The summer months are a time when many of us are enjoying the sunshine and taking our meals outdoors. How about a swap to share the fun of outdoor dining with our partners?

We will send:

• one recipe for a picnic or barbecue-appropriate food or drinks. This should be on a recipe card or something similar (not just printed on paper from the internet). Recipe cards are typically 3 x 5 inches/76 x 127 mm OR 4 x 6 inches/102 by 152 mm.

• something edible for outdoor summer dining. Spend approximately $3 on this item. You may send one or more edible items in order to reach the spending limit. If there are directions in a language other than English, please translate.

• something inedible to make your partner's picnic experience more fun. Be creative! Handmade or store bought items are both acceptable. Some examples might be fancy paper plates, nice paper or cloth napkins, a simple tote bag to carry a picnic, party picks for finger foods, etc. The approximate value of the inedible item should also be $3.

• Include a short note to make it more interesting for your partner. You could tell them more about the edible you're sending, a summer memory, your summer plans this year, etc.

The usual rules also apply:

• Send foods in commercially sealed packaging for health and customs reasons. Be sure to check expiration dates before sending.

• Be courteous by sending our swaps on time and rating our partners when we receive. In the rare circumstance that you must be late, it is expected that you will contact both your partner and the swap host before the send-by date has passed.

• Package your swap appropriately to protect the contents. Zip-top baggies are smart for containing unexpected breaks and leaks. Boxes rather than envelopes should be used for fragile items. For example, chips, crackers, and cookies are all easily broken if not sent in a box. Semi-liquid, jarred items often pop their seals and leak in transit. Glass jars should be carefully wrapped and boxed. Even powdered things such as hot chocolate or sauce mixes can make a mess; so please put these in a plastic baggie or something similar to protect your package. We all appreciate the efforts taken to keep our swaps enjoyable.

Have a delicious summer!