Hi, I’m Cindy, founder of Home Grown Fun. I’ve built world class school gardens, grown plants for the Seeds Across America Project and inspired people to enjoy nature since 2010!
Last year I sold out of my Swamp Gourmet items at the Virginia Beach Christmas Market. You can see the 2024 list below. Thank you for participating in this fun celebration of nature!
I am not selling at the 2025 Christmas Market and instead working out 2026 plans for a larger product line.
Read about 2024 products at the links below (sorry unavailable Christmas 2025):
- Smoked Salts sold out at the 2024 Market
- Hot Sauce Kit sold out at the 2024 Market
- Elderberry Vinegar sold out at the 2024 Market
- Swamp Snacks sold out not long after the 2024 Market on 12/2/24 by a very kind and wonderful lady who I appreciated very much.
- Swamp Spice almost sold out at the market. The last jars were picked up a few months later by a customer from the Christmas Market. Thanks again!
- Super fresh Mulled Wine Spice – first product to sell out in 2024
- Legendary Untamed Tea (exquisite black blend) – sold out in 2024
All of these products and more may be offered again someday. I spent a year inventing them! It’s just a matter of logistics and keeping my day job (funds my experiments).
The Inspiration(s)
My daughters are now at the stage where they thank me a lot for being a creative Mom! Along with my husband, we have been on many exciting and unforgettable adventures.
Swamp Gourmet was a concept born out of an appreciation for my local ecosystem, and especially the Great Dismal Swamp.
It is an experiment where I invent teas, snacks, cooking ingredients and creative products inspired by the “swamp” for nature-lovers and culinary explorers.
“Inspiration 1 and Inspiration 2” are my biggest supporters!
Not Your Ordinary Swamp
The name “Swamp Gourmet” takes people by surprise. I was excited to talk with many people that “got it” at the Virginia Beach Christmas Market. It’s a celebration of a natural phenomenon near Chesapeake, Virginia. This swamp is very different from the mangroves of Florida or the Louisiana Bayou.
I wrote a little more about the Great Dismal Swamp here and include links to other information from the US Fish and Wildlife Service and more resources.
Southeast Virginia is exciting and diverse, especially when it comes to plant life and what we can grow in the area.
The forested wetlands evoke a sense of adventure and many of us have great success with herbs and native plants such as elderberry, passionflower, blueberry, and persimmons. Let’s use those wonderful gifts and make something special!
Give Inspired Gifts!
I have regrettably purchased “junk” gifts out of desperation over the years. Every product I invented gives people the opportunity to gift something special to others or themselves.
The food scene in my region gives the home cook an opportunity to get creative. I surprise my family with new experiences and my girls experiment too in the kitchen. Swamp Gourmet gives us all an opportunity to use our imaginations.
Limited Supply
The products I make are of limited quantity due to the availability of ingredients. This endeavor will not be upsized to a manufacturing facility. I use my own fruitwood to smoke salts and I prep it a certain way to give flavor the salt beautifully – never leaving an acrid, harsh aftertaste.
The Virginia Beach Christmas Market (Facebook) was a bigger success than I had imagined, and I received lots of reinforcement that I should continue with Swamp Gourmet.
What makes Swamp Gourmet so special?
Many hours of research, experimentation and taste testing – and even coordination with food safety at Virginia Tech on proper ratios to abide by the law!
I grow cherry, persimmons and apple trees in my backyard. Through experimentation, I discovered a process where I can gently smoke salts and chili peppers to achieve a sweet essence that is more pleasant than the acrid, over–smoked salts on the market today.
- Learn more about Swamp Gourmet Smoked Salts and Seasonings.
The goal of the DIY Hot Sauce Kit is to inspire people to get creative. The gift box contains a variety of gourmet hot peppers, artisan maple brown sugar, seasonings, fancy bottles, a funnel, gloves and an original, glossy and professionally printed hot sauce guide that I wrote myself (and toiled over for months while testing the hot sauce).
- Get details about the Hot Sauce Kit.
Swamp Snacks is no longer a figment of my imagination. l set out to mimic wildlife and plants found in the Great Dismal Swamp by featuring ingredients that resemble the bright red plumes of woodpeckers, lichen, bark and more.
I infused elderberries with blueberry and juniper and dehydrated those along with my own persimmons.
- Get the scoop on why I think Swamp Snacks is the most creative and delicious grain-free granola in existence! I am sold out of Swamp Snacks and will let everyone known when back. It’s highly addictive!
Homemade elderberry syrup has been a staple in my house for over 10 years. With 8 elderberry bushes on my property, I discovered I love elderberry vinegar just as much.
After researching native plants such as wild cherry bark, juniper and muscadine grape, I set out to create a magical infused vinegar – you could compare it loosely to a balsamic.
The FireCider infused vinegar is a potent tonic that will knock the “dismal” out of you whether you use it on your food or drink it straight out. Look up “firecider” online for the basic idea. I can’t market the vinegars as drinks but you sure could sip on these or add them to cocktails.
- Get the scoop on the versatile and creative vinegars. I am sold out of the Elderberrry Vinegar and FireCiders.
When I came up with “Untamed Teas”, I thought I hit the nail on the head. That name evokes a sense of adventure and a willingness to embark on new and exciting flavor blends. I created teas I LOVE myself.
- Find out what goes into my teas and why.
I am sold out of teas and will let you know when available again.
If you have product requests or would like to ask for a bulk order (not wholesale), please emal me, Cindy, at swampgourmet@gmail.com
No native plants or fruits have been foraged from the wild. Because I am operating under cottage food law in Virginia I have limitations on what I can utilize from my own backyard. It took me over a year to arrive at a large number of ingredients that I can grow locally, source from organic providers, and share with the public while still adhering to regulations. I have food safety certification and have coordinated extensively with Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), as well as Food Testing at Virginia Tech! I’m proud of every product I make and am grateful for all the kind words and encouragement received at the VA Beach event over Black Friday weekend 2024. Swamp Gourmet is still a thing and I’m excited about its future.
If you are interested in making food under cottage food laws, research well. In Virginia, it is a Class 1 misdemeanor to sell homemade vanilla and other extracts in alcohol, elderberry syrup, sourdough starter (even dehydrated), and homegrown garlic food products without an inspected kitchen.
See Section § 3.2-5130 of the Code of Virginia. Also contact The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. If you live in a different state, research your state’s regulations.
To contact me directly, email Cindy at swampgourmet@gmail.com
