Wotton area Climate Action Network present a free talk on Orchards by renowned local expert Martin Hayes, on Tuesday 7th February at 7.30pm.
At the Chipping Hall, Wotton under Edge, GL12 7AD
Bar available
A successful Christmas market at Hartpury Orchard Centre
From Jim Chapman:
A very good turn out for the first Christmas market at Hartpury Orchard Centre last weekend!
Warm enough for folk to sit around outside enjoying a pint of perry, a mulled cider or a mug of homemade soup!
The Gloucester cattle in the orchard took an interest too!
Holly and mistletoe were popular – we should have cut more, and freezers are now well supplied with locally reared meat. The Old Spot burgers particularly popular and one kid has since asked Father Christmas for more of those sausage rolls!
Already planning for a bigger and better one in 2023!!
Christmas Market at the Orchard Centre, Hartpury 27th November 2022
Come along to the Orchard Centre at Hartpury (GL19 3DB) this Sunday for Christmas gifts, food and a wander round the orchard:
Pictures from Days Cottage Apple Day
posted in: apple day, apples, cider, cider apples, community, Days Cottage, Events, harvest, orchard, varieties |
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Some pictures, taken by Ann Smith, from the recent Apple Day at Days Cottage (see news items here https://glosorchards.org/home/blog/2022/10/14/preparing-for-apple-day-at-days-cottage/ and here https://glosorchards.org/home/blog/2022/09/13/days-cottage-orchard-rural-skills-centre-apple-afternoon-16th-october/)
The perry pear painting on the bench is by Chris Bingle, whose work can be seen at subtlecolours.com
Big Apple Harvestime 8th and 9th October 2022
posted in: apple day, apples, cider apples, community, Events, harvest, identification, Juice, Past Events, pears, perry, perry pears, varieties, volunteers |
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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/
Days Cottage Orchard & Rural Skills Centre Apple Afternoon 16th October
posted in: apple day, apples, biodiversity, cider, cider apples, Events, harvest, Juice, orchard, Past Events, pears, perry, perry pears, varieties, volunteers, wildlife |
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This year’s apple celebrations at Days Cottage will be on Sunday 16 October 2022, 1-4pm.
Apple Day Afternoon with Dave Kaspar and Helen Brent-Smith, www.dayscottage.co.uk Upton Lane, Brookthorpe, GL4 0UT.
Mulled apple juice, lovely apple and pear themed cakes, family event, music, heritage fruit to try and buy, rare trees for sale. Buy juice, cider and perry from unsprayed fruit. Now is a chance to chat to Dave and Helen about your orchard/fruit questions. But they do get busy!
Browse their mature and young orchards, bring a picnic. Walk around the Museum Orchard of rare Gloucestershire varieties. Maps available (please return). Signage will be out.
Bring a few representative samples for identification and a small amount (two carrier bags) for juicing at the farm. Small charge for the latter. Only a small number of representative samples please!
One way system in operation. Yurt and roundhouse. Forest garden to explore.
They also run a rolling programme of Pruning, Grafting and Bud-Grafting workshops here in winter and summer. These will be advertised on the Days Cottage and GOT websites.
Dave Kaspar identifying apples at his and Helen’s Days Cottage Apple Afternoon in October.
Malvern Autumn Show 23-25th September
posted in: exhibition, Hartpury, identification, orchard, Past Events, pears, perry, perry pears, varieties |
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Jim Chapman will be at the Malvern Autumn Show as usual with his perry pear display.
Friday-Sunday 23-25 September 2022 at Three Counties Showground, Malvern.
Hartpury Orchard Centre Open afternoon, 17th September 2022
Open afternoon at Hartpury Orchard Centre (National Perry Pear Centre)
Saturday 17 September 2022 with perry pear display and refreshments.
There will be more details nearer the time on this website or the Hartpury website.
The tap bar should be open all summer from noon on Sundays. But check before setting off.
The orchards, wetlands with bird-hide/nature reserve are open all year round.
Perry Pear Planting at Boyce Court, Dymock
Our committee co-chair David Lindgren and incoming treasurer Andy Ellis were out last month planting some replacement perry pears at Boyce Court, near Dymock.
There’s a long-established avenue of pear trees there, on the drive leading to the house. These trees, several hundred years old, are well-known (in the perry pear world) as they feature in the 1963 book Perry Pears by L C Luckwill and A Pollard.
The illustration in the book shows a healthy avenue of trees but now, 60 or so years later, many have gone and most of the survivors are decaying or dead. Some are still productive though, and David has used the fruit for a limited edition Perry called “The Avenue”.
David and Andy’s efforts, planting some Thorn perry pears (one of the old varieties originally planted in the avenue), will help reverse the decline and keep the tradition of the avenue going.
For more pictures see below and for information on the site and varieties do visit David’s blog about it at https://www.bushelpeck.co.uk/news-and-natter/2022/1/29/z42onimf0bkf10brye6296cphdoekv
Fruit identification – what variety is that?
It’s that time of year again – when people start collecting, harvesting or simply noticing, fruit and quite often want to know variety of apple, pear etc they are picking or eating or looking at.
Is it unusual, rare, common? What is the best use of it – cider, perry, dessert, or cooking? And, if you have a lot, what are the keeping qualities?
There are many resources that can help – both within and outside GOT – and a few are listed below.
Firstly it’s worth noting that we are due to develop our ‘Varieties’ website at glosorchards.org/home/fruitvarieties soon – but unfortunately not in time for harvest this year. However there are some archived resources from our old website available via that site – for a full index of those click here.
Secondly there are people who can help direct including:
- Perry pears – contact Jim Chapman jjrchapman@btinternet.com (small charge)
- Apples – the Marcher Apple Network www.marcherapple.net are experts – (proforma needed or visit at the shows they
attend, including Malvern Autumn Show, Big Apple Harvest Time Weekend etc). (small charge) - Brogdale Horticultural Trust (by post, charge) http://www.brogdalecollections.org/
- Apple Afternoon at Days Cottage – 8th October (details here) or bring small amounts to Stroud Farmers Markets
on Saturdays to their stall
Or, thirdly, you could try DIY id online at Fruitid.com a national fruit self-identifying website with high quality photographs, more added continually and aiming to eventually have all tree fruits.
And, last but by no means least, you can look up local fruit varieties in GOT’s own publications, including
- Pears of Gloucestershire and Perry Pears of the Three Counties, by Charles Martell (2013) and
- Native Apples of Gloucestershire by Charles Martell (2014)
Both are available on our bookshop page here.
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