What is the DC food swap?
The DC food swap is bimonthly event where members of our community share homemade, homegrown, or foraged foods with each other. Direct exchanges are made by bartering one’s goods for another’s, and no money is involved. Food swaps offer opportunities for members of our local food community to meet each other, sample different foods, and share their own food knowledge and wisdom with others.
Who can participate?
Everyone is welcome, as long as you bring something you made, grew, or foraged yourself. You must RSVP to attend. If you’re coming alone, don’t worry! The food swap is a great place to make friends.
Where is it held?
The DC Food Swap is currently held in Adams Morgan in Washington, DC.
What should I bring?
All swap items must be homemade, homegrown, or foraged by you. Think jams, pickles, pasta, produce, bread, honey, cheese, herbs, ice cream, yogurt and more. The most popular food swap items are shelf-stable, allowing swappers to enjoy the items weeks or months after the swap.
Keep in mind that swappers will be examining and picking up your goods, so make sure to package them in a way that protects the food and makes clear the amounts you want to swap. When applicable, it’s helpful to include storage and shelf life information.
If possible, you should bring samples for other swappers to try.
How much should I bring to swap?
Bring as much or as little as you’d like to the swap. Just keep in mind that the more you bring to swap, the more you will bring home. On average, swappers bring between 5 - 20 items to swap.
What happens during a food swap?
A swap typically lasts about two hours.
The first half hour of the swap is for attendees to sign in, fill out a waiver form, and mingle. Swappers fill out name tags and swap sheets and set up their wares on the tables.
The next hour is for everyone to walk around, examine and sample the items others have brought in. Swappers write their names and items they brought on the sheets for any items they would like to take home.
The last half hour is for swapping! Everyone returns to their original sheets of paper, looks at the offers, and swaps.
The Honor Code
The DC Food Swap is a community event that is open to everyone, but we ask that you register in advance so we can guarantee that we have enough (or not too many) swappers for a given space.
In addition, all swap participants adhere to an honor code of using the highest cleanliness standards in their own kitchens and gardens to prepare their swap items. Swap participants must agree to the following terms before registering:
- By participating in this event, you acknowledge that the food items being shared are not necessarily prepared in commercial kitchens or spaces inspected by any government agency.
- By participating in this event, you also acknowledge that you will use the highest standards of safety and cleanliness in food preparation.
- By participating in this event, you assume all liability. DC Food Swap organizers, hosts, venue owners/providers, and other participants are not liable for any cause of injury or illness.
