Now I know that we have barely begun our first swap, but I want you to keep your eyes open for an item that we will be doing a swap for in the future. I'm telling you now because it might take you a while to find this one.

In the future, I want to do a swap for a cookbook that is only found in your area. I don't know how things are done in the rest of the world, but here in my little corner, many ladies groups or church groups get together and make a cookbook and sell them as a fundraiser. Sometimes civic groups, schools, scouts, tourism groups etc. make these cookbooks up. Here they usually have recipes that members of the community have submitted rather than Betty Crocker or someone famous like that. It may be that your tourism bureau has one that features special foods from your area or put out by a popular restaurant or chef in your area.

I hope this is understandable. Please ask any questions you may have. I'm hoping that this is something you can find, though I expect it may take a while so we will not be doing this swap anytime soon.

Let me have your thoughts on this. If it turns out to not be something that most people can eventually get, we will not do the swap. I want the swaps to be fun for ALL the members.

My kind of swap Pat, I love hometown/regional cookbooks. :clown:

Great Idea! I don't know about your states, but you can't pass anything here that doesn't have their own cook books!

Susie in MN

What a lovely idea, Pat. These little recipe books are real gems! A NZ one would be in Metric, so I'd have to hope you Imperial folk could get your heads around the different measurements! :)

Maggie,
That's what metric conversation tables are for right. Actually I am not well versed in the metric system but my dd is. She has learned it for school and does a fine job translating for me. Of course you know that we will all be fighting to see who can get the cookbooks from the "down under" girls. :icon_wink

Pat, its interesting you should do this. Before I started fostering 16 years ago, I use to be a computer supervisor for a company that does these cookbooks. I'm not even sure they are still in business today. I loved that job, because it was always so neat to see what different towns and organizations sent for recipes and what they wanted in a cookbook.

Having said that, I have not seen any cookbooks for our area or any area nearby. Going to have to keep a close watch come spring when our yard sales start. They don't start here though until the middle of April and later if our weather is bad.

Great idea for a swap.

I love that idea Pat! :) I will have to see what I can find. I know as a girl in Illinois the local churches and gymnastic associatons and things would always have these for sale. I have not seen any lately, but I will pay more attention now! :)

What a smashing idea!

This is my first post here. Actually I haven't even looked around the site yet....but I have one of those cookbooks right here from a local church. I bought it from a co-worker several years ago. My question to you is.....would you be swapping recipes out of these cookbooks......or the whole book?

hb.

This is my first post here. Actually I haven't even looked around the site yet....but I have one of those cookbooks right here from a local church. I bought it from a co-worker several years ago. My question to you is.....would you be swapping recipes out of these cookbooks......or the whole book?

hb.

Hi Hunybby,
My thought was to swap the entire recipe book. I think it would be neat to have something from another persons area. When we get to the swap I sure hope you can participate. Look forward to seeing more posts from you.

Can it be from a used bookstore? I ask because I have seen some at the used bookstore, but haven't anywhere else yet. I can contact our tourism bureau though. I'm sure there has to be something or even our local bookstore that sells new books. I need to check it out before joining.

Just wondering if "used" but in good condition is acceptable or not in case I can't find any new cookbooks elsewhere.

Sara,
Used but good condition is perfectly fine. I would have no problem receiving it and I don't think anyone else would either. In case we ever do something with a vintage book, it would have to come from a used source. I'm hoping we can do this one in May. That should give everyone some time to find one.

On another note - I'm pondering another swap before the cookbook, once all the potholders are delivered. I'll let everyone know as soon as I decide (assuming that everyone is enjoying our first swap).

The community cookbook swap sounds good to me. I have several older cook books, but I'm afraid I would never be able to part with them because of who gave them to me and where they came from.

Let us know about the new swap!

Susie in MN

Pat - this sounds like a wonderful idea!! I know just where to go to get one too!

If all goes well, this will be the next swap; sometime in May I hope.

The "sisters" are doing a family cookbook. That would be cool wouldn't it? We just ordered. I don't know if they'll be ready in May.

A wonderful idea, but how do you swap?Do we send the books by Mail? This part of Oz seems to be fairly prolific with local cookery books. A wonderful way to raise money for local groups.
I Think its an excellent swap, just need to know the mechanics,and like N.Z. we are metric. Judie

Hi Judie,
Yes we send the books by mail and I will post all the particulars and have a sign up early in May. As for the metrics, don't worry. I'll find a way to make that work out and anyway, we should all learn them. My dd teaches them to me and she's only 10. I'm glad that there are plenty of cookbooks available near you. I look forward to knowing you better.

I find that quite a lot of the fund-raising recipe books have a mixture of metric & imperial. It seems that there are still a lot of folk (probably my age & older!) who haven't totally made the transition.
I find the best way to cope is to have scales that show both...and then it doesn't matter what the recipe uses. I'm comfortable using either measurements.

Pat, I missed this somehow (probably in all the hassle of moving and not having internet for a few day's)

I just want to say as usual you have come up with a wonderful idea.

:rockon:

Hi Pat! Hope things are settling down for you. I was just wondering when we might do the swap?

Susie in MN

I will be posting the details and the sign up list for this swap as soon as the windchimes have all been delivered. Probably within a week.

Thanks Pat... I am in on this one.

Official cookbook swap sign up is now a thread under Summer Kitchen. Please sign up there. I'll let the sign up go for a bit before I assign names. Also, please only sign up if you are genuinely interested in doing the swap