It just keeps getting better....

For this month's exchange, our members shared: Green and red tomatoes, peppers, Meyer lemons, sour oranges, walnuts, tangerines, pomegranates, rosemary, persimmons, basil, banana bread and sage. I tried a persimmon for the first time ever in a green salad with pomegranate dressing and it was fabulous! Someone recommended that I try dried persimmon-that it's like candy! Let me know what you did with your items if you get a chance!

Our October and November 2010 Exchanges!

As usual we had a great exchange of veggies, fruit and herbs! We shared pears, eggplant, basil, green onions, zucchini, green tomatoes, roma tomatoes and more! Three MercedShares members went to the farm tour for the TD Willey Community Supported Agriculture(CSA) and it was so inspiring to see where they grow our food and how they grow it. Then we went and had delicious fresh pressed pomegranate juice at the farm next door.

Our next exchange happens on Saturday, November 20.

Don't forget to set your clocks back one hour on Sunday, November 7!

Our next exchange is Saturday, October 30!

Hello, life got a little hectic and we didn't have an exchange in September, but we are on for October! One purpose of these exchanges is to reduce wasted food. Recently I heard about a blog created by Jonathan Bloom that discusses some practical and interesting ways to prevent the food waste in this country. Go to http://www.wastedfood.com and click on the tab that says Act! I'm also adding the link to our page.

Who knew this could be so much fun?

Another amazing exchange! This time we had HOMEMADE fresh pesto, kabocha(japanese pumpkin), nectarines, zucchini, yellow squash, organic Kokuho Rose brown rice from Dos Palos, roma tomatoes, apples, rosemary, thyme, basil, cucumbers, and sweet yellow peppers.

What I love about these exchanges is that they are fun! We talk about food(of course), learn about the produce and how it is grown, and catch up on what's new since the last time we saw each other.

Thanks to everyone that participated! Our next exchange: Saturday, September 25!

De-lish!

Despite the oppressive heat, MercedShares friends came out to represent! We had nectarines, peaches, plums, cherry tomatoes, red cabbage, green onions, yellow squash, zucchini, red onions, chives, basil, rosemary, oregano and mint. Isn't summer wonderful? Got an abundance in your garden? Don't toss it out or let it go to waste. Come and join us next month!

Our next exchange will happen on July 17, 2010

Is your garden in full bloom? Sometimes you have to just accept that you didn't get to have the garden you wanted for this season, but isn't the process still fun? Did you plant anything new? Or did you stick with the tried-and-true? Share your ideas with us!

We are still here!

Merced Shares is still alive and kicking! Last month we had a great exchange- homemade bread, herbs, sour lemons, oranges and more!

Members, stay tuned for news of our April exchange. Interested in joining us? Send an email to mercedshares@yahoo.com and let us know. We are approaching the summer season and will have lots to share!

A Brand New Year of Exchanges!

Welcome to 2010 and a new year of Merced Shares exchanges! We took a break in December for the holidays, however we will be having our first exchange of the year on Saturday, January 23. Take a look below where you can listen to the latest episode of KCRW's Good Food program. It's a great program where you can learn about the movers and shakers in the world of food. This is where we got inspired to start Merced Shares! Please see the link to the left to contact us and find out more about what we do.