Celebrating the county's vibrant food and drink scene, Food Drink Devon hosted their first-ever Harvest Gathering on Friday 22nd September, inspired by the close proximity of three of the region’s highly respected drinks producers. Hunts Cider, Bays Brewery and Sandridge Barton the home of Sharpham Wine, who are all positioned a couple of miles from one another in South Devon, jointly hosted the Harvest Gathering and welcomed 50 guests from the region's food and drink industry as well as local media and influencers.
During the Harvest Gathering guests were treated to an...
This year a bumper crop of apples are expected to be harvested in time for the annual Killerton Cider and Apple Festival on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 October.
A team of volunteers have just one week, and a 200-year-old cider press, to make all the cider for the year ahead using apples collected traditional orchards on National Trust’s Killerton estate. Fine summer weather has meant the orchards are bursting with fruit. National Trust rangers and volunteers have been busy harvesting the many varieties of apples that make Killerton’s award-winning cider and apple juice. As the last...
There’s a nip in the air in the mornings, so it can only mean one thing.
The season of mists and mellow fruitfulness is upon us – and it’s time for apple pressing at the Knapp Community Nature Reserve on Station Road in Sidmouth.
Come along on Sunday 4 October between 10am and 1pm to help the East Devon District Council Countryside team pick, chop and press the apples.
You can also bring some of your own apples along to press – remember to bring a container to take some juice away with you. This is a free event and everyone is welcome.
There are hundreds of user-worked crossings on farmland in Britain, which see a marked increase in traffic during the harvest season. Figures collated over the past ten years reveal that the number of collisions and near misses at these types of crossings also sharply increases over the harvest months.*. Since the beginning of June, Network Rail has recorded dozens of incidents of level crossing misuse on farm crossings. Fortunately none of these have resulted in collisions or serious harm but they have caused over ten hours of delays to rail services.
The first water reed to be harvested in Devon in 25 years has been cut by scythe on reed beds opposite Topsham on the Exe estuary. Scythe practitioner, Chris Riley spent a labour intensive week harvesting just over an acre of water reed, which can reach up to 10ft high. “Water reed is an untapped resource, because of its inaccessibility and the manual labour involved in cutting it.”
Chris encourages the resurgence of scythe use: “It’s so important to keep rural skills alive and there aren’t many people with the skill and energy to harvest large areas of reed with a scythe.” For...
It may not be a bumper but local vineyards are excited about a good 2013 harvest.
" We've got good crops on most varieties" says Yearlstone's vineyad manager Roger White. " The sparkling wine grapes are dripping bunches and even our cool climate reds are well laden. Yearlstone is expecting around 10 tons from it's own grapes, compared to a target of 15.
" Vines go in two year cycles so last year's washout reduced the potential , " says Roger. " But not only will local vineyards be able to restock empty cellars but the hot...
Where does our bread come from? What’s in it? How hard is it to make?
Humans have been making some kind of bread for more than five thousand years - it’s central to our culture.
Think of the importance of bread in religious stories, or in the many expressions we use – "best thing since sliced bread"; "putting bread on the table"; and so on.
Originally just ground grains and water, then later leavened (risen) with yeast, bread has been a simple staple food throughout human history. But the bread we see today in supermarkets is full of additives, enzymes and...
From 9-10 October, you can see, taste and buy mouthwatering produce at the RHS London Harvest Festival Show, a foodie feast celebrating the taste of autumn. Some of the best growers in the UK will exhibit their bounty in the Fruit & Vegetable Competition – and new exhibitors are very welcome. Visitors can expect expert advice on apple identification, as well as apple tasting sessions and the chance to join in the Foraging Forum, gaining advice from seasoned foragers on gathering food in the wild.
This is not an Allotment! by Pennard Plants is an innovative feature...
