Apple Fest 2021

Our annual Apple Fest is back!

• Watch or join the apple juicing
• Taste/buy unusual apple varieties
• Try a local craft cider
• Have a go at apple ‘ID’
• Children’s activities
• Jams, chutneys and cake

How the juicing works

1. Everyone’s invited to bring surplus apples, including recent windfalls or wildings and crab apples, to be juiced in our communal press. Please ensure all apples are clean – no need to wash if they’ve been picked straight from the tree but please do wash them if they’ve been on the ground.
2. On arrival, please check your apples in at our Weigh-In table. Here we’ll record their weight (max 15 kg per participant), along with your contact details, the amount of bottles you can expect in exchange (one 75cl screw-top  wine bottle per 3kg apples), how many you’d like to be pasteurised and when you would like to collect your pasteurised bottles.  At the same time please hand in the well-rinsed bottles needed for your expected weight of apples. Unfortunately there’s no guarantee that you’ll get the same bottles back at this event but it should be possible at the separate workshop that we’ll be organising for larger quantities of apples on  Sunday 24th
3. We recommend having your juice pasteurised if you expect more than a couple of bottles. This will give it an indefinite shelf life, although why save it for more than a year when next year will bring more? Unpasteurised juice should be stored in a fridge and used within a couple of days. The safe period for drinking will vary depending on storage conditions.  Do not drink if the juice shows signs of fermentation or mould.
4. Unpasteurised juice can be collected as soon as it’s been bottled. Pasteurised juice will need to cool completely before being taken away.  We charge £1.50 per pasteurised bottle (75cl capacity) and £1.00 for unpasteurised ones.  We don’t recommend unusually shaped bottles or those with non-screw closures, as the heat treatment means there is a risk of breakage.
5. If you have more than 15 kg of apples for juicing, you’re welcome to bring them to one of our workshop sessions on Sunday 24th October, where we can give you individual tuition on how to use the equipment. The charge at the workshop will be £10 per participant per session. We can then give you a ‘driving licence’ that will qualify you to subsequently borrow the equipment for a set fee (£20) and deposit (£20).

For more details contact Alison McCrea (alison_mcc@btinternet.com)