PDX Food Swap Meets Hip Girl's Guide to Homemaking

We've been craving sunshine in Portland almost as much as juicy tomatoes and rosy red cherries, and last Friday night, by a lovely stroke of fortune, the happy-to-please-you weather gifted PDX Food Swappers with a balmy evening for enjoying good food and company in honor of Kate Payne's visit to town.

Since her April book release, Kate has been mixing and mingling with Food Swap friends all around the country on her Hip Girl's Guide to Homemaking book tour, and PDX Swappers and Lost Arts Kitchen eagerly played hostess as she made her way through the Pacific Northwest stretch.

Location: Lost Arts Kitchen, NE Portland

Setting: The perfectly warm, slightly breezy, blooming-with-color, and bustling-with-chickens back yard.

Note: PDX Food Swap = Delicious Swap Potluck.

So many delectable choices on the menu!

Swap items too numerous to count...

Onion Jam and Caramelize Onion Marmalade

Homemade Bruschetta

Pickled Asparagus

Basil Strawberry Syrup

Canned Nectarines

Green Tomato Relish

Dijon Mustard with Balsamic, White, and Red Wine Vinegars

Home Canned Heirloom Tomatoes

Honey Sweetened Applesauce

Salsa Verde

Wine Jelly

Cranberry Jelly

Raspberry, Blueberry, Strawberry Jam

Honey Sweetened Apricot Habanero Jam

Strawberry Rhubarb Dessert Sauce

Blueberry Muffins

Chocolate Caramel Apples

Gluten Free Quinoa Chocolate Cake

Fresh Herbs

Home Brewed Kombucha

Espresso Syrups

Homemade Granola

Smoked Almonds

Plum Liqueur

Ginger Brews...and so much more!

Friends from all over the city (NW, NE, SW, SE) and from the corners of the internet...
@beermusingskris
@bethanyrydmark
@biblioholicbeth

@hipgirls
@lostartskitchen
@sarahgilbert
(Were you there? Send a note with your Twitter handle, and I'll add your name to the list!)

Kate, graciously signing copies and chatting with new friends...

I believe Kate sold out of her rental-car-trunk-stash of Hip Girl's Guides, and my friend, Miranda, let me know that she picked up the last copy at Powell's Books just a week ago (hopefully they've replenished the shelves by now?). In the meantime, you may snatch one of the in-stock copies at Amazon, or place a hold at the local library!

For tidbits on other recent tour stops and Food Swaps, see posts and picture collections from our regional neighbors:

SF Swappers
Grow & Resist
Seattle Seedling
Bellingham Food Swap


Bethany, Chris, and Kate

Connect with Kate/Hip Girl's Guide to Homemaking:
Hip Girl's Online | Facebook | @hipgirls

Connect with the PDX Food Swap:
Web | Facebook | @pdxswappers

Connect with Chris Musser at Lost Arts Kitchen:
Lost Arts Kitchen | Facebook | @lostartskitchen

Thank you so much to each of you who make up our community: we are blessed with such terrific Portland-area devotees of food culture and friendship. It's an honor to swap food and stories and inspiration.

Safe travels to Kate and Joann as they finish the West Coast Tour, and thank you especially to Chris for opening her home to host the evening!

If you're itching to swap...keep your eyes and ears open! We've just announced the date for the Summer Swap (Saturday, June 30, 2011at 7pm at Abby's Table), and more details will follow soon...

~Bethany