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The Great Waiheke Plum Drive story with video and pics

Submitted by James Samuel on 8 January 2010 - 9:33am | updated 27 Dec 2011 | Blog entry
By 9:45am the first pots were boiling on the stove and gas rings that had been setup in the community hall, water was boiling in the cauldren and the jars were being sterilised, and the fruit washers and cutters were already getting ahead of us.

 

 

More plums continued to arrive, throughout the day along with more jars, so it was soon clear these would not be the limiting factors in what we could produce. With an abundance of keen and happy helpers, time ended up being the factor that defined the number of jars of jam we could make on the first Great Waiheke Plum Drive.

 

Over 60 people came to offer help, learn or bring the key ingredients. Much laughter, smiling faces, and a sense that this was such a logical and natural thing to be doing.

 

 

The idea for The Great Waiheke plum Drive has been simmering for a few years, and a few weeks ago, when the early plums started ripening on one of my favourite scrumping trees, I knew it was time to bite the bullet and set a date for this event. Having friends express their support for the idea was all that was needed to set things in motion.
Pete Russell from Ooooby, Rosie Walford from Transition Waiheke, and Jennifer Clamp with her amazing project and event mangement skills, all took on roles that made today's celebratory event a reality. Maureen, whose "Traffic Jam" business is known and respected across the island was critical to the success of the event. She shared her knowledge generously in the planning, and gave so much practical help and advice on the day.

 

 

The timing was defined by the trees and the ripening of the fruit, so we gave ourselves three weeks to organise and promote it - I am told a sense of urgency contributes to a successful event, and by all accounts it was.

 

If the measure of its success was the number of happy people, the number of jars of jam (about 150), fostering a sense of community, harvesting and processing an abundant local resource, building resilience into our local food system, and having a good time while doing it, then everyone who was a part of and made this event possible, can feel very good about their contribution.

 

 

What a great way to spend the first Thursday of the new decade.

To read more about this initiative and follow up about what's next.. Visit:

www.waihekeharvest.wordpress.com

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