Heatwave

Early July and we're in the middle of a heatwave, looks like they'll be a good crop of Bramleys and plums. Tried to get a photograph of the immature plums, they are hard and green like giant olives, but the wind kept blowing, the branches kept swaying and all I ended up with was a blur.

Raindrops on

Apple Blossom

Bramley Apple Blossom to be more precise.


A drizzly weekend leaves the blossom

sparkling with diamante raindrops.

Fruit Buds

Fruit buds are of course the blossom buds.

An unusual request

A lady photographer has asked if she can use the orchard to

take photographs of her pregnant clients bump.

What an amazing setting it will be with all the blossom around.

May Day Dandelions

May Day and the orchard grass is bejewelled with dandelions.

It looks as though it's going to be a good year for dandelions.

Anyone for Dandelion wine?

You'll need:

2 litre jug of dandelion heads
4 oranges
1500 grams of sugar
4.5 litres of water
50grams of all purpose yeast plus 1 teaspoon of yeast nutrient

Then:

Cut away the green from the flower heads.

Boil enough water to pour over the flowers to cover them completely and leave for two days to steep.

After two days, squeeze the oranges, retaining both the peel (without white pitch) and the juice separately.

Gently re-boil the mixture with the peel of the oranges ,allow to cool slightly.

Whilst cooling, add the sugar to a fermenting bucket and then carefully strain the hot mixture through a fine cloth or muslin. Stir the mixture afterwards to dissolve the sugar completely.

Allow to cool, before adding yeast nutrient, orange juice and yeast.

Move into a fermentation jar and fit airlock, store in a warm dark place and allow to ferment.

Rack off as required & bottle when cleared.

Plum Blossom

Plum blossom, so lovely, so fleeting, this photograph was taken exactly a week ago when we decided to start this blog,

The Orchard Year.

The smell of pollen was heavy on the air and there was a froth of blossom all around.

Already it's gone and the petals lie like snow upon the grass, snow in springtime.

But the fruit has set and we can look forward to delicious mouth watering plums in just a few months time.