Small Household Food Exchange, 3/26/17 @ White Fence Farm

At the last dinner, the topic of an old fashioned chicken dinner popped into our heads. We dreamed of relish trays with Bean Salad, Cole Slaw, Cottage Cheese, Pickled Beets, Corn Fritters, with choice of French Fries, Mashed Potato, or Baked Potato with Home Made Gravy. Naturally, we thought a Route 66 favorite of White Fence Farm just might fit the bill.

What is the Small Household Food Exchange, you may ask.

Most importantly, it’s a gathering of like-minded folks at an interesting restaurant for a meal, taking advantage of the ordering power of a good number of people to share and sample a good number of menu items.

Although you don’t need to bring something to exchange - you can just enjoy the dinner and the camaraderie - the Small Household Food Exchange started so that those of us in 1-2 person households who love to cook aren't stuck eating that big pot of chili for a whole week. Instead, we make 4-10 servings of one dish, and bring home 4-10 different dishes. Exchanging participants bring one pre-portioned serving of their food for every exchanger who has RSVP’d to come that month. A serving is whatever you think it is for your food item. For soup, it may be two cups; for pastrami, 4 oz. (or more if you make more generous sandwiches). The priority will be for entrees, meats, soups, salad, stews, pastas, grains, etc. One dessert is OK each month, but we don't want 6-7 dessert offerings - everyone is mostly interested in main meals. (Check the Events Board, there’s a separate Dessert Exchange.)

The fine print
Number in the group: We will cap attendance at each gathering at 12 and food exchange participants at 10 so that participants are never making more than 10 servings of anything. Couples can be counted as one serving, or two - if you come as a couple, please specify whether you're bringing one or two dishes to exchange.

There will be no restrictions on the food – we’re an omnivorous bunch. IF ANYONE HAS ANY ALLERGIES, PLEASE LET THE GROUP KNOW.

The containers/delivery system: Everyone in the group should use the GLADWARE 3 1/8 CUP PLASTIC CONTAINERS (7” x 7” square container with a blue lid). You’ll portion your food into those containers to bring and hand out at the gathering. You can freeze them or not depending on your schedule and when you make your food. There is no need to fill the container, just put in whatever is a serving to you. If you use something else to deliver your food that month (Ziploc bags, plastic wrap, etc.) you should also return the empty containers from the last round so that everyone always has a stash of these containers for the exchange and doesn’t have to run out and buy more.

The process: Each of us will take turns being the organizer each month. Each time we meet, someone will offer to organize the next month’s gathering. Several weeks before the next gathering the organizer will post a new thread to the events page announcing the date and the location for that month and asking for RSVP’s.

Participants will need to RSVP their attendance by one week before the monthly gathering. They will then need to post what they are bringing at least three days before the gathering. This is to help make sure we get some balance in the food so that we’re not all bringing something that has to be eaten in the next 2-3 days; that there’s a balance of stuff that can be frozen for later, or eaten sooner.

The organizer will monitor the thread to see what people are bringing. The organizer will also make reservations for the group at the restaurant where we will be gathering. People can choose to stay for dinner or just come and exchange food and leave. Just let the organizer know so they can get an accurate count for the reservation. As previously mentioned, other LTHers are welcome to join us for dinner, even if they are not bringing food to exchange.

Hope to see you there!

Sunday, March 26 @ 1 pm

White Fence Farm
1376 Joliet Road
Romeoville, IL 60445
(630) 739-1720

Sunday Dinner:
Cathy2 + 1
nr706
moetchandon
Food Nut +2
LouGord + Jenny

Exchange: (Bring four dishes each)
Cathy2 - Emmer Mushroom Pilaf using wheat berries
nr706 - Specially cured beef with vegetable sauce
moetchandon - Israeli lamb shank
Food Nut - Caribbean pork w/plaintains!
LouGord - Slow cooker beef stew

I'm in for food and something to exchange.

I'm in 3 for eats and 1 for exchange

In for dinner and exchange. Exchange TBD.

Jennie and I will be there. We will be 2 for the meal and 1 for the exchange.

My exchange will be an Israeli Lamb Shank with rice.

I'm going to make slow cooker beef stew.

I'll be making specially cured beef with a vegetable sauce.

Hi,

In September, fifille and I are committed to a mushroom cooking demo for the North American Mycological Association meeting in NW Wisconsin.

Culinary Historians hosted Naomi Duguid discussing her experiences in Persia. I will make her Emmer Mushroom Pilaf using wheat berries. There will be side of homemade yogurt to eat with it. It won't be frozen, because it will be accompanied with fresh herbs to eat with it.

Looking forward to Sunday!

Regards,
Cathy2

Making a request for future exchanges. Could we all make some sort of label on the containers. It doesn't have to be fancy, a simple piece of tape with the name of the dish on the lid would be fine by me. I just find that we end up with unidentifiable containers in our freezer and gets difficult to figure out what we are eating.

Thanks in advance.

Sharon

You have no sense of adventure

Yes. I will put a label.

Looked like paella to me! Tasted, too. I'll try. Many times I am in such a rush that I'm literally boxing it hot to go at 6:30 am and then throwing it in a cooler.

Food Nut wrote:Looked like paella to me! Tasted, too. I'll try. Many times I am in such a rush that I'm literally boxing it hot to go at 6:30 am and then throwing it in a cooler.

Food has arrived hot in the past, so this is not a surprise!

Hi,

A rare appearance of Mom1 and Mom2, if they don't change their minds at the last moment.

Regards,
Cathy

Greetings. Looking like Caribbean pork w/plaintains!

Food Nut wrote:Greetings. Looking like Caribbean pork w/plaintains!

Looks good!

Bring four containers each to share!

Regards,
Cathy2