If I understand you right, you are going to eat food from people you don't know right, food from homes you've never visited? I don't think so. I went to a family reunion one time and someone said there was a hepatitis outbreak in the area. Later we visited a cemetery where they had a potluck going on and we were invited to join in. My family grabbed a plate, I looked at them and said, "hepatitis", they said "Oh!"

My sis has over 13 dogs in her house, would you like some of her food? She is a very good cook, if you don't mind an occasional a dog hair. During my doll collecting years I went in a lot of homes I wouldn't sit down in much less eat there. I visited a neighbor one time who was cooking pasta, she went to answer the phone and her german shepard jumped up on a chair was eating her pasta. She just brushed him aside and dumped the sauce in. LOL

I've never heard of it but that sounds like a lot of fun. It's a good way for folks to get rid of abundances from their gardens too.

A soup swap sounds great. Especially if they were pre-frozen but had some there to taste test. Each person could make a giant batch of one soup but come home with lots of different kinds.

This would be a swap between about 6 friends that I know. We already swap baked and home-canned goods with each other throughout the year.

Thanks for clearing that up. It sounds like fun.

I've only participated in a plant swap...GW members host several in this area every spring and fall. I think it sounds like a good idea. I have a lot of beautiful free range chicken eggs...tan, brown, blue, green, and white. I can't use them all, so I feed them to my possums. I know someone would love to have some of them. I don't eat eggs by themselves, just cook with them. I offered some to my daughter but she would rather buy eggs from the supermarket. Which I think is crazy....because my chickens are so healthy and fed a good diet besides being able to run all over the place, and not crowded into a tiny cage with lights on all the time.

I have done a cookie swap. You bring as many dozen cookies as there are participants. Every person gets a dozen of each kind of cookie. Your dozen you brought for yourself gets put out with tea and coffee for refreshments. Some people go all out and make pretty glitzy cookies, others make mainstays like chocolate chip or peanut butter. The biggest was 12 people. That is a LOT of cookies - it was right before Christams LOL.

I have also done a cooking day where you agree on what meals to make. You bring your own casserole dishes and put in for the supplies. Then you spend the day together making and dividing the recipes. One Saturday we made enchiladas, lasagna, pizza, and a turkey noodle casserole. We prepped the ingredients together, and shared making the sauces etc. and building the dishes. Then you wrap them up, take your dishes home, and pop them in the freezer. We made little booklets of the recipes and heating instructions too, which was handy.

It was a lot of work, but really fun.

Dances.