Apple Day at Beetham Nurseries – 8th & 9th October
Celebrating all things apple this autumn
You may not be aware but ever since 1990 villages and towns up and down the country have celebrated the humble English apple in October. Apple day as it’s known originally started as an environmental day to highlight the varieties of apples we are in danger of losing, the rich and diverse landscapes, the ecology of our orchards and our cultural connections to this humble fruit.
The sad fact though is that despite their ever-increasing popularity we’ve lost a lot of apple varieties in recent decades. Historically there were around 2,500 varieties of apple grown in the UK, many specific to their geography and the climatic conditions in which they were grown, for example Keswick Codlin, Fallbarrow Favourite, Margil, Greenup’s Pippin, and Autumn Harvest.
Which is why we’re doing our bit to highlight UK apple varieties, which is why we crafted our Spiced Apple and Sultana Sourdough and why this year we are joining in with Beetham Nurseries’ annual Apple Weekend, which this year runs from Saturday 8th October, from 9am to 5.30pm and Sunday 9th October from 10am to 4pm.
It’s no surprise that over the years Beetham’s Apple Weekend has become a firm favourite in the autumnal calendar and this year is no exception, as there’s event more to see and do at this wonderful FREE event.
There’s a weekend offering brim full of fun things to see and do, to eat and drink and for those of an educational disposition to learn about too! Join us for Apple Day at Beetham Nurseries 8th & 9th October 2022.
There will be plenty of opportunities to try some of our loose apple varieties, giving you the opportunity to discover some of the rarer ones we stock for yourself before you think about making that all important apple tree purchase for your garden.
Beetham’s fruit press will be in action too, so if you have a glut of apples and don’t know what to do with them why not pop down and they’ll juice them for you while you wait – but please make sure you don’t forget to bring those all-important containers to take your juice home in! In return all they ask is that you make a small donation to this year’s chosen charity – The Lighthouse Community Mental Health Hub in Kendal.
Apple expert Andy Gilchrist will be joining the Beetham team again this year, on Sunday 9th October, he’ll be on hand to identify any apples varieties you have at home that you can’t fathom. But that’s not all he’s also going to be doing a talk in the Terrace Marquee covering a hot topic for all of us all ‘Growing Apples in the North West of England.’ The talk will last roughly an hour, followed by a brief Q&A. Tickets are available through the Beetham website on a first come first served basis and are priced at £5.
There’s lots of family fun for kids to be had too, there’s an apple fairy hunt, a colouring competition and free crafting sessions across the weekend too.
To help things along on Saturday The Long Nights Band will play a selection of Bluegrass and Folk.
And brand new for 2022 there’s also a mini food market over the weekend, with six fabulous local producers showcasing their artisan wares, including the likes of the Lovingly Artisan team, The Chocolate Cottage and the lovely folks from Thornby Moor Dairy. The Garden Café Menu is set to be bursting with tasty fruit themed treats too, so there’s definitely going to be lots to get your teeth into over the weekend.
Come and taste our Spiced Apple Sourdough over the Apple Day weekend !
