Tag Archive for: apple

levi-jams

Helping others to help themselves.

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Summer has been and gone, and we are now leading up to the end of the year and all the frenzy that goes with it. For Accumul8 that means one major creative activity – the making and selling of the Accumul8 Preserves with a Purpose, which we make from surplus fruit donated by the community and then sell to raise money for Accumul8 to continue to do the good work that it does.

There is one chief preserve maker at the hostel, Levi, who helps every week to make the Accumul8 jams and chutneys. I am proud to say that Levi is paid by Accumul8, but even more proud that Levi now feels valued and is incentivised by the project and wants to build a future for himself.

He’s pictured helping to label the Accumul8 jams and chutneys, the “Preserves with a Purpose.”

Recently, Accumul8 were very kindly given space at Spitalfields Art Market to sell photographs taken by our group of photographers (who have been affected by homelessness) and who participated in this year’s workshops. It is always good to connect with the public and talk about our work and what we set out to achieve. It’s even better when the participants do this, it’s amazing for them to see their work on display, but even more so when they do the talking and selling as the reward goes far beyond the sale.

Sam talks to the public about his photographs, Spitalfields Art Market: October 2015

Sam talks to the public about his photographs, Spitalfields Art Market: October 2015

Sometimes, there are community heroes that want to help Accumul8. Sometimes it’s people that have some time or skills to share, or people living locally that have surplus fruit that they want to donate for the jams and chutneys, they are all very lovely and very appreciated (it would be impossible to run Accumul8 without this type of help) and my thanks to them is extensive. But today, my special thanks goes to a new business In Crouch End, Burgers@N8, a business that has decided to support Accumul8 and show that you can run a business, do good in the community and succeed! They are truly very lovely indeed and deserve every success. Thank you Burgers@N8 – we love you!x

burgers

This burger supports Accumul8!

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Branding, MP’s in a pub and an apple education.

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On Thursday evening, the wonderful James Bridgman, who is a fellow co-director of The Crouch End Festival, came and met with Accumul8 attendees at the YMCA to help work out the branding and identity for the project. It was really interesting to discuss the “personality” of Accumul8, the message we wanted to convey and how we wanted to communicate that visually with our audience.

So, after an evening of looking and comparing various looks for the Accumul8 brand, we can now tick off the typeface, colours, text and image for our labels and, eventual, website. Accumul8 even has a strapline now – “Preserves With A Purpose”, which is pretty neat I think! More work to do, but we are definitely on our way!

Friday was cook, cook, cook with 24 jars of apple. pear and lemon chutney being made. One of which was given to Lynne Featherstone, the local MP, who asked to meet with me to find out more about Accumul8 and how it is helping the YMCA residents gain skills, confidence and routes back into employment. As she said, “It’s a win, win, win project”. Indeed it is, thankyou to the ever supportive David Winskill who made this meeting happen. And most importantly, I found out that our local MP’s office is above The Three Compasses pub on Hornsey High Street – pints and politics for all?

And another great big thank you must go to Transition Crouch End and Urban Harvest who organised a really inspiring celebration of all things Apple at their Apple Day –  whoever thought I’d be so interested and obsessed with the number of things that you can do with apples… I came away from The Apple Day with a bounty of cooking apples and the opportunity to sell Accumul8’s chutneys and jams at their Green Christmas Fair on Saturday 30th November at Hornsey Vale Community Centre, Mayfield Road (as well as witnessing people attempting to peel the longest apple peel). Bumper bonus!

Yippee – we’re in chutney-making business!

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Yesterday, Daniel, Garfield and I spent the afternoon making green tomato, apple and ginger chutney. It was a mammoth adventure of chopping, weighing, cooking, stirring and potting. All done in a military (ish) fashion, with a few jokes and no major disasters.

Daniel has become an expert in chopping (but not onions) and Garfield has excelled in his washing and clearing up skills, really, he has an exceptional, and much admired, skill in making the kitchen look spik and span after our cooking escapades.

But, what’s more exciting, (is there anything more exciting than chutney?, I hear you ask…) is that today we sold our first two jars of chutney! Yippee!! My Crouch End Festival friend, Amanda, came over for coffee and came away with a jar of spicy apple chutney and a jar of green tomato and ginger chutney.

chutney stirring

Congratulations Amanda – you are Accumul8’s first ever customer! (Let’s hope the first of very many!)