Last month Lewis McNeill celebrated ten years of working at The Orchard Project. Over this time, Lewis has built up a considerable reputation among the London community gardening sector and is well-respected for his impressive knowledge of fruit tree care and permaculture approaches. It’s amazing that Lewis’ passion for community orchards remains as strong as […]
Orchards
Claybury Orchard – a sanctuary for both wildlife and the mind
This is an orchard report from one of our CICO6 students – Daniel Strangleman. He was asked to gather information about Claybury orchard and produced this lovely personal piece. For more information our CICO course, click here. Claybury orchard lies within Claybury Park and is situated to the south-east of Claybury Woods, an ancient forest […]
Racial Justice and Community Orchards
How does racial inequality manifest within public greenspaces? The accessibility of natural spaces is not just a matter of social status; race matters too. Our CEO and Operations Director reflect on how race matters within greenspaces and remind us that diversity always wins in the natural world. – By Kath Rosen and Ella Hashemi. As […]
Which Bloomin’ Blossom is it? Our guide to blossom timing
We may be spending most of our time indoors at the moment, but there are still opportunities to enjoy spring unfolding its sequence of fruit tree blossom. Whether you’re looking at street trees from your window, in your garden, or in the park during your exercise walks, now is the time to relish beautiful blossom, […]
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 caused by unpredictable weather makes our trees much more vulnerable to pests and diseases. This all has the effect of reducing yields. So what strategies […]
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 beginning to form on the trees and the fruit bushes – but we have the whole summer to wait until the main harvest. This is […]
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 a great way to thank all the volunteers, staff and supporters who have helped us reach this tree-mendous milestone! Here’s our CEO, Kath Rosen, with […]
Our Crafty Fox: What makes Local Fox a Craft Cider?
We’ve all seen the word ‘craft’ on cider and ale labels, but what does it really mean? Here’s our chief Cider Maker, Rosa Fletcher, to unpick the question and explain why our own Local Fox is really quite a unique, ‘craft-y’ character!
London’s Historical Fruitscape: Discovering the rare and ancient Apple Varieties that go into our Cider
What do Bismarck, Lord Derby and Arthur W Barnes have in common? (Answer below the image…) …They are all heritage apple varieties that go into our hand-pressed London juice and cider! One of the many things which makes our Local Fox Cider so unique, is that it’s made entirely of apples and pears grown […]