Since I was a kid I’ve always been fascinated with gatherings of people – markets, sales, expos, parties, meetings and the like – and I’ve always been a fan of local markets. There’s a certain hive of activity as locals and visitors peddle their wares, network and catch up. Markets are the oldest form of organised trade, flourishing long before shops, supermarkets and shopping malls. In small towns and villages the world over, they are still the only or major source of survival. In cities around the world the market fever has spread, with cities having major traditional markets as well as smaller newer locally focused markets and gatherings.

Inspired by markets, and also the power of community coming together to share produce, knowledge, skills, ideas, networking and so much more, and motivated by the gatherings that other communities are holding around the world, we kicked off the first crop swap in Brisbane in March 2012. Called Green Dean’s Crop Swap, it took a while to take hold, and once it did, it took on a life of its own. Here’s an insight into what happened over our first year.

• On the fresh autumn morning of Sunday 25 March, we held the first crop swap. Friends Mario and Ros Bono, Fiona West and Susan McKinnon were the only four to attend that morning. We had a nice morning tea and swapped a few things.
• The second crop swap was on Saturday 21 April. Mario and Ros were the only two people to attend, so we swapped a few things and had morning tea.
• The third crop swap was on Saturday 19 May. We had a spike of 11 people attend, including Nancy Kent, Deeca and Ruth Nicholls, Rex Anderson, Rolf Kuelsen, Michele Binstadt, Ameley and Amatey. The free presentation was on wicking by Lyn Buffett from Logan Food Gardeners.
• Our fourth crop swap was held on Saturday 23 June. 6 people attended, including Julie Ross, Tazia Gaisford, Dean and Angelina Schmidtchen, and Angelina’s mother. We sat around the fire for morning tea. The free presentation was on rare breeds of domestic animals.
• Sunday 22 July saw our fifth crop swap. Again 6 people attended. The free presentation was a sourdough pancakes cooking demo for morning tea by Ros and Mario Bono.
• We were unable to hold a crop swap in August because we were away.
• The sixth crop swap was on Saturday 22 September. The free presentation was on seed saving by Tazia Gaisford. Over 15 people attended. The quantity, quality and variety of produce shared and swapped made it a very special morning. The interesting thing about this day was that it was going to be the last crop swap. Min and I discussed whether it was worth continuing with reasonably low numbers at each gathering. This date was make or break and it made it. We were so pleased and numbers for crop swaps from then on grew and grew.
• Saturday 27 October was our seventh crop swap. 20 people attended, including Mel Kettle, Peter and Mary Wickes, Rolf Kuelsen, Keryn Musgrave, Sally French, Kellie and Nigel Goldthorpe, plus kids, Julie Ross, Gen and Phil, Nancy Kent, Helen Flitcroft, Matt and Katrina Rogers, Deeca, Rob and Ruth Nicholls, and Mario and Ros Bono, who presented the free talk on the benefits of eating fermented foods, with tastings.
• Our eighth crop swap was on Sunday 18 November. The free presentation on starting your own crop swap saw 15 people attend on a very wet morning.
• Our ninth and last crop swap for 2012 was held on Sunday 16 December. The free presentation was on what’s planned for 2013, followed by a sausage sizzle, with around 25 people attending.
• The tenth and first crop swap for 2013 was on Saturday 26 January, Australia Day. Despite serious flooding across SE Qld, the morning was fine and around 20 people attended. The free presentation was on DIY organic fertilisers.
• And our eleventh crop swap took place on Sunday 24 February. The free presentation was on making your own paper by Genevieve Robey and Jewel West from Carindale Connect. The morning was attended by around 30 people.

So, it’s grown from humble beginnings to become a regular event for many locals and many from across SE Qld. They have all made Green Dean’s Crop Swap a special, warm and sharing place to come, and as host, I am so pleased with the loyalty and commitment of those who come along with such an amazing array of fresh produce from their gardens and farms and amazing food from their kitchens. We’ve seen an abundance of vegetables, fruit, herbs, ornamental plants, seeds, seedlings, cuttings, flowers, homemade fertilisers, worms, pots, recycled and recyclable goods, cakes, muffins, biscuits, baked goods, raw desserts, drinks, fermented goods, chickens, ducks, clothing, crafts, books and magazines, and so much more.

That’s what we’ve all achieved in just a year! On March 25, Green Dean’s Crop Swap will be one year old. We’re planning more for the crop swap, and hoping others in the community take up our challenge to start crop swaps – whatever you choose to call them – in their own homes, streets, groups and communities. But more on that and our other crop swap plans in another post coming up.

To everyone who regularly attends Green Dean’s Crop Swap, especially Ros and Mario Bono, who have rarely missed one since the first day, a heartfelt thank you from Min and I.

To see photos from crop swaps on Facebook please visit:

2012 crop swap photos

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.359582994106584.84785.100001646608660&type=3

2013 crop swap photos

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.484074948324054.111933.100001646608660&type=3