Before I started working at The Orchard Project as the training manager in 2016, I set up a community forest garden in London called Edible Landscapes London (ELL). That was back in 2010. I’ve been reflecting on how that project has evolved over time in the hope that it will inspire anyone else considering setting up a community forest garden. Part of the ELL site in 2010, and two years later The aim of the project changed over time. Originally, we just wanted to propagate fruit trees so that the local transition group would have a good supply of trees for its community plantings. But then a ..read more

Pomology – the study of fruit, fruit growing and orchard management techniques – has resulted in some wonderfully informative and fascinating works of literature that are also truly beautiful works of art. I’m Darren Turpin, an amateur pomologist, fruit grower, orchard geek and book nerd. For the past few years, I’ve researched various aspects of historical orchard lore, becoming well acquainted with various online archives and the digitised treasures within. There are some absolute gems to be found, if you know where to look. Many date to the golden age of pomology in the nineteenth century ..read more

My work with trees hasn’t really involved fruit trees for food production. Mostly it has focused on safety or development, and having an abundance of fruit dropping onto the highway every year isn’t normally celebrated. The closest I had got was monitoring one of Newton’s apple trees at the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington, or listening to people’s complaints about blossoms messing up their driveway. My interest in orchards really took off when I moved into a house that backs on to a neglected veteran orchard and from that I started to help a group in the village set up a community ..read more

As our gardens, orchards and hedges are filled with more bird songs there is a sense that Spring is almost here! The territorial songs are beginning to be heard and the battle songs of birds seeking to find a mate are becoming more frequent. On the outskirts of Edinburgh, I’ve recently heard the melancholic notes of a mistle thrush, whose song sounds to me a bit like a bubbling kettle on the boil. Some refer to the mistle thrush as a ‘boring blackbird’, due to its song and its use of minor notes. It is also known as a ’storm cock’ and can be found singing on the tops of trees, assessing t ..read more

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 local orchard for the Wassail. The word ‘Wassail’ comes from the Anglo Saxon toast ‘waes hael’ – meaning ‘be well’ or ‘be in good health’. This ceremony promotes the health of the trees and encourages a bountiful harvest, traditionally taking place around the old Twelfth Night (January 17). In order to scare away evil spirits and to invigorate the trees, those celebrating the Wassail sing, play ..read more

At the turning of the year, I will step down as Chair of The Orchard Project. I’ve enjoyed nine years on the Board, the length of time it takes many orchard trees to mature and produce a reliable crop. This perfectly reflects the growth and maturing I have witnessed in my nine years with The Orchard Project. I joined the Board of an organisation packed full of passion, energy, ideas and small roots, like a young sapling. Now, nine years on, we engage with our ecosystem with insight and experience. The passion remains undimmed, but we are confident in our unique contribution to the world.  ..read more

Picture an orchard: what do you see? Most likely, you’ll see fruit-laden trees. But what is growing below and between the trees? And what is living in and around the them? Recent research conducted at the University of Reading delved into the impact of growing wildflowers beneath apple trees on the insect population and how it influenced the apple crop. The insect community was compared within two different types of vegetation beneath the trees: a wildflower strip and a regularly mowed grass strip. Why wildflowers? The wildflower strips demonstrated significant advantages for ‘beneficial’ in ..read more

This blog was written by Jane Steward, who kindly shared her knowledge and recipes with us. Jane is the Plant Heritage National Collection Holder of medlars, Mespilus germanica, in Eastgate, Norfolk. She launched Eastgate Larder, the UK’s only medlar-focused enterprise, in 2016. Her harvest is destined for medlar jelly and spicy medlar chutney, and her products are stocked at independent food shops in East Anglia, London, and further afield.  Apart from the medlar tree’s beauty in its form, flowers and foliage, it bears an intriguing fruit, which probably attracted human attention around ..read more

My job involves co-ordinating aftercare for our newly planted orchards. I recently went to Scotland to attend our Orchard Gathering in Glasgow and used it as an opportunity to visit as many of the orchards as possible – a plum job! This is a round-up of my trip. Linkes Food Forest, Glasgow First up was a visit to Linkes Food Forest with our Glasgow Project Manager Fergus. We stopped enroute at the storage lock up, and I got overly excited to see his Velojuicer contraption! Linkes is an ambitious site, surrounded by tower blocks where the wind tunnel affect could pose difficulties, but the m ..read more

It’s the time of the year when our fruit trees look bountiful and we are looking forward to harvesting the fruit from our orchards, as a reward for our hard work over the last year. Apples, especially, always seem to be abundant. After the fruit bowls have been filled and the pies and crumbles baked, there is often a surplus. This is when I organise community juicing events with school groups. There is never a shortage of schools willing to introduce their pupils to the art of apple pressing. Juicing apples is a perfect way to engage a group of children of any age in an enjoyable team buildi ..read more