Calderdale Local Orchard Group's Blog

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Making Local Fruit Work poster

Saturday, January 28th, 2012
10am – 4pm

Todmorden Unitarian Church, Honey Hole Road, Todmorden, West Yorkshire, OL14 6LE

Join the Making Local Food Work team and Incredible Edible Todmorden for a day of workshops, networking and inspiration. The day will be a mixture of inspirational case studies combined with an Open Space session to explore new models, partnerships and opportunities around sustainable local fruit production.

This event is suitable for those involved with:

• Community Orchards
• Fruit-based Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
• Abundance projects
• Scrumping projects
• Transition Initiatives
• Cider co-ops
• Orchard Groups

…or just anyone with an interest in creating sustainable livelihoods and community enterprises around local fruit.
You are encouraged to bring stalls, displays, produce, scions, ideas, opinions, co-workers, friends and colleagues for a real festival of fruity enterprise.

This event is free, but space is limited, so booking is essential: www.mlfw.co.uk/fruit

The next meeting will be on Tuesday 6th December,8pm, at the Nutclough Tavern, Keighley Road, Hebden Bridge.

All members and prospective members welcome.

To discuss so far: Orchard at Arvon centre, winter plantings, event with Incredible Edible Todmorden, cider update….

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We spent a pleasant Saturday in Blackshaw Head with the Blackshaw Food Network at the site of one of their new community orchards, which CLOG will be helping to create.

Frank was a perfect host and we managed to press about about 50 gallons of juice, which people were able to take away and ferment for a new year cider treat.

Treesponsibility mobilised its tree-planting land army this weekend to plant the hedges and shelter belt for our highest orchard so far – over 1000 feet. The land at Rodmer Clough in the parish of Heptonstall will have a linear orchard of 25 heritage Yorkshire and Lancashire varieties and some particularly hardy non-local northern varities. This is a bit of an experiment, to see how successfully we can grow at altitude.

We now have about a tonne and a half of apples ready for pressing over the next few weeks and we are about to buy in a tonne of proper cider apples from Dragon Orchard in Herefordshire (www.dragonorchard.co.uk) – Dabinettes and Brown’s Apple to add into the mix.

We had a lovely day today in Ian’s orchard in Charlestown, mapping and identifying the trees and harvesting the apples. We harvested:
Edward VII
Pixie
Gloster 69
Irish Peach
Chivers Delight
Ashmeads Kernel
Monarch
Cornish Aromatic

Thanks to all who helped in the harvest and we hope to see you all at the Stubing Wharf Apple Day on Saturday 22nd, where you can taste the apples above.

If you would like to learn how to make cider, then join us from 11am till 4pm on Sunday 23rd October at the Stubbing Wharf, Hebden Bridge to learn the art of small-scale cider production.
The cost will be £25 and include a pub lunch.

Booking is essential as places are limited.

e-mail Mark at calderclog@gmail.com to register your interest.

Click here to see the poster: apple day cider poster

Bradford Apple Day

Sunday 9th October  http://www.bees-ymca.org.uk/projects_apple-day