Update:
Becky has offered to hostess Novembers swap. Thank you Becky! :)

NOVEMBER, The Great Feast - Becky/Booberry85
stuff we eat on Thanksgiving.
There are winter apples, sweet potatoes, potatoes, onions, brussels, cabbage, squash of all winter types, corn, beets and all the incredible dishes that are made on Thanksgiving. Cranberries, carrots, nuts, string beans, celery,pumpkins,squash. :D

Update Update LOL

Bonnie originally offered to host the November swap, I made a boo boo! :)

NOVEMBER, The Great Feast - Bonnie/Highalttransplant
stuff we eat on Thanksgiving.
There are winter apples, sweet potatoes, potatoes, onions, brussels, cabbage, squash of all winter types, corn, beets and all the incredible dishes that are made on Thanksgiving. Cranberries, carrots, nuts, string beans, celery,pumpkins,squash. :D

Just a friendly bump:)

While I am here, it has been brought up that the September swap theme, School Spirit, might be a difficult idea to find seeds for.
With that said, does anyone oppose changing the theme for the month of Septmeber?
And also, if you do not mind the change, please reply with some suggestions for a new theme. I have a few ideas already, but I know that some of you out there have great ideas too!
Obviously we have a while to figure it all out, so no rush, but thought it would be fun to think of some new ideas if everyone agrees that it is ok to change it :)
Christy

Ideas? You know I'm full of them! Here we go!

1. Economic Recovery Swap (bad name I know. I'm hoping someone can come up with a better name.): Anyway my Mom loves to toss around the phrase, " Use it up. Wear it out. Make Do. Do without." It's actually a phrase from the Great Depression, but Mom was born until 1943. Anyway, the idea would be to trade only those things you already have. Don't buy anything new for the swap.

2. Second Time Around: This would be for items you can get a second crop in one year. Examples: peas, lettuce, summer squash, kohlrabi, radishes, beans, etc.

3. Big & Small: Trade those things that are big, goliath, giant, mammoth, etc and those things which are small, tiny, munchkin, mini, etc. Examples are Goliath Tomatoes, current Tiny Tim tomatoes, Dill's Atlantic Giant pumpkins, mini bell peppers, etc.

4. Just Desserts: Those crops you would eat for dessert or are named after a dessert. Example: melons, strawberries, cherries, Chocolate Peppers, Cotton Candy pumpkins, Orange Strawberry tomatoes, etc.

5. Three Sisters: Corn, beans & squash!

Yep! You knew I was full of it!
'

WOW! I knew you would be right on this Becky! LOL!

Great Ideas! I like them all! Especially 2nd Time around and 3 Sisters!

I think that broke the record with Becky coming up with fast ideas! LOL Awesome ideas!!! :) Great job Becky. :) I really like 1,2 and 5.

SO I guess noone has any objections to changing the September swap? I think either the Second Time Around or 3 Sisters would be good replacements.

Also, a lot seem to like the ecnomic idea of sharing only seeds that we all have already in order to have a nice trade without the money spending. Maybe the "Economic Seed Stimulus PAckage" ? LOL!I know Becky is much better at names than me!

Anyway, there was an interest of doing a swap like this soon, being

1- we could all benefit from a swap that does not include having to buy anything for anybody.

2- it is a good time to do so now because everyone had bought a bunch of new seeds recently for the season, and probably have a lot of left over goodies that they have not had a chance to share yet. Usually eveyrone's boxs are pretty full around planting time.

3- Seeds are more expensive this year because more and more people are growing their own produce due to the price raises in the food stores.

So, it would be nice if we could work this theme in soon, since everyone is affected by the economy in some way and I am sure a swap like this would have great popularity now.

So, we can either change the Celebrate the States swap theme and do this swap instead

or

We can just have this swap as a side swap, like Becky's Clean Out Swap was.

What does everyone think?
Christy

Ditch the States! We need an Economic Seed Stimulus Swap now!
(but that's just my own opinion)

Ditch the Celebrate the States theme! I love the Economic Seed Stimulus idea! Not that I'm opposed to buying seeds, LOL, but I've got plenty in my seed stash already. If we are doing it in September, a lot of folks will also have freshly harvested seeds out of their own garden. Maybe we could include some of those as well?

Bonnie

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diene

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I am good with what everyone wants. :) I will say ditch the states and Switch to a Seed Stimulus! LOL

bump...

So since the Seed Stimulus is a side swap, what's the September theme going to be?

Either 3 Sisters or the Second Time Around idea! Should we have a vote for which one?

Well, since I don't have room to grow corn or squash, I guess I'll vote for Second Time Around, LOL.

Here I go thinking again! Can you tell I'm procrastinating working on my reports? Anyway how about an "In the Buff" swap! For those things that are buff colored or named after things that are in the buff. There are a number of winter squash that fit the color theme like Long Island Cheese, or you could send Lady Godiva pumpkin seeds, Peter Pepper seeds, etc. What you think?

Hey I am putting in my vote fot either "Biggest/Smallest" or "In the Buff"

I love the biggest/smallest idea because that will be a good challenge ....and I like in the buff, well cuz it so darn sexy ROTFLMBO!!

Donna! ROFL!!!

September will be changed to 3 Sisters swap. And what about the July swap seeing that it is coming up soon, is everyone in favor of changing it too?

Kathy :)

I'm open to anything, Kathy. If people want the July one changed, I'm good with that.

Bump! Wanting to know what July's theme will be.

Ok ladies how about 2nd Time Around for July? I think this is the time most people will start planning their gardens again and should be a great time for this swap. Unless you all wish for another theme, just post your responses and we'll go from there. :)

Since this is such a short notice for the change, Christy and I have decided that either she or I will host the July swap. Next year we promise to do better with the swaps we set for each month, we're still working out all the kinks and Christy is helping to figure out what swaps will fit that particular time of year so we hopefully start getting a better turn out for these swaps. :) If you have any questions please feel free to either post them here or privately email me or Christy. :)

Thanks!
Kathy :D

Second Time Around would be perfect for this time of year! We would be getting seeds just in time to plant for a fall crop. So Yes, I vote for Second Time Around too!

Ya'll DO realize when I said I would take the states I started doing RESEARCH to gather state named seeds don't cha know? I KNEW I shouldn't LOL. All the planning and everything and deciding what will be what, THEN....ya'll go and change your minds! (Good thing I have misplace the notebook I wrote them down in LOL)
Ok, well good thing that is a woman's prerogative right? I think ya'll just work hard to confuse me....heck, I DON'T need help in THAT area hehe. I KNOW why Kathy decided to change it and change who is HOSTING it.....she is tired of having to remind me it is TIME to POST THE NEW THREAD FRAN! Ain't that right Kathy? THAT'S the REAL reason, come on tell me...no really is that it? (sniff, sniff) I was gonna remember THIS one really I was.... I had done gone writ it down an t'all....

:o Fran (slinking away in shame)

Heck no, Fran. Why in the world would you think that?!?! lol No biggie. :D

We've had a lot of different issues come up through private emails that are nudging us in the right direction with the swaps in order to make the group easier to manage and keep everyone interested at the same time. We're getting it together slowly but surely, all I ask is that everyone bare with us. :)

bump...

Bump! We're doing Second Time Around for July's swap to replace Celebrate the States. Is that correct?

Thanks Becky for finding this thread!

Yes, I will be posting in a few days, for IH, Second TIme Around for July. It will be a great time of year for this one, since we will all be getting seeds that we need to plant in August for our fall harvests!

I have an idea, and please feel welcome to share your thoughts! I wrote this on the IE event thread also.

I was thinking of linking the IE and IH swaps together someway to save people money. I was thinking that is you want to join both swaps, that I would give you the SAME partner in both swaps, this way you only have to ship to one person for both swaps. And maybe you would only have to send 5 packs for each swap?

You dont have to sign for both swaps but if you do, I will put the same people together. I am just trying to think of a way that saves everyone some money, and hopefully still have a nice turn out. What do you guys think?

Christy

I think that's a great idea, and what better plan than to save some cash while we're having fun? :)

Kathy

*Yep, I'm back! :D But first I'm on a mission for find out what happened to Jeanne's package. grrrr

Kathy, glad you're back amongst the living!

LOL me too! Hopefully I'll be able to get back into my routine soon. I'm still soo busy it's just nuts! lol Then the kids got out of school for the summer Wednesday... oh my! :)

Bump :) Posted a swap for August!

Oh my Gosh!

My mind is backwards! I said I would take the September swap, and can the school spirit. I should be posting sooN! I guess because it is August, and this is the September swap, it did not hit me that this is next! LOL!

We can do something like an all bean swap? That was an idea of mine for the new calandar. Probably those small flat rate boxes would be good for that since beans are heavy. I was thinking of doing an all bean swap, where you send in the beans to me and I redistribute. You send in one of those $5 flat rate Priority boxes, and I will send yours back in the same box with money to cover exact postage? It is a few bucks more than the tomato swap, but that is because it is beans. I really want to do such a swap. But maybe I will wait on this one so it works.

Or, I had this as an idea. I am hosting Ethnic favorites in November, we can do that theme now, and then do the bean swap in November, after beans have been havested?

I dont know, just trying to think fast. But this bean swap I really want to be a "go" at some point, even if we wait for January or February or something. But I assume I will be doing the mass tomato swap again, so it may conflict with that in JAnuary.
Do you like the bean swap idea? Do you think people will not mind sending the $5 postage for a flat rate box? I just thought since beans are so heavy, that that would be actually cheaper sending flat rate then sending it by weight.

Any quick ideas if you do not like these? Becky, I know you are out there! LOL! We can wait, I am just thinking fast since I should be posting the September swap soon.

Any comments? Help please! LOL! Christy

BTW, I just realized that the Ethnic swap is IE, not IH. but if noone minded, I could still do the switch and do the Ethnic swap here this month, which would be a better choice for Ih I think anyway, and then do the bean swap in November, when all beans should be all harvested and dried/ I think September is too soon for beans, but I really want to do it soon.

So, both swaps I was hosting anyway, so it should not bother anything. So do you all mind if I do the Ethnic theme swap now as this months IH swap, and then do the bean swap over at IE in November? I really think it would be neat to do, and just the right time of year for beans.
Christy

It doesn't bother me any....I love the bean idea...but I don't know how many bean seeds I will have to send in as the beetles ate most of my plants earlier in the spring.... :(
Hopefully the few plants I have left will go gang busters for me during this Hot and Humid week and I will have something to contribute!!

Yeah! Ethnic now! Beans later! Love the idea of a bean swap!

ok, so noone minds the switch from group to group? I really think doing a bean swap around Oct/Nov would be awesome! Everyone's 2nd crop should be harvested by then I am thinking. Although, Donna, it does not have to be beans from your garden! It can be commecial beans too that you have extra of!

HAs anyone seen Kathy around?

Christy I'm sending you an email.