Happy National Apple Day!
Did you know that Great Britain has developed over 2,500 varieties of apple?
Now is the time to harvest your apples from your local orchards, gardens and trees - though we can't gather them all in together, you can still get out and solo scrump!
The People's Trust for Endangered Species have put together an amazing map of traditional orchards showing all the local places you can go to find fruit ready to harvest - check out the map here! (https://ptes.org/get-involved/surveys/countryside-2/traditional-orchard-survey/orchard-maps/)
Do you know of an orchard or grove of trees nearby that isn't listed on the map?
Add it in to the Traditional Orchard Survey here (https://ptes.org/get-involved/surveys/countryside-2/traditional-orchard-survey/)
This time last year we were busy washing, chopping, mashing and pressing all of your donated apples into delicious apple juice.
While we aren't running our apple pressing sessions this year - there are loads of different ways to enjoy your autumnal apple harvest - here's some of my favourites!
Toffee Apples - who doesn't love a toffee apple at Halloween! For a quick and easy recipe check out the Food Network's guide here: https://foodnetwork.co.uk/recipes/lyles-toffee-apples/
Apple Sauce - an essential accompaniment to your Sunday roast.
With only three ingredients - this was the yummiest recipe I could find!
Apple Pie - A classic dessert with hundreds of variations, here's an easy peasy recipe for Proper Apple pie
Chewy apple Rings - a delicious alternative to teething rings for children, and a tasty snack for autumn walks, I love apple rings! Here's a useful guide to making your own apple rings in the oven.
Apple Pot Pourri - Save this festive scent for yourself or give it as a winter gift - there's no wrong way to make pot pourri, here's a low cost recipe for a traditional festive bouquet.
Why not try edible pot pourri with a dessert based hot pot instead? https://www.food.com/recipe/apple-cinnamon-crock-pot-potpourri-299627
Apple Cider - all apples dream of becoming a good cider, or at least that's what I think! This is a wee bit more technical, but a hot, homemade jog of apple cider on a cold winter's day is definitely worth the effort!
Here is a great all round guide to making your own cider from Countryfile
Do you have a go to recipe or DIY project for you apples? Let us know!
We hope this has inspired you to get out and about and enjoy your local orchard spaces
There are lots of things to forage at this time of the year, with apples just one of the fruits of October, check out the October foraging guide from that Woodland Trust to see what other tasty treats you can find on your day out! https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2017/10/foraging-in-october/
Further reading...
Here is a link to an interview with Dr Joan Morgan - the author of "The New Book of Apples" with the Orchard Project, giving expert insight into the current state of British apple varieties - https://www.theorchardproject.org.uk/joan_morgan/
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