The Value of Barter

This past Monday I attended Well Preserved's Preserve Swap. M and I were not really sure what to expect, having been invited by WP's Dana and Joel after bumping into them on the street earlier in the week. But curiosity and practicality gave way, as we still needed to find a home for a couple jars of spicy dilly beans sitting on our shelf.

The event was a great turn-out. Preservers packed the little neighborhood bar and lined the counter space with their jars of jams, jellies, pickles and preserves. Some of the more unique items were rumtopf, dandelion jelly, maple syrup, and cured ham hock. I felt a little out-of-place, having only brought 2 measly, unlabelled jars, but I was intent on trading for something different.

We ended up meeting a handful of passionate preservers, and scoring a nice slab of bacon (cured by Starfish chef Kyle Deming) and a bright red jar of apple jelly (freshly made by local Beverley Barnett Graham). A sweet deal for our 2 jars of dilly beans! Ah, money-less exchange makes me happy, as does hot sizzling bacon and a mouthful of sweet jelly. Best of all, now that I have a Preserve Swap under my belt, I promise to step up my game for the next event.