Date: Saturday, February 26, 2011
TIME: noon to about 4 pm, we'll start the seed swap around 2
WHERE: Frederick, MD, Chef Lin Buffet (scroll down for directions)
WHAT: Eating Lunch and Swapping Seeds
WHO: DG subscribers and their guests (see list at bottom of post)
If you've never been to a DG Mid-Atlantic event, don't worry... we are a fun and casual group. Everybody brings their extra seeds to swap & share (it's very useful to make up little labeled packets ahead of time), everybody visits and talks, and everybody goes home with a nice selection of seeds to try! I wrote an article that may give you an idea about how this event goes: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1479/. This will be our fourth year for a midwinter seed swap here!
You may want to plan to come early so you can drop by Dutch Plant Farm, my favorite local nursery for winter visits! I wrote an article that has a lot of photos taken there, if you'd like an idea of what they are likely to have. http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/769/ If we're lucky, the truck will be back from FL by then with new plants.
At NOON we'll meet for lunch at Chef Lin, a local Chinese buffet that's one of my favorite Frederick restaurants. I'm hoping we'll have 20+ people, as we did last year, so we can use their back room, which gives us room to set up tables for name tags, door prizes, and seed swapping. The manager has been very accommodating, and she's happy to hear we're planning to return. Chef Lin Buffet, 417-A South Jefferson St., Frederick. 301-620-0664.
At 2 pm, we'll do a little thing and give away some door prizes. If you have something you'd like to donate as a prize, please Dmail me (so I know around how many items we'll have). Purchased items for the table should be under $5.
We'll concentrate on seed swapping from 2 to 3:30 pm or so. Of course, seeds can be swapped outside of that time, and of course anybody who doesn't want to swap seeds can just keep chatting and visiting. It's usually at least 4 pm by the time we all leave, so plan to make a day of it if you can.
Check out the "Seed Swapping" and "Have/Want Lists" threads in order to pre-arrange trades. It's not necessary to make any arrangements ahead of time, but it can be useful to see what people have and what everybody's looking for.
The cost for lunch will be $12 per person, inclusive. With the other seafood on the buffet (sushi, steamed shrimp & mussels, clams/oysters on the half shell, fried fish/shrimp/scallops, and various hot dishes), I've never felt the need for the snow crab, but it's an available option for several dollars more. The buffet has everything from soups and stir-fries to fried chicken and mozzarella sticks... there's salad, fruit, and an array of desserts, including soft-serve ice cream and hot little fried doughnuts. The selection is remarkable, and even if you don't like Chinese food you'll find plenty of possibilities.
We will all be on one tab, so please bring $12 in cash to pay for your lunch.
I know some folks might be on tight budgets. If the cost of the meal might keep you from coming, please Dmail me, and we'll get you covered. I don't want anybody to miss out.
Swapping of plants (with potting soil or dirt) that we can't bring inside can be done in the parking lot... the best time seems to be between 1:30 and 2. I know it's not an ideal arrangement, but bear in mind this was meant to be a seed swap. :-)
Please post on this thread if you're interested in coming. It's useful for the restaurant (and for me!) to have an approximate head count.
If you can't come but still want to swap seeds, please post here or on the seed swapping thread to ask somebody to volunteer to be your "seed fairy." You can post have/want lists, send your seeds and return postage to your person, and they'll send your seeds to you after the swap.
I had a blast at our previous seed swaps, and I'm so excited about this year's gathering!
THINK SPRING!
:-)
~ Critter (Jill)
This message was edited Jan 13, 2011 10:10 PM
