JarSquad and All Way Apples have teamed up to bring two great food celebrations to Plymouth! 

Who are we?

JarSquad makes jams and preserves using surplus ingredients, collective know-how, and shared effort. We gather at monthly Assemblies which are open to the public, in the Jabulani food court at The Plot in on Union Street. Working as a squad, we turn surplus food into tasty jars (and more!) which we share in our solidarity economy.

All Ways Apples is an annual apple festival led by Tess Wilmot full of local food, cookery demos, creativity and skill sharing, which runs alongside a series of Community Apple Pressing events at community gardens & orchards around Plymouth.

What are we planning?

The money we raise through this campaign will go towards funding this year's All Ways Apples activities and a BRAND NEW preserves-focussed festival we're developing together in Plymouth called PICKLE JAM. 

The main All Ways Apples Festival will happen on 30th October at Devonport Guildhall, with additional 'On Tour' events happening at a range of communities across Plymouth (including Stonehouse, Keyham & Stoke Village).

At the All Ways Apples Festival you'll be able to share the Half-Term fun with:

• Activities for everyone - old and young!
• Food demos
• Apple pressing & sampling the juice
• Creative & crafty activities
• Taste local apples
• Local food stalls, selling delicious things to eat on site & take home

What is PICKLE JAM?

PICKLE JAM is a cosy, welcoming, fun event bringing some of the joy and fun of a traditional county fair to the city. We're inviting home-cooks who enjoy making preserves to competitively enter their jams, sauces, chutneys, pickles, ferments, fruit leathers, vinegars, cordials - and find out if they are Best In Show!  

Attendees of PICKLE JAM will get to taste lots of great things, hang out and meet other people, share skills, exchange knowledge or have a go at a hands-on workshop printing with food-waste or making a tasty fermented food.

The PICKLE JAM planning committee includes community stalwarts from Royal Adelaide Arts & Yoga; The Hedgerow Hound; JarSquad, and All Ways Apples, whose combined events-skills, commitment to community and love of creative exchanges will make this debut event extra special! 

The date and venue for PICKLE JAM are still TBC, but we're planning that this will happen sometime in February 2025 in an easy-to-access city centre venue in Plymouth.

Ways to support:

You're donations and support for the All Ways Apples & Pickle Jam festivals will help us to cover the costs involved in making both of these events happen, (in particular community engagement!) in a way that is meaningful and sustainable to the teams involved. 

You can simply make a donation, or select one of our extra special rewards which have been so generously offered by our awesome dawsome community, some of who we're so chuffed to have as project partners. 

There will be new rewards added so keep checking back and share our campaign with your friends!

Aims & Impacts:

Your support for the All Ways Apples & PICKLE JAM festivals will help us to:

• Continue to build & nurture happy and healthy food communities in Plymouth
• Provide new and fun food experiences with tasters, hands-on workshops, and food demos etc 
• Share local skills, information & know-how around sustainable food, curbing food waste, responsible foraging, and the benefits of food preservation
• Get more people involved in caring for fruit trees, community orchards and beloved foraging grounds (keeping them litter-free)
• Get more people involved in cooking & enjoying making and eating food together
• Promote sustainability & care for our natural environment, through co-learning about permaculture principles that underpin both events
• Reduce waste (especially food waste!) at events by demonstrating food composting
• Share new routes to volunteering & taking part in positive climate action

We will spend at least 95% of our total budget directly here in Plymouth to create both festivals - supporting local businesses and freelancers in the city. The All Ways Apples & PICKLE JAM festivals will be a great opportunity for people in Plymouth to get together and do something fun that also helps nurture care for our local food resources, and environment.

Note on Rewards:

Please get in touch by email to [email protected] if you're not Plymouth- (or Devon/Cornwall) based and would like to add a minimum £5 donation for postage for the items that we are able to post (these will be labelled CAN BE POSTED)