Information about the BobbisBargains Food Swap at the Frugal Festival

A food swap is part silent auction/part village marketplace/part fun-loving open house where your homemade, homegrown, and foraged creations become your own personal currency for use in swapping with other participants. Diversify your pantry while meeting your friends and neighbors!

What are we swapping?

Homemade or homegrown goodies that you have made, grew or foraged. Whatever you are swapping needs to be packaged. Label your item with the ingredients if possible. You will also have the opportunity to write out the ingredients, but it's easier if you already have it on the packing.

Each item you swap should be equivalent to a jar of jam. In other words, if you had a jar of jam to swap, how many homemade cookies would you feel would be a good swap? That's how many you put in your package.

OK... here is the deal on the swap.

If you haven't been to a swap before, I suggest that you check out this article from LA Food Swaps.

Our swapping space is going to be outside, but it will be well shaded. There will be plenty of table space.

There will be NO sampling of food. Per our agreement with whomever, we can't eat the food we swap in the space, sooooo make sure that your descriptions are good and that your packaging is see-thru.

Each swapper will have to sign a waiver before they can participate in the swap.

What to bring to the swap:

Bring as many of your swapping items as you would like. If you bring two items, then you will most likely leave with two items from someone else. if you bring 10 items to swap, you'll have more stuff to take home.

Bring some sort of container to hold all your goodies. I am going to bring my rolling lunch box with some ice because I don't want my chocolate items to melt.

How the swap happens:

The food swap is taking place at the Frugal Festival Food! which is taking place at the Canoga Park High School in Canoga Park. Your printed ticket from this site will be your entrance into the festival. You will go directly to the swap area which is in the covered table area outside the cafeteria.

The swap starts at 11:00 am. This is the time to sign in, get a name tag and display your items. Each kind of item has a description sheet and spots for people to indicate that they want to trade their items for your item.This is a good time to look at everyone's stuff and get to know your fellow swappers. You will add your name to the list of items you are interested in swapping for.

AT noon we will start the actual swapping. Now you find the people who said they wanted to swap with you. It goes pretty fast and is fun. Sometimes you end up having too many people who want your stuff and sometimes you have more stuff than people wanting it. Either way it is fun.

By 12:45 we should be done swapping.

Do not arrive late. It will be over.

Everyone needs to know not to be offended if someone doesn't want to swap with you. Everyone has different tastes.

This food swap is part of the Frugal Festival Food! As a registered food swapper, you will gain free access to the Frugal Festival Food! event. Otherwise, admittance is $10 or $5 with a donation of a canned good. To find out more about the Frugal Festival and buy your tickets, click here.

You must pre-register on this site to participate in the swap and get your ticket. There are limited spaces, so don't wait til the last minute.