The Barter Experiment: One Year Out.
Here we are, a full year after the first barter. We have hosted 13 barters underneath the cedars at The Human Path, and it has come a long way from the first one where we set up a small collection of tables to give it a try. Since then, we went from a couple dozen curious traders up to a boisterous crowd of almost 80 people at one point, and have now settled into a nice crowd of about 4 dozen people who venture out each month to participate in the Barter Experiment.
One year later. Sitting under the junipers after this past Sunday's barter, several of us discussed how things have changed over the last year. Towards the beginning, the barter started with people who made a mad dash of trades at the start time, with a flurry of jams and homemade goods changing hands. One of our traders noted that now, the barter has mellowed, and people are more established and less frantic to get what they are looking for. Why? Because there is a trust thats been developed over time. We know that Emily will have ginger brew in her cooler and all we have to do is give her a wink or a nod and she'll put one aside for us. We know Samantha is the person to go to if we want fresh shelled pecans. And if she runs out, we know we can look her up in between barters and that she might ALSO have some tasty farm-grown meats as well. Folks know if you need eggs, you should look no further than Gerald, or Amy, or any number of regulars that bring farm goods they grew, raised and collected themselves. And if you are looking for someone who really does know pretty much everyone, and has a story to go with it, well, we've got Rick, affectionately now known as 'the tool guy' with his strange gadgets and an assortment of tools from the Alamo days. (just kidding, rick)
In short, we have a strong community that has grown where people who were strangers before are now friends. It isn't about 'the haul' or how much each person can go home with after the barter the way it started out, but it does still carry an excitement of what unexpected thing might show up, a hidden homestead treasure you'd been searching for so long you'd forgotten, but that Carol might just have found in her garage.
Our barterers noted that the barter has slowed and has more room for social interaction and that the brief 'social' afterwards is a nice chance for people to get to know each other better.
Where do we go from here? The Barter Experiment is part of our urban preparedness program, as a project to encourage locals to interact, to build community and to cultivate self-sustaining skills. Food swaps are popping up all over the country, with trendy venues and exciting homemade things to try. In the end, it still comes back to the basic concept of people TRADING with each other for something they created or something to do with being self sufficient, that makes it a project we intend to continue hosting indefinitely as long as there is interest.
This past weekend, our blacksmithing instructor did a demo for our barter to show off-grid (no electricity used!) forging of a knife blade from a salvaged coil from a car. Margo's kids got a chance to try their hand (with their mother's permission) at a real forge! It is this type of sustainable skill that we love and want to share with everyone. We would love to have a demo each month of a skill, whether it is baking, or firing a pizza from the new cob oven or wood-working, etc. The more skills we as a collective learn about, the more independent we can be.
So, whats next? The people that make up The Barter Experiment are re-creating local history by forming an active community that is savvy about the worth of their goods, strong with their now seasoned trading skills and welcoming of newbies and old friends alike.
If you haven't been out to a barter yet, put May 17th on your calendar and start making something to share at the picnic table afterwards, bring some recipe cards to share or start thinking about what you can trade to someone else who is looking....
See you all there. Thanks for making this a great project to undertake.
https://www.facebook.com/thehumanpathbarterexperiment