Port Kembla's crop swap is not just about fresh produce, it's a fresh way of thinking about food.

Every third Saturday, from 10-10:45am, locals gather on the lawns of Port Kembla Community Centre to swap homegrown produce, plants, preserves, recipes and ideas.

“It enables people to acquire a diversity of fresh produce, grown locally without the need for money or shopping at supermarkets,” said Port Kembla crop swap co-facilitator Jess Whittaker.

“We share ideas and stories about our produce before we start, so people know where things have been lovingly grown or prepared and by who.”

Jess's co-facilitator is Berbel Franse. The two women share a love of bike riding and surfing, and met by chance a year ago in the ocean at Port Kembla.

“We already knew of each other as Berbel is a local food advocate having worked for Hidden Harvest and Healthy Cities for some years, while I’ve been involved with the Illawarra Greens for a number of years,” Jess said.

Berbel has worked for Fair Food and had the idea of a regular crop swap, but she wasn’t sure how to get the ball rolling in a new community.

“Jess had been doing a lot of community volunteering for the past few years and just thought it was such a cool idea, and the best way to start it would be to just put it out there and see who turns up, then tweak it as we go,” Berbel said.

Twenty people came to the first crop swap and regulars are still attending a year on.

Purpose of the crop swap

Apart from swapping produce, locals can learn important lessons, starting with how to garden and grow their own food. They will also be reducing food waste, cutting back on pesticide/chemical use and intake, and having a positive impact on the environment.

Crop swappers may learn how to make new goods and take steps towards becoming self-sufficient, decreasing their reliance on commercially grown food and supermarkets. And, of course, they'll be saving money!

Why we need fresh ideas

“The crop swap is exciting because it’s radical. It cuts out supermarkets by motivating the community to produce their own food and then redistribute it amongst themselves without money,” Jess said.

The crop swap functions without a committee, board or oversight from council or any other organisation, requiring only a venue and a few community centre tables to display the wares.

“The community centre is owned by Wollongong City Council but operated by Our Community Project, who let us use the tables and lawn area,” Jess said.

The event unifies people from different cultures, socioeconomic backgrounds and gardening philosophies.

“We all come together and make new connections and share ideas, there’s something really magic about that.”

Enjoy food with benefits

Crop swaps have a phenomenal impact. They help people make new friends, build community spirit and togetherness, and boost their mental health.

“Each swap is a delicious educational experience, sparking flavourful conversations on sustainable growing techniques, preserving methods, and the art of seed-saving,” Berbel said.

“The monthly rhythm of swaps serves as a gentle nudge to grow more and more of our own food. Bringing home new seeds and seedlings after each swap that diversifies our gardens and encourages us to grow a bounty to bring to the next crop swap – a glut of zucchinis will never be a problem again!”

A passion for all things green

For Jess – who is running as the Greens candidate for Ward 1 and Lord Mayor in September's local government elections  – a crop swap is just the start. She has more green ideas for Wollongong.  

“Like supporting people in affordable homes to more environment-friendly modes of transport. I’m really passionate about active transport because I believe bikes are the answer to so many of our modern problems, from poor health, pollution, mental health and solving traffic problems," Jess said.

“We waste far too much money on building new roads while ignoring other solutions, we need to make it safe and easy for people to move about our whole city which is going to take a really progressive council to make it happen!”

Crop swaps are also held at Unanderra and Lake Conjola, and the Bulli crop swap has been revived after finding a new venue at Millers Bakehouse.

“We think crop swaps will grow as people are feeling the need to connect with the community and seeking viable options for diversifying their food supply outside of the supermarket duopoly,” Jess said.

To launch your own crop swap, watch this video, gather a few friends and get started!