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LEICESTERSHIRE APPLES NEWS 2019

2019
1 May, Oundle Horticultural Society, talk (mw)
Sun 30 Jun, 10am-5pm, Botanic Gdn Garden/Plants Open Day (nd/ad)
19 Jul Burton-on-Trent Gardening Club, talk (mw)
Sun 29 Sep Woodhouse Eaves Apple Day at Broombriggs - 12.00- 4pm - apple tasting, apple events; music
Sat 5 Oct, all day in the stable yard: Cotesbach Hall Apple Day, apple tasting
Sun 6 Oct, all day, Polebrook Hayes Organic Farm & Orchard near Markfield (Raw n Pure)
Sat 19 Oct: Cosby - Apple Day at the Methodist Church. Apple tastings and other apple activities. 12.00-3.30.
Fri 1 Nov, Market Bosworth Gardening Society, 7.30, talk (nd/ad)
Sun 24 Nov: Cotesbach Hall: Apple tree pruning, noon.

2020
Sat 15 Feb 2020, 9.30 for 10.00, All-day Grafting Course, Cosby Methodist Church; (nd/ad)
Tue 19 Feb 2020, Sileby: 2½ hour Grafting Workshop.(mw)
Sat 22 Feb 2020, 9.30 for 10.00, All-day Grafting Course, Cosby Methodist Church (nd/ad)
Sun 23 Feb 2020, 11-1.00: Mkt. Harborough grafting workshop, St. Hugh's Hall (nd/mw)


COTESBACH EDUCATIONAL TRUST
Nigel, Judith, Sophy and a small group of voluinteers met at noon and spent about four hours pruning the apple trees, which had not been touched for about a year. Most were still in good shape; the work mainly involved removing hundreds of water shoots whilst remembering to leave a few on the Leicester-variety trees for grafting in February. Thanks to all who participated, and to Sophy for the excellent lunch. Scion gathering with be 8 Feb.

24 Nov 2019


MARKET BOSWORTH GARDENING SOCIETY
Alison and I gave our apples talk to a very enthusiastic audience of about 35 people on Fri 12 Nov at the Catholic Church. Alison paid special attention to the local apple, Dumelow's seedling, which comes from Shackerstone, and another apple, the Langton Nonesuch, has a connection (through Willian Hanbury and Georg Frederik Handel) to nearby Gopsall Hall.

We also organised a small apples display and an apples tasting - including four red-fleshed varieties. The varieties tasted were: Blood apple, Newton Wonder, Grenadine, Xmas Pippin and Wickson, plus three of our own seedlings, two of which were redfleshed.

As usual, the redfleshed varieties caused some interest; few people have seen them before and they are not generally available. There were also a number of apples to identify including a Lord Lambourne and a surprise appearance from what appeared to the American apple Crimson Gold.

We were informed about a possible Shackerstone apple and an interesting orchard close to Markfield which may be worth investigating.

Many thanks to Judith Warner for inviting us to speak. To those who indicated interest in our grafting course in Feb - we will be sending out details soon.

2 Nov 2019


....COSBY APPLE DAY, Sat 19 Oct....
I am pleased to report a successful and popular first Apple Day at Cosby; well over 100 people attended and we were busy talking about apples and grafting and other things for about three and a half hours. Alison brought along, for sale, seventeen single-variety apple jams and did most of the organization. Thank to all who attended, and to those who registered interest in our grafting course in Feb: we will be getting in touch soon.

We arranged a tasting of twelve apples with varied flavours, including some unreleased seedlings, and twenty-six people had a go at tasting all twelve and voting for their favourite. As always the redfleshed apples attracted comment. Results of the tasting (no of votes cast) were as follows:

5 Christmas Pippin
4 ND seedling 812
4 ND seedling 710
3 Potters Marston apple
3 Newton Wonder
2 Jonaprince
2 Grenadine
2 Granny Smith (reference apple from a supermarket)
1 Burford's Redflesh
0 Egremont Russet
0 Frianise
0 Blood Apple

There were numerous apple identifications to do. There were two people with Golden Noble, a couple of Blenheim Oranges, an Allington pippin, Lord Lamborne, Tydeman's Late orange, and a lot of other things, including the usual sprinkling of Bramleys. One lady had two tricky apples - one possibly Queen Caroline, and the other, flattened conical in shape, very sweet and firm, with deep reddish striped coluration on the skin. On reflection (if you read this!) I think it was probably Suntan. All in all an interesting afternoon.

Some pictures of our display are shown below, taken before the crowds arrived.

19 Oct 2019


....COSBY APPLE DAY, Sat 19 Oct....

6 Sep 2019


APPLE GRAFTING COURSE, COSBY, 2019 (all-day)
Our apple grafting course will run next on Sat 15th Feb 2020; if oversubscribed we will also run on Sat 22 Feb 2020; cost £33. Sorry about the price increase but the room hire fee has gone up. If interested, or would like further details, please email. We meet at 9.30 for a 10am start at Cosby Methodist Church (room at the back), Park Rd, Cosby.
We do shorter grafting workshops too: in Sileby and occasionally elsewhere by arrangement.

6 Oct 2019


POLEBROOK HAYES FARM, NR. MARKFIELD
Open Day, Sunday 6 Oct, noon until 4pm at Raw n Pure with Sarah, Sue, Fiona, Steve (bee man) and visitors. Nigel represented Leicestershire Heritage Apples. Abundant home-made cakes and tea supplied by Fiona and Sarah. Sarah and Sue accompanied visitors (including a LHAP grafting student from about 4 years ago) around the farm. There was much interest in the solar cold store which is now well under way; the building is constructed and the roof in progress; insulation and tiles coming soon.

At the end of a tiring day, when everyone else had gone home, Sarah did an hour's work in the orchard with two of the visitors. That's dedication for you.

7 Oct 2019


COTESBACH EDUCATIONAL TRUST APPLE DAY
Saturday 5 Oct, 11am - 4pm. Another enjoyable apple day at Cotesbach; this year we used the old schoolhouse for the apple tastings, and an enthusiastic group of apple juicers worked outside, using apples from the orchard and others brought in by visitors. The apple display contained about sixty varieties, and twelve of them were available for visitors to taste. Favourite today was Ellison's Orange (8 votes), joint second were Nigel & Alison's seedling AI (yellow skin and red flesh) and Ribston; third was Wyken Pippin. The varieties tasted were: three unreleased redfleshed seedlings, one whitefleshed seedling, Wyken Pippin, Frianise, a newly found pinkfleshed apple from Ludlow, a supermarket Braeburn (as a reference apple), Red Sauce, Egremont Russet and Ribston.

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7 Oct 2019


WOODHOUSE EAVES / BROOMBRIGGS APPLE DAY
Sunday 29 Sept: Woodhouse Eaves Apple Day was a bit of a wash-out; a torrential downpour lasted for most of the afternoon, and it was impossible to use the field. A reduced event (some apple tasting and juicing), with various kinds of apple cakes, took place at the home of one of the organizers.

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30 Sep 2019


DOUBLE APPLE
When you look after hundreds of apple trees you sometimes notice oddities. Here's one ... a double apple, on a tree of 'Metton Roy', an old Norfolk variety. It will be interesting to see if this feature repeats on the same branch next year. I already have another tree, Malus Binelle, which is well-known for producing double apples.

2 Sep 2019


APPLE TASTING VIDEO 2, 2019 SEASON
I am now well into the apple tasting season with my friend Julie and we have tried a selection of early midseason apples today. The scores for the tasting are here.

Our two videos (so far) this year are listed below. Thanks as ever to Julie for doing the filming.
Apple Tasting 1, 11 Aug 2019 Earlies
Apple Tasting 2, 26 Aug 2019 Early Midseason

26 Aug 2019


APPLE DAY, COSBY, SAT 19 OCT
Leicestershire Heritage Apples will be involved in the Apple Day at Cosby Methodist Church on Saturday 19th October. There will be a display, apple tastings, and apple activities; there will also be a range of apple jams to buy, all made from different apple varieties: Discovery, Sweetings, Devonshire Quarrenden, Scarlet Surprise, Langton Nonesuch, etc. Come along, and tell your friends! 12.00-3.30.

26 Aug 2019

GARDEN / PLANTS OPEN DAY, LEICESTER UNI BOTANICAL GARDEN
30 Jun 2019. Nigel and Alison attended the event; lots of interest in apples as usual. We used a new display of apple pests - mites, aphids, etc - which was well received and which triggered some interesting conversations. There was also interest in our grafting courses. Next all-day grafting course will be on the 3rd Saturday in Feb next year (2019) - 15th Feb, Cosby Methodist Church, Leicestershire; please email for details. Cost £33. Sorry about the price increase; the room hire price has gone up.

2 Jul 2019

OUNDLE HORT SOC
1 May; talk on Leicestershire Heritage Apples by Mel Wilson.

2 May 2019

POLEBROOK HAYES FARM: THE ORCHARD
Another afternoon spent (13 Apr, 12.00-4.00pm) spent at the organic orchard, tidying up the ground around each of the trees. Some are beginning to fruit, though it will be a while before significant crops are obtained. Meanwhile we are continuing to plant in the few remaining spaces with interesting varieties, our preference being for those which grow best in the Midlands, especially those which store well.

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14 Apr 2019

SECRET GARDEN, GLENFIELD HOSPITAL
Busy today (11 Apr) working with Sue Stevenson and three volunteers in beginning to restore nine neglected apple trees. These are in the old walled garden at Glenfield hospital, behind the Mansion House. Most of the trees should restore fairly well. Those which are too far gone to respond (we will find out which they are in a year or so) will be replaced by young stock, grafted from the existing trees, so that the varieties will be the same as those originally planted. Here you can see a 'before' and 'after' picture for an ancient espalier, and some work in progress on a tree distorted by lack of light on one side because of a nearby poplar.

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12 Apr 2019

MKT HARBOROUGH GRAFTING COURSE 2
11 students attended; the event, at St. Hugh's Hall, was organized by Judith Egan of the 'Grafters and Growers' group. The session was led by Mel and Nigel and all students constructed two trees in the time available. Many thanks to Judith for inviting us.

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24 Feb 2019

COSBY GRAFTING COURSE 2
Second grafting course completed on 23 Feb at Cosby Methodist Church. 7 students; another excellent apple cake from Alison, a lunchtime apple tasting of 14 varieties, and an enjoyable day for all. Picturesbelow:

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23 Feb 2019

APPLE TASTING 7, 2018-2019 season
Apple Tasting 7, 21 Feb 2018 - very late varieties, three months after the previous tastings; most of them were picked after Christmas Day. Earlier tasting videos are shown on the 2018 page.

23 Feb 2019

GRAFTING COURSES AND WORKSHOPS
First grafting course completed at Cosby, 16 Feb (Nigel and Alison), including a tasting of late apples: Durrantt, Huonville Crab, Burford Yellow, Braeburn, May Queen, Xmas Pippin, Burford Redflesh (USA), Burford Red (Oxfordshire), Allen's Everlasting, Mere Pippin, Marriage Maker, Devitt Pippin, Bumble Bee Lane apple. First grafting workshop completed at Sileby (19 Feb) by Mel; thanks to all who attended. A few pictures are shown below from the first Cosby course.

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18 Feb 2019

MISTLETOE
Mistletoe is often found on old apple trees, but I have noticed over the years that it is not confined to apples. I've seen it on hawthorn, lime (linden) and willow. A recent discussion on facebook about mistletoe has prompted me to compile a page about it. Click Mistletoe to read it.

18 Jan 2019

HAPPY NEW YEAR
To everyone who follows us and who joins in with our apple-related activities - Happy New Year!

There are still a few places left on our grafting courses, 16 and 23 Feb 2019. £28 for an all-day course; take away two trees you've made yourself. Email using the link at the side of the page for more information or to book. A good birthday present for a person who's into fruit trees.

Please tell us which date(s) you are available so we can equalise the size of the groups.

There are also a couple of spaces left on our pruning course at Cotesbach Hall (see their website) - leave your name with Louisa at Cotesbach if you wish to participate.

2 Jan 2019

RAW N PURE ORCHARD DAY
Sarah and I were pleased to see our volunteers on 27 Nov who came to assist with the apple tree planting (ten more trees supplied by LHAP, including some to be turned into family trees). The weather was ideal; no significant rain during the planting, and damp afterwards. A couple of buckets of water were used on each tree to help them establish; the ground is still dry after the summer drought. Thanks Sue and Sarah for another excellent lunch. We are also very grateful to Greggs, who supplied the funding for the setting up of the orchard in the first place, back in 2016.

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28 Nov 2018





Nigel Deacon / Mel Wilson /Alison Deacon

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