apple day

October 21st is officially Apple Day and although many events have already taken place there is still lots to get your teeth stuck into this weekend. And plenty to get the juices flowing!

Make your own cider

At the Cider Museum in Hereford, visitors on Sat and Sun can roll up to make their very own cider. Learn about the history of cider making, how the apples were milled and pressed and the resulting juice fermented to produce cider. 

Enjoy some beautiful orchards

Home to the UK's largest collection of fruit trees, Brogdale Trust in Kent is hosting an Apple Festival this weekend with lots to do for all the family. Visitors can wander in the orchards, taste different varieties, buy Kentish crafts and watch cookery demos.

View an A to Z of apples and squash

At Luton Hoo walled garden in Bedfordshire there will be stallholders, an exciting array of alphabetical produce (?!), storytelling, apple printing and pumpkin decorating.  

Play Apple Games

Take your children along to Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire on Sunday and they can plant their own apple tree to take home, try apple printing, help dress the apple tree and hunt for giant alphabet apples. Adults can take part in a course on pruning and training fruit trees.

Meet the Apple Lady

Hilary Wilson holds court at Beetham Nurseries, in Cumberland on Sun. Her interest in apples began as a child and led her to research varieties suited to the climate in her area. She enjoys helping people identify their apples and is available for advice. Other activities include tastings, and competitions. 

Take part in the longest peel competition

Join competitors at Eggesford Gardens in Devon to pit your peeling skills against some of the county's finest on Sat and Sun. Afterwards, check out the tasting tables, home made cakes and preserves or get your own apples pressed into juice.

Enjoy morris dancing displays

On Sat and Sun morris dancers will be entertaining the folk at Thames Chase Community Forest in Upminster, Essex. There will be 20 varieties of apple on offer, a wildlife treasure hunt in the forest and bee keeping demos.

Find out how to decrease your carbon footprint

Spitalfields City Farm, London, wants to encourage visitors to buy local at their Apple Day event this year on Sunday. Also try your hand at apple bobbing, the longest peel competition, apple crafts and lots more besides.

Visit the Pip Inn and camp out

On Sat and Sun, Middle Farm, nr. Lewes, East Sussex will play host to thousands of folk coming to enjoy the special brand of magic that makes their apple festival so memorable. You can camp overnight, watch morris dancers, indulge in local ciders at the Pip Inn, taste a whole cornucopia of apple varieties and much more. Last year there was even a mouse circus. Might see you there!

There are about a gazillion other events going the length and breadth of the country and it seems that everyone must have an apple celebration nearby. Check out all the other events on offer and if you are free do explore one. This festival is an important celebration of our food heritage and an important step in relocalising food production, therefore reducing environmental impact.

Happy scrumping!

local food facts

Saturday sees the start of British Food Fortnight from 20th to 5th Oct. In celebration of local food here are a few juicy facts:

1. There are more than 2000 varieties of apple grown in Britain.

2. Britain's seasonal climate produces one of the greatest varieties of vegetables in the world and each season's crop gives us all the nutrients, minerals and trace elements that our bodies need at particular times of the year.

3. There are 350 types of potato grown in the UK, each with its own unique taste, texture and flavour

4. There are now over 500 regular farmer's markets around the country, where you can buy food direct from the producers and often from within a 30 mile radius.

It's a good time of year for British food - the harvest brings lots of producers and consumers together for food festivals up and down the country. Check out what's happening near you.

oooh new book!

I am very excited indeed - the new book from Ben Law, The Woodland Year has just dropped into my lap, from the lovely folk at Permanent Publications. Billed as Britain's greatest living woodsman, Ben Law brings us tempting recipes including Prickly Nut Wood Soup (ingredients sourced from around Ben's home), coppice crafts such as beautiful willow fencing and inspiring photography in this month by month guide to life in the woods. Ben built his own house in Prickly Nut Wood in Lodsworth West Sussex and makes his living from working on the land. In The Woodland Year he shares this knowledge and experience both through personal stories and practical advice, recipes and species information. I feel like disappearing into the woods myself for the day to digest some of this sumptuous tome but have work to do so this indulgence must wait 'til later.

where have we been?

We decided to take a last minute, spontaneous holiday to the Isle of Wight for a few blustery days in a 1950s caravan and it was very lovely, most relaxing and refreshing. On arrival we discovered not only a seriously cool caravan complete with retro boardgames, rock n' roll tunes and all the little cubbyholes to explore but the owner Helen had laid out scones, jam and Babycham for us to enjoy - who'd have thought how yum that was! We even enjoyed a bit of heady autumnal sunshine whilst playing on the beach at Alum Bay on our last day. One of the highlights, after a day exploring Blackgang Chine, which hasn't changed since my childhood (yay!) was dinner at a cafe on the beach at St. Helen's at sunset - we felt very blessed. Other discoveries included The Garlic Farm - one of my favourite foods and a whole farm and shop devoted to it. Godshill Organics is a huge exciting organic shop on the edge of heaving tourist village Godshill. And Ventnor Botanic Garden is beautiful, well kept and home to a few red squirrels. It was also a breath of fresh free air after a mistaken trip to The Needles Pleasure Park - money making machine extraordinare. All in all - v restorative and good to back in the Green Parent office with a new issue out this week!

Save the Cherry

Tomorrow is British Cherry Day and it's time for us to Save the British Cherry! In the last 50 years we have lost 90% of our orchards and we import around 95% of the cherries we eat in this country. But with rising oil prices and threats of global food shortages we need to work on becoming self-sufficient in temperate foods. So check out the range of events happening around the country tomorrow. Maybe pop into Borough Market, London to sample some cherry cheese or beer made with the sweet summer fruit. Or take a trip to Brogdale in Faversham, Kent, home of the National Fruit Collections, to enjoy their Cherry and Strawberry Delights festival. 

Anyway, I'm off to a festival so best get my whistle polished and dust off the crazy felt hat. See you next week.... 

Bags of Change

Last year, funky bag designers, Bags of Change came up with a great motivational concept to get people to shop locally. By carrying one of their durable cotton shopping bags you are guaranteed a discount in certain independent shops. In London this scheme is supported by twenty four outlets offering up to 10% off your shopping, and numbers of participating stores are growing in the rest of the country. Last week they announced the launch of their coolest design yet - a leather look bag made from treetap rubber, available for £38. If you spend £25 every week at the health food store, it would take 16 weeks to pay for itself and start saving you over £10 a month!

We also love the concept of social guerilla bagging - each bag made, from an old bedsheet or curtain, avoids the production of 80 plastic bags. Get some friends round and get creative.