Scotland’s heritage apple varieties will be ripe for tasting at the first ever Apple Day celebration at Aberfoyle Community Orchard near Stirling on Saturday 22nd October, 1-4pm.
Traditional varieties such as Stirling Castle and Bloody Ploughman will pack a mighty crunch among local visitors, who will also be able to try their hand at apple juicing, chutney and jam tasting as well as a family treasure hunt around the orchard. There will be something to a-peel to everyone!
Visitors are also encouraged to bring along apples and pears from their own gardens to turn into juice, and come armed with chutneys, jams, pickles, fruity bakes and recipes to share on the day.
Aberfoyle Community Orchard was established in 2014 when 18 fruit trees including apples, pears, plums and damsons were planted next to the town’s Memorial Hall.
Mark is now one of the orchard leaders for Aberfoyle Community Orchard, and e is keen to highlight the benefits of the orchard and get more of the community involved in its enjoyment and upkeep:
“My interest in the orchard began when I first started pressing apples grown in my garden on a home-made apple press. I used to get together with my neighbours to produce our own apple juice and cider. This led us to create the community orchard next to the Memorial Hall, turning it into a community centre not just on the inside but on the outside too.
“Our first ever Apple Day event is a fantastic opportunity for local people to get together and celebrate Scotland’s apple growing heritage and try apple varieties they might not have tasted before, as well as sharing recipes and tasting products made using home grown fruits. We also hope it will encourage more people to get involved in the upkeep of the orchard so they can learn new skills and help nurture the orchard for future generations to reap the rewards – including free fruit of course.”
Clementine Sandison from The Orchard Project and Helping Britain Blossom’s representative in Scotland, says:
“Scotland has a rich heritage of apple growing and some fantastic varieties not commonly found in mainstream supermarkets. This event is a great opportunity to get people learning about them and enjoying tasting them.”