It’s a little over two months until our annual Autumn Fayre on Saturday the 21st of October where the centrepiece of the fair will be the vintage hand-turned apple press, making delicious apple juice. But in order for that to happen, we will need two things: strong arms to turn the press, and apples to be juiced. Everyone is welcome to give the wheel a turn and help us press some apples – and we’re appealing to our community to save all the apples they can for the pressing.

Apples – harvested, fallen, or shop-bought – can be stored for as long as 4-6 months if the conditions are favourable. Simply wrap them individually in newspaper or in paper bags, and place them in a cardboard box in a single layer. Store the box in a cool, dark place such as a shed or cellar, where they won’t dry out.

You can also keep apples in the vegetable drawer of your fridge where they’ll keep well for about 4-8 weeks. Only store unblemished apples as damaged fruit will rot, and check your stored apples to pick out any that spoil over time. We’ve all heard the saying about that ‘one bad apple’.

We will also need volunteers to help us on the day: we need marshals at the entrances and exits,  we also need people who can come along on walks, and running the stalls, to help with chopping apples, to set up and to clear up the Fayre. And most importantly: we need bakers who can donate their delicious home-baked cakes for our cake stall!

Please do get in touch if you’re available to help on the day, even if only for a couple of hours. Any help is very much appreciated.

Book your tickets to the Fayre here – entry is free but some activities are ticketed.