As winter rolls around and our fruit trees fall dormant once again, we are reminded of our orchard heritage. For centuries, especially in the South-West of England, communities would gather in their orchard for the Wassail. This ceremony promotes the health of the trees and encourages a bountiful harvest!
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Where do apples come from?
Harvest season is over and now we can eat, bake, preserve and generally enjoy the fruits of our collective labour. But when you take a bite of an apple do…
What does a resilient orchard look like?
Many of our orchards are surprisingly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Not only is physical damage caused by, for example, late frosts or strong winds, but the stress…
Introducing the Velojuicer
Introducing the Velojuicer – a pedal powered apple pressing machine The Velojuicer is a brand new invention for making juice at community apple days. It is a new improved version…
Has your apple pie run dry? 10 alternatives to use up surplus apples
It’s September and the apples are in abundance! If you’re lucky (and skilled) enough to have a great crop of apples this year, but unsure what to do with them,…
“Underneath the brambles lay forgetten stories;” Why London’s Veteran Orchards deserve your Vote in the National Lottery Awards
Our Celebrations of Orchard project has been nominated in the National Lottery Awards for 2019 as one of their top 10 heritage projects for this year. We were shortlisted from…
London Orchard Polycultures: strength in diversity
Why we might want to plant more than apples, plums and pears in our community orchards The Orchard Project’s logo shows an apple, plum and pear because these are some…
From the Wort-yard to the Wildwood (part 2)
Part 1 of this blog explored the sensory excitement of foraging for your own food and discovering an array of delicious plants in the same way that our ancestors did,…
From Wort-yards to the Wildwoods of Scotland (part 1)
Foraging with Mark Williams – bringing the wild alive in us by taste and discovery. A taste adventure. At this time of year in the orchard we can see the fruits…
10 years of The Orchard Project – What a decade!
Throughout this year, 2019, we are celebrating 10 years of our existence as a charity. Some of you may have attended our fantastic 10th Birthday party in May, which was…