookie mix. Those recipes are a dime a dozen online.
Anyone can put those together in a ziploc or a jar or a tin.

I like it. Will participate if anyone is willing to ship outside N-America. Can't do favourite cookbook because it's in Icelandic, but might send something by my favourite cookbook author instead.

I think homemade can be stretched into including handmade. I bought a beautiful handmade ceramic vase at the Culver City farmers' market, and there are plenty of other handmade things there.

I actually studied Old Icelandic in college (as part of my German major), although I don't remember much of it. It is supposed to help to learn Scandinavian languages, and it survived because modern Icelandic is more similar to Old Icelandic than other Scandinavian languages.

I have cookbooks in German and Spanish, as well as English, but I can understand cookbooks written in Dutch, and I can also read Italian and French well enough to understand recipes. I'd probably have problems with Icelandic, however, although I could probably handle Russian. The problem I have with the German cookbooks is that everything is metric and I don't have a good kitchen scale (although I do have a postal scale accurate to 5g. FSR I'm more put off by metric measurements and weights for things like flour and sugar than I am having to read a foreign language. I guess I'm just not used to using a kitchen scale. I don't have a problem with the liters or liquid measurements - just the weight ones.

Lars

I'm going to start browsing the shops for the local thing next week..just to get a jump on it. ;)

The scary thing is -- I could send out a couple of swap boxes with those three items right now!

I love homemade and local stuff.....

I missed the last swap, and thought I'd check out this thread! I love the ideas presented, especially that home made doesn't necessarily mean made by me!

Catherine

I agree, homemade/handmade does not necessarily have to be made by the sender. This time of year is great for fall art fairs and boutiques.

Three items....hmmm....that will be tough, but I could do it if the categories aren't too specific. But you KNOW there will be someone who will go over the top and send a bazillion things and find a way to make them "count as one".

Linda

Linda, not this time. Anyone wanting to participate will have to agree up front to stick to the three item theme. And this doesn't mean three categories with a number of items in each.

One jar of homemade jam or other preserves would be one item, but 4 or 8 placemats would also be one item. Items that come in sets would be considered one item. And one cookbook means one cookbook. Although I have seen some cookbooks that come in sets.

And I like your point about fall fairs and farmers markets. Maybe this is the perfect time to start this swap.

Ann

YES it IS! LOL

Ooohhh, I just popped onto the computer just to check where this thread is going! Sounds like it's moving in the right direction!

Catherine

Ready to rock anytime!!!

So are we getting closer?!

Woo hoo..I just signed up...