Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Heritage Orchard
Oct 22, 2025
It’s the tenth anniversary of the planting of the Heritage Orchard here at FarmED and it happens to have been a ‘crazy year for apples’ according to apple expert Christine Elliott.
The abundance of fruit this year means that those taking part in Apple Day will have the opportunity to sample many rare apple varieties from the 250 fruit trees in the Heritage Orchard, many of which they’ve never tasted before. Spout Apple, for instance, is a ‘yellow apple that’s not very interesting to look at but it’s incredibly fragrant,’ says Christine. There will also be a chance to see and taste apples like King's Acre Pippin, Tinsley Quince and Eden, a lovely rosy red apple.
Don't judge a book by its cover... or should we say don't judge an apple by its skin! A deliciously fragant Stout Apple
‘The other unusual thing that's happening this year is that there are a lot of red apples,’ says Christine. ‘People are saying, that can't be a Bramley because it's red. There’s a lot of misunderstandings about apples. They turn red because of the sunshine not because they’re ripe. They’re ripe only when you roll them in your hand and they’re ready to come off.
‘We’ll be showing people how to pick apples as well as how to identify apples by understanding the different shapes - either round or flat or conical - and how long the stalk is, how big the eye is etc. Weather permitting, we will be in the orchard, picking apples and tasting them. People will be able to decide what they like and then take some home.’
There are plenty!
The abundance of fruit is not necessarily a good sign for the future though, as Christine explains.
‘When trees are stressed they produce masses of blossoms to propagate themselves. The climate has become a series of extremes which is likely to be stressing the trees a lot. Last year it was so wet and pollination so poor that the normal June Drop didn’t happen, this is when trees shed little fruitlets a few weeks after they’ve been pollinated. This year, because of the good pollination and then the extreme drought, the trees shed loads of small unripe and insect damaged apples during the Pre-harvest Fruit Drop in August and early September – the trees do this so the ones remaining can grow on as normal and get bigger but it led people to think the apples urgently needed picking. In the village where I live we were overwhelmed with people bringing in windfalls and picking small unripe apples sometimes two months too early.’
‘In fact this year, the fruit has stayed on the tree for longer because the rain in September helped them grow, just as it made the grass in our gardens recover from the hot summer.
Windfalls aren't all bad!
‘People get upset when they see windfalls but they shouldn’t,’ says Christine. ‘They see it as waste because humans aren’t consuming them. But that’s not so. You need to leave the fallen apples for the tree, the windfalls are their share. The nutrients are being recycled and the insects and birds feed off the fallen apples too.’
Those taking part in Apple Day will also have a chance to taste the cider from last year’s crop and to pick and press this year’s cider apples. There will be cooking apples to taste too, as Christine has been cooking and freezing different varieties and will bring these along to Apple Day.
Apple Day tickets include apple refreshments and a delicious lunch, book your space by clicking here.
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