Got a garden full of surplus veggies and nothing to do with them? Or perhaps you made a few too many jars of prickly-pear jelly last year and there they sit, lonely and unused, on the pantry shelf. Worry not, Food Swap Tucson can help.

The group aims to create a network where local cooks, gardeners and otherwise food-oriented folks can trade or barter handmade, homemade or foraged goods. You can visit its blog here.

Tucson has needed this sort of thing for a long time and I am thrilled to see it taking root. This city is teeming with talented cooks, gardeners and others who could make such an event a wonderful addition to our local culinary scene, and gathering them all in one place would create a sort of think tank that could germinate other great ideas.

Count me in for this one. I will be bringing fresh-baked rosemary bread to the first event on Sunday, April 1, provided I receive an invitation (hint, hint). You can sign up for the group's mailing list over here.