Latest Feature Articles
- Excessive Codling Moth Damage – Reduced Harvests Ahead?
This year is shaping up to be a good one for the moth population, and potentially quite a bad one for orchardists. - We’re Enjoying a Record Blueberry Harvest This YearOne significant innovation in our blueberry growing method has resulted in a complete turnaround in our fortunes.
- A Few Notes on Seventeenth Century Fruit Carving TechniquesBack in the C17th, elaborate forms of carved fruit were apparently all the rage at high-status banquets, or so several sources suggest.
- A Few Notes on the Origins of ‘Pitmaston Pine Apple’Another pomological research rabbit-hole beckons, as I take a look into the origins of the delightfully delicious ‘Pitmaston Pine Apple’.
- Five Years On: Development of a Fruiting Spur SystemIn which I revisit the subject of my ‘Year in the Life’ photo essay, to see how bourse-on-bourse fruiting structures grow and develop.
- Winter Pruning: Training a ‘Bramley’s Seedling’ on M9 RootstockTraining a tip-bearing apple tree is a tricky task at the best of times, but when it’s a vigorous Bramley, is it even feasible?
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All Recent Posts & Articles
- Excessive Codling Moth Damage – Reduced Harvests Ahead?This year is shaping up to be a good one for the moth population, and potentially quite a bad one for orchardists.
- Benjamin Maund’s 1824 Recipe for ‘Bilberry Wine’This C19th method is quite an elaborate interpretation of an original Italian wine, but the results could be interesting.
- Mary Hooker’s 1846 Recipe for ‘Berry Pudding’Here’s an incredibly simple, batter-based, fruit pudding recipe from the nineteenth century.
- We’re Enjoying a Record Blueberry Harvest This YearOne significant innovation in our blueberry growing method has resulted in a complete turnaround in our fortunes.
- A Few Notes on Seventeenth Century Fruit Carving TechniquesBack in the C17th, elaborate forms of carved fruit were apparently all the rage at high-status banquets, or so several sources suggest.
- Esther Copley’s 1810 Recipe for ‘Gooseberry Wine in Imitation of Champaign’Here’s another C19th gooseberry recipe from Mrs Copley, this time for a tipple to tickle your tastebuds.
- Esther Copley’s 1810 Recipe for ‘Baked Apple or Gooseberry Pudding’Here’s a quick and easy recipe for a batter pudding, that sounds like a delicious way to make great use of some of your gooseberry crop.
- A Few Notes on the Origins of ‘Pitmaston Pine Apple’Another pomological research rabbit-hole beckons, as I take a look into the origins of the delightfully delicious ‘Pitmaston Pine Apple’.
- Alexis Soyer’s 1855 Recipe for Fruit PuddingsThis is a very simple recipe for a classic, English-style, boiled pudding, penned by a rather remarkable author.
- Five Years On: Development of a Fruiting Spur SystemIn which I revisit the subject of my ‘Year in the Life’ photo essay, to see how bourse-on-bourse fruiting structures grow and develop.
- Winter Pruning: Training a ‘Bramley’s Seedling’ on M9 RootstockTraining a tip-bearing apple tree is a tricky task at the best of times, but when it’s a vigorous Bramley, is it even feasible?
- Dr Alvin Wood Chase’s 1871 Recipe for ‘Apple Pie Which is Digestible’Well, you wouldn’t want to have to choke your way through an indigestible apple pie, would you?
All posts and articles archive
Seasonal Hints, Tips and How-To Articles
- Essential Orchard Work for Early SummerSummer can seem like a quiet, peaceful time in the orchard, but there are still plenty of important jobs to be getting on with.
- Top-Fruit Thinning Season is Here AgainIt’s that fruitlet thinning time of year again! Grab your sharpest snips and head on down to your orchard.
- Fruit Thinning in Action – Thinned vs Un-Thinned ApplesA short post with photos to demonstrate the benefits of removing excess fruitlets. (Again with the fruit thinning..!)
Most-Read Feature Articles
- Lifecycle of an Apple, From Bud to Blossom to FruitFollow the lifecycle of a single apple bud from dormancy to harvest, in this series of 40+ photos.
- A Frost-Pruned Fig Tree, and What Happened NextLast year our fig tree was hit by a late frost. Every apical bud and fruitlet was killed. But that was far from the end of the story…
- How To: Make Medlar Cheese and Medlar JellyMaking medlar cheese and medlar jelly are great ways to get the best out of this unusual and tasty Autumn fruit. Here’s how.
- How To: Identify Apple and Pear VarietiesWondering how to i.d. a mystery apple or pear variety? Here’s a guide to: doing it yourself, asking an expert, and DNA testing.
- What Are ‘Chill Hours’ And Why Do They Matter?The recent UK-wide cold-snap will have been really good for our fruit trees – here’s why.
- How To: Thin Out Apple and Pear FruitletsFruit thinning is an essential operation to carry out to improve your chances of better quality fruit this year and more fruit buds next year.
More long-read feature articles
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