Days Cottage Pruning Course 2nd Feb 2023
by | posted in: course, Days Cottage, orchard, Past Events, pruning, workshop | 0

Thursday 2nd February 10.00am – 1.00pm

Learn to prune fruit trees of all ages. Hands-on training that demystifies those gardening book diagrams! Create shapely, healthy, productive trees. Includes refreshments and hot drinks in cosy yurt.

Maximum of 12 people on the course. All tools provided, but bring your own if you prefer.

£40.00

There will be a repeat of this course on Tuesday 21st February 10.00am – 1.00pm

Details at http://dayscottage.co.uk/courses

To book please contact applejuice@dayscottage.co.uk or 01452 813602

Hartpury Orchard Centre Wassail 3rd Feb 2023
by | posted in: Hartpury, orchard, Past Events, wassail | 0

Wassail, the traditional winter festival at Hartpury Orchard Centre

Blackwell’s End GL19 3DB

Friday 3rd February 2023, 6.30pm for 7pm

Hot food and bar with cider & perry

Wrap up warm, bring a torch, and come and enjoy an evening with the traditional customs of toasting the orchards, wassailing the trees, pouring cider on their roots.

Food and singing in the open shed afterwards with Rob and Gillian from May Hill on hurdy gurdy, pipe and drums!

Admission free!

Charge for food and drink – and donation buckets!

Days Cottage Pruning Course 21st Feb 2023
by | posted in: course, Days Cottage, orchard, Past Events, pruning, workshop | 0

Tuesday 21st February 10.00am – 1.00pm

Learn to prune fruit trees of all ages. Hands-on training that demystifies those gardening book diagrams! Create shapely, healthy, productive trees. Includes refreshments and hot drinks in cosy yurt.

Maximum of 12 people on the course. All tools provided, but bring your own if you prefer.

£40.00

Details at http://dayscottage.co.uk/courses

To book please contact applejuice@dayscottage.co.uk or 01452 813602

Apple Days are here
by | posted in: apple day, apples, cider, cider apples, community, harvest, orchard, Past Events | 0

Have you been to an Apple Day this season yet?  Many of our local events have happened already (click on our Past events tab to see these), but some are still to come.

National Apple Day was launched in 1990 by Common Ground. Their aspiration was to create a calendar custom, an autumn holiday. From the start, Apple Day was intended to be both a celebration and a demonstration of the variety we are in danger of losing, not simply in apples, but in the richness and diversity of landscape, ecology and culture too. It has also played a part in raising awareness in the provenance and traceability of food.

The concept was initially set as 21st October but, in practice, the date is variable depending on which area you’re in and what orchard group is doing what.

It has become incredibly successful over the 30 years since – with events taking place all over the country organised by local orchard and apple groups, across a range of dates throughout October.

For information on Apple Day events around the country visit https://ptes.org/campaigns/traditional-orchard-project/orchard-network/apple-day/

https://www.commonground.org.uk/apple-day/

Grafting Workshop, Winterbourne Barn, 18th February 2023
by | posted in: apples, course, Events, grafting, Past Events, rootstock, varieties, workshop | 0

Winterbourne Barn’s annual grafting workshop will take place on Saturday 18th February 2023 from 10am to 4pm.

Come and learn how to graft apple trees on this course under the tuition of Ben Raskin, a previous commercial fruit grower and an enthusiastic, effective and very knowledgeable teacher, now Head of Horticulture at The Soil Association.

Visit www.winterbournebarn.org.uk/events and scroll through until you come to Apple Grafting for details.

Or, to see booking information, go to https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/winterbourne-medieval-barn-trust/t-avvoeav

Celebrate Apple Day at Horfield Organic Community Orchard – Sunday 16 Oct, 2-4pm
by | posted in: apple day, apples, community, Events, harvest, orchard, Past Events, planting, varieties | 0

All are welcome to celebrate Apple Day with Horfield Organic Community Orchard
Sunday 16 October, 2 – 4pm

Details at http://www.community-orchard.org.uk/public-events or click here for flyer/poster 

Turning Bristol into an orchard city since 1998

  • Fruit trees for sale*
  • Tasting table – sample local and less common varieties
  • Fresh-pressed juice and home made cake for sale
  • Local produce for sale
  • Pests and problems? Ask the experts!
  • Join the orchard as a Friend and support our work

To find the orchard (nearest postcode BS7 8JP)
Walk down the lane beside 22 Kings Drive (between Bishop Rd & Kellaway Ave), turn left and enter the first gate on the right.
OR
Take the lane beside 134 Longmead Ave until you come to the third gate on the left.
Dogs on leads, please.

Contact: hocohello@gmail.com
phone: 0117 373 1587
http://www.community-orchard.org.uk/public-events

*Pre-ordering recommended to avoid disappointment.
See the HOCO website for more information:
http://www.community-orchard.org.uk

Preparing for Apple Day at Days Cottage
by | posted in: apple day, apples, cider apples, Days Cottage, Events, harvest, identification, Past Events, varieties | 0

Helen and Dave at Days Cottage have been busy setting up the displays for their Apple Day next Sunday (16th October, 1-4pm).  Helen has sent these pictures and notes:

This is part of the Gloucestershire collection – there will 90 varieties altogether of which 45 are Gloucestershire ones from the Days Cottage Museum Orchard.

Here are a few of the Gloucestershire varieties, starting with the delightfully named Hen’s Turds, followed by Gloucester Royal and then Ben Lans. Such beautiful fruit this year:

the next picture shows the genetic instability of Siddington Russet…you can see 2 heavily russeted apples and 2 smooth green ones all on the same branch!

And lastly Cambridge Queening…a gorgeous apple from Cambridge, the village south of Gloucester on the A38. It is the best variety for making Tarte Tatin. Helen writes that they had a chef at one of their Apple Days who made lots of Tarte Tatins with different varieties and Cambridge Queening won the taste test hands down! Also known as Cambridge Quoining…thought to be from the angled shape reflecting quoin stones used on the corners of buildings.

Big Apple Harvestime 8th and 9th October 2022
by | posted in: apple day, apples, cider apples, community, Events, harvest, identification, Juice, Past Events, pears, perry, perry pears, varieties, volunteers | 0

Big Apple, the orchard association for the Much Marcle area, is holding its annual Harvestime weekend on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th October.

Nine venues are ready to welcome visitors to Much Marcle over the two days.

The venues have plenty to offer visitors. There will be opportunities to enjoy the local orchards, see, hear and smell cider and perry being made and taste and buy many different varieties of apples, local ciders, perries and apple juices.

Full details at https://www.bigapple.org.uk/harvestime2022/

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