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Orchard Notes

@orchardnotes.com
1K followers 165 following 1.2K posts

#Orchards, #Fruit, #Cider &c posts by @darrenturpin.bsky.social #Orchard enthusiast & amateur pomologist based in #Manchester, UK Pro Gardener @ National Trust Quarry Bank #orchardist & #allotment #fruitgrower website: orchardnotes.com

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TeePee Cider @teepeecider.bsky.social · 21h
Move over perry pears it's now the turn of the cider apples. Our very first apple blossom. A big difference is seen. The perry pears bloomed before the leaves appeared the apples bloom at the same time as the leaves emerge. #apple #blossom
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Orchard Notes @orchardnotes.com · 8h
Kirkstall Valley Farm’s market celebrates apple harvest season
westleedsdispatch.com
Kirkstall Valley Farm's market celebrates apple harvest season - West Leeds Dispatch
Words: Eliza Ainley Photos: Yann Ainley A new monthly market at Kirkstall Valley Farm welcomed visitors for its third outing on Saturday, with this month’s event celebrating the apple harvest […]
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The Orchard Project @theorchardproject.bsky.social · 10h
We hate waste, especially when it comes to fruit, so we jumped at Martyn from Agriton's offer to write a blog for us about using Bokashi composting to turn apple pulp into nutrient-rich soil conditioner 👉 www.theorchardproject.org.uk/blog/bokashi... #Bokashi #CommunityOrchards #Composting #Apples
Partly chopped green apples starting to brown, on sawdust and straw
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Leah @leah.myatproto.social · 21h
(pounces on you at a cocktail party) Did you hear the good news about crabapples! #PlantSky 🌱 #ScienceSky 🧪 #Apples 🍏🍎 source.washu.edu/2026/09/wild...
source.washu.edu
Wild crabapples have genetic potential to improve domestic varieties
A plant scientist at Washington University in St. Louis studies genetics of native crabapple species to identify traits that will help production of domestic apple crops.
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TeePee Cider @teepeecider.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Perry pear blossom at petal fall. Well blown off in our strong equinoctial winds! The naked structure reveals the nectar cup of the fused sepals which will become the calyx of the fruit. #pear #blossoms #nectar
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The Museum of Cider, Hereford @museumofcider.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Last minute addition! Jack Laycock from Cidermugs - importers of fine French cider & perry - will be delivering a short talk at 11.15 for PerryFest on Sat 3rd Oct. Tickets are free, so make sure you don't miss 'Lady Pear & the Deathtrap Apple'!
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Pies, Puddings and Pottages @piespuddings.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Huntingdonshire was known for its cultivation of gooseberries. This pudding provided a way to use locally grown gooseberries to fill hungry stomachs. You can find the recipe piespuddingsandpottages.com/recipe-post/... #britishfood #foodhistory #recipe #gooseberries #puddings #Victorian
Huntingdon pudding on pale blue plate to the right.  Small dish of gooseberries to the left.  Dish of serving of pudding with cream and silver spoon in the centre.  Grey linen background.
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Pies, Puddings and Pottages @piespuddings.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Gooseberries are still in season (just)! This creamy tart is a lovely way to use them. If you can’t get hold of fresh gooseberries, frozen ones will do. You can find the recipe at piespuddingsandpottages.com/recipe-post/... #britishfood #foodhistory #recipe #tarts #gooseberries #Victorian
Gooseberry tart with slice cut out on white plate on black background. For Gooseberry tart recipe.
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Pies, Puddings and Pottages @piespuddings.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Barnstaple Fair pears were made in September as a celebration of the newly harvested pears from local orchards. Serve with generous dollops of clotted cream. You can find the recipe at piespuddingsandpottages.com/recipe-post/... #britishfood #foodhistory #recipe #pears #Medieval #Devon
4 upright Barnstaple Fair pears in pewter dish on pale grey linen cloth.  For Barnstaple Fair pears recipe.
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Pies, Puddings and Pottages @piespuddings.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Baked in a pool of butterscotch syrup, Devonshire apple dappy is a delicious dessert to serve during the apple harvest in early autumn. You can find the recipe at piespuddingsandpottages.com/recipe-post/... #britishfood #foodhistory #recipe #pudding #apples #Devonshire #Victorian
Tray of apple dappy - coils of scone wrapped around chopped apples.
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Pies, Puddings and Pottages @piespuddings.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
As there are blackberries in this recipe for Hedgerow pudding, it’s a good dessert to serve at Michaelmas, which is tomorrow. You can find the recipe at piespuddingsandpottages.com/recipe-post/... #britishfood #foodhistory #recipe #sweetpudding #hedgerowfruits #victorian
Large terracotta pot of Hedgerow pudding with serving spoon.  Small blue dish with portion of pudding with cream and a silver spoon. Branches of rosehips and haws on either side.  Slatted wooden background.
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Orchard Notes @orchardnotes.com · 28/09/2026
Apple 'Gibbon's Russet'. Not very russety. Not very flavourful. A hint of melon, not much acid, not much sugar either. Dry and mealy too. I think I left this one on the tree a bit too long. Maybe next year it will impress me more.
A 'Gibbon's Russet' apple, yellow with pinkish-red blotches, held in the palm of a hand, with dark green apple leaves in the background. A 'Gibbon's Russet' apple, yellow with pinkish-red blotches, and with a bite taken out of it to show the whitish flesh, held in a hand, with dark green apple leaves in the background.
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The Museum of Cider, Hereford @museumofcider.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Tickets for our expert led talks and tastings are available to reserve on our website, for FREE! Join David Lindgren from Bushel + Peck Cider + Perry for 'In Search of Perry Pears' at 12 noon on Sat 3rd October🍐 @3ccpa.bsky.social
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The Orchard Project @theorchardproject.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
🥧 If you can’t face yet another crumble & have a freezer full of fruit, it's time to consider sharing your surplus! Check out our fruit donation directory to find a willing recipient nearby: www.theorchardproject.org.uk/donate-apples #CommunityOrchards
Hand holding out a white and red flushed apple that is cut in half to show the pips, with blurred body in the background
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Orchard Notes @orchardnotes.com · 27/09/2026
The Apples and People project, on @museumofcider.bsky.social's heritage orchards in Breinton. "Varieties have been collected and grafted from trees across Herefordshire, the West Midlands and South-West ... All varieties are being genetically tested to help confirm their identity."
applesandpeople.org.uk
Savouring Old Apple Varieties
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redrunsriot.bsky.social @redrunsriot.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Was lovely to meet @orchardnotes.com last weekend and take a look around the walled garden at NT Quarry Bank Mill. (Thank you again for the apples!) Beautiful garden, full of colour and lots of edible plants. Saw the biggest mulberry tree I've ever seen and some beautiful little pomegranate bushes.
Large mulberry tree overhanging a path.Small, bright green pomegranate bush with bright red flowers.
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Jack Wallington @jackwallington.com · 27/09/2026
In Grower Gatherer I’ve shared nutrition information for each crop from official nutrition databases and peer reviewed scientific research - here are some edible perennials I foraged from our garden the other morning 🍏🌰🥬 www.jackwallington.com/product/grow...
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Orchard Notes @orchardnotes.com · 27/09/2026
Apple Fair at Brogdale Collections Date: 3-4 October Time: 10am-4pm (Last entry 3pm) Adult ticket (16yrs+) £16. Under 16 years FREE. "Come and find out all about apples at our annual apple fair and pick your own fruit from the Brogdale Collections orchards during this special apple weekend in 2026."
brogdalecollections.org
Apple Fair Brogdale, Faversham, Kent - Brogdale Collections
Join us for Apple Fair at Brogdale Farm, Faversham. Discover rare and unique cherry varieties not available in supermarkets!
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Will Rea @willrea.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Pink Punch, Pink Asuko, and Egremont Russet from the farmers market
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Cider Review @ciderreview.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
A Cidermaker’s Tale. A few notes on Adam’s first two years as a cidermaker. By @adamhwells.bsky.social
cider-review.com
A Cidermaker’s Tale
A few notes on Adam’s first two years as a cidermaker.
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Barry M @barmas.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
I honestly thought Albert @rosscider.bsky.social was pulling my leg when he told me our Jeremias Runde had won 1st place in the @3ccpa.bsky.social Perry Championship, and then I was told it also got Best in Show, Supreme Champion! Really not sure how to process that yet! 😁 Thrilled!
Bottle of our perry with a pear shaped wooden trophy, a rosette for champion, and the first prize for the dry perry category
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Orchard Notes @orchardnotes.com · 27/09/2026
East Cowes Charity Beer, Cider, Music and Poetry Festival 2 October 2026 15:00 - 4 October 2026 23:30
experiencecowes.org
Charity Beer, Cider, Music and Poetry Festival | Experience Cowes
Waverley Park charity festival raising funds for Beaulieu Respite with over 30 bands & performers
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Orchard Notes @orchardnotes.com · 27/09/2026
Record-breaking summer heat threatens apple harvest ahead of popular event (via Yahoo News)
uk.news.yahoo.com
Record-breaking summer heat threatens apple harvest ahead of popular event
Bicester's annual Apple Day could be affected by a poor harvest after one of the hottest and driest summers on record, organisers have warned.
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Orchard Notes @orchardnotes.com · 27/09/2026
Full steam ahead as station's pop-up cafe raises £2.8k for Bentley orchard scheme (Via Alton Herald)
altonherald.com
Station's pop-up cafe raises £2.8k for Bentley orchard plans
Rail passengers have shown stirring support for a station café and its green ambitions for an East Hampshire community.
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Orchard Notes @orchardnotes.com · 27/09/2026
Why farmers (and orchardists) are pairing crops with solar panels (via Yahoo News)
uk.news.yahoo.com
Why farmers are pairing crops with solar panels
From cooler soil to paid grazing land, farmers in the US are finding that solar panels can do more than generate power.
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The Orchard Project @theorchardproject.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
🌳 Looking to improve your orcharding skills, particularly with veteran trees? Our next Certificate in Community Orcharding course starts next month in Barnet, London, with just three places remaining 👉 www.theorchardproject.org.uk/events/certi... #CommunityOrchards #VeteranTrees
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TeePee Cider @teepeecider.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Peak perry pear blossom time for our main variety. Great to be growing these as standards as a late frost has affected some nearby bush orchards. I fear we are in for a bumpy ride with El Niño and the current negative Pacific decadal oscillation affecting our weather. #perry #pear #weather #EINino
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Temple Cider @templecider.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
A touch of pre-pressing, baskets-of-pears-on-pickup wrangling. Now we're pressing Blakeney Red pears. The next ones to harvest will be Hendre Huffcap, and then it's on to the apples! 😮
Paul wrangling baskets of pears on the back of the pickupBaskets of Blakeney Red pears on the back of the pickupBaskets of Blakeney Red pears on the back of the pickup
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Scientific American @sciam.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Apple "detectives" wanted to identify a gnarly old tree growing on a remote plot of land in Maine. What they discovered was the key to a centuries-old apple mystery.
scientificamerican.com
How apple detectives solved the mystery of an ancient tree—and rewrote the history of fruit
And how they might have helped save the future of American apples
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george-1788pow @george-1788pow.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The genetic mechanisms mangoes activate to process UV blue light for energy: sunlight has 25% of blue light wavelengths & mango anthocyanins (i.e. pigments) increase with this producing more sucrose & carotenoids (i.e. photosynthesis pigments)…
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Brigitte Webster @tudorfoodrecipe.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Propped up my windswept, favourite #pear tree which had succumbed to persistent gale force winds last winter and ended up resting on the laurel hedge. This lonesome fruit tree miracle never fails to amaze me how it still produces masses of crop every year.
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Pies, Puddings and Pottages @piespuddings.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
This Damson tart, based on a Hannah Woolley recipe of 1664, was made last week with damsons picked from a friend’s tree. Scrumptious with a dollop of clotted cream! You can find the recipe at piespuddingsandpottages.com/recipe-post/... #britishfood #foodhistory #recipe #tarts #damsons #Stuart
Damson tart on blue and white plate to the right.  Blue and white plate with slice of tart and dollop of cream with silver spoon bottom left.  Blue bowl of clotted cream with spoon top left.  Autumn leaves bottom right and on left.  Wooden surface.
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The Museum of Cider, Hereford @museumofcider.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
PerryFest is just around the corner, and we will be joined by some fantastic perry makers, including: Totemic Cider & Perry, Redvers Cider & Perry, The Houghton Project, Gregg's Pit Cider & Perry, & Frome Valley Vineyard, who will all be bringing along a fantastic offering of perry for sale 🍐
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The Museum of Cider, Hereford @museumofcider.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Tickets for our expert led talks and tastings are available to reserve on our website, for FREE! Join Albert Johnson @rosscider.bsky.social for 'Perry Pear Varieties to Rely On: A Fireblight Resistance Tasting' at 3.15pm on Sat 3rd October🍐 @3ccpa.bsky.social
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Manchester Cider Club @manchestercider.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
thecatintheglass.co.uk/product/mcr-...
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Nightingale Cider Co @nightingalecider.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Falstaff apples: one of the fantastic varieties that goes into our Night Bird and Tenterden ciders, bringing lovely tropical fruit notes to every sip. We’ll be picking them in the next few days. #CiderYes #DrinkGreatCider
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Orchard Notes @orchardnotes.com · 24/09/2026
Karim at Keepers Nursery is planning to breed some new varieties of red-fleshed #apples, and is inviting you (yes, YOU!) to take part:
youtube.com
Keepers Nursery. Red Fleshed apples
YouTube video by Keepers Nursery Karim
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Emma Atkins @emmaatkins.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Very fond of this collection. If you're interested in why they included watercolours of *rotten* fruit, I wrote about it here emmaatkins.co.uk/2023/04/10/w...
emmaatkins.co.uk
Why were these beautiful watercolours of imperfect fruit so important?
1886 was a big year for food history in the USA. It was the year the first train of oranges left California on the transcontinental railroad; the year Coca-Cola was invented; and the year that Clar…
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Orchard Notes @orchardnotes.com · 24/09/2026
Karim at Keepers Nursery is planning to breed some new varieties of red-fleshed #apples, and is inviting you (yes, YOU!) to take part:
youtube.com
Keepers Nursery. Red Fleshed apples
YouTube video by Keepers Nursery Karim
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Jady Marmalade @rabid-child.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Apples! Some of this year’s bounty: margils, golden russets, Richard’s graft, and William Crump.
Three lovely margil apples onna wooden table A heap of golden russets in a plastic bag A single Richard’s graft apple on a table (these were OUTSTANDING this year)A bunch of William Crump apples on a cutting board.
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Jady Marmalade @rabid-child.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
The orchard’s really been popping this year, so I thought I’d post a few pictures of what’s in, in case there be apple admirers among you.
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Northamptonshire Telegraph @northantstelegraph.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Sounds like a great swap!
northantstelegraph.co.uk
Join Northamptonshire gin maker for sloe swap at Falls Farm near Kettering
Northamptonshire gin maker Warner’s is inviting people to join them for their annual sloe swap.
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The Orchard Project @theorchardproject.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
It's the #AutumnEquinox! Today, day & night are in equal balance. 🌞 The moon also appears bigger & brighter. It's named the Harvest Moon as it's said the extra illumination allowed farmers to gather their harvest later in the evening. Would you harvest by moonlight? #CommunityOrchards
A close up photo of a person's hands holding as many red apples as they can, against the black backdrop of their t-shirt.
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Great Fen @greatfen.org.uk · 23/09/2026
Tales from the Fen return to the Apple and Harvest Fair with another fabulous free workshop, this time lino-printing your own tote bag! There are a limited number of places available so we recommend booking yours ASAP. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/apple-and-... @wildlifebcn.org
Image of a cotton bag printed with apple shapes in red and green. Text reads Tales from the Fen - Wild Roots Story and Crafts: Live storytelling to inspire your hand-printed tote bag.
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Adam 🍎 @adapples.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
APPLES and FOOTBALL: Karim H is holding tours of Keeper's Nursery to benefit the local football team. Keepers is a prime source of UK budwood, and Karim is an enthusiast adding to the apple universe with his own breeding program. youtube.com/shorts/9_6-2...
youtube.com
Keepers Nursery. guided tours of the nursery. book via our website
YouTube video by Keepers Nursery Karim
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The Orchard Project @theorchardproject.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Summer heatwaves & droughts are now more common across Europe, impacting harvests. Food security is a major concern. But what if there's a way to improve our food resilience through #communityorchards? www.theorchardproject.org.uk/blog/increas...
A woman in white dungarees and a t shirt stands smiling in front of a van full to bursting with net bags of green and red apples
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Dr Christopher Monk @medievalmonk.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
An interesting raspberry doughnut recipe via @orchardnotes.com. I don't have a glut of raspberries from my own rather old patio plants, though they've been very tasty. I just tend to pop them unadorned into my mouth, to be honest. But if you've a sweet tooth... orchardnotes.com/2026/09/17/e...
orchardnotes.com
Elizabeth Raffald’s 1769 Recipe for ‘Raspberry Fritters’ – Orchard Notes
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Nightingale Cider Co @nightingalecider.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
After a busy few weeks building our very own pressing set-up from scratch, our press is officially up and running! It’s a huge step for us: fruit from our orchards, just 100 metres away, can now come straight in to be pressed, with everything packaged on site too.👏 #CiderYes #DrinkGreatCider
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The Orchard Project @theorchardproject.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
We've launched two new programmes in #Edinburgh designed to support young people facing significant barriers to employment. Working with partners Barnardo's & Four Square, we aim to help them build confidence & develop practical, hands-on skills that could lead to further education or green jobs.
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Barry M @barmas.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I still have nightmares from the last time I pressed this pear. But I’ve also made possibly the best perry I’ve ever made from it. Once. Presenting the Welsche Bratbirne. 
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