Suggestions for Particular Months of the Year

January – Enjoy Wassailing traditions and songs–There are many performances of wassailing songs on YouTube. Leominster Morris and Jenny Pipes Morris are two local Morris Dancing groups that will perform at local Wassails in January and could be booked for a special occasion.

You could try your own Wassail. 

February – Visit an orchard and see the trees in a dormant state. Many animals are hibernating but it is a good time for spotting a few birds that visit the UK in the winter months and like orchards. A few to spot are: Fieldfare, Redwing and Waxwing. There are also other birds that remain in the UK all year including the Starling, Blackbird and Robin. Follow this link to get more information on British winter birds.

It is a good month for pruning apple and pear trees.

March/April – Visit the orchard to see new activity on the trees. As soon as the tree detects warm weather, it begins to push energy stored in the winter out. This burst of energy causes a protective coating around the buds to fall and the bud to break open, a stage called ‘silver tip.’ The leaves begin to emerge and a small amount of the green becomes visible, called the ‘green tip’ stage. At the center of each cluster of leaves a small flower bud forms. Spot other signs of animal life too, as various creatures come out of hibernation.

Visit the Leominster Museum which has a cider house on display as well as a collection of fantastic artefacts and

shows a film explaining the cider-making process.

May/June – This is the time for beautiful ‘Blossom Walks’. The soft pink tones of cherry and apple blossom contrast with the white of pear and plum. Different varieties fruit at different times, so every week during these two months you will see different trees in flower and an increasing number of pollinators. 

Follow this link to find information on which apples produce blossom and fruit and when is the best time to harvest.

Follow this link to find out more about apple blossom and pollinators.

July – Enjoy the progress of the fruit and spot the varied wildlife now abundant in the orchard including wildflowers. Follow this link for ideas for animals and plants to spot

It is also a good time to spot wildlife in the mini-habitats within the orchard, for example  the hedgerow, the holes or gaps in the tree trunk, long grass, piles of rock, the tree canopy, holes in the ground, log or stick piles and ponds or boggy areas.

The Orchard Project website provides great resources for exploring these habitats.

August –The orchard will be full of wildlife to spot, and the first windfalls can be harvested at the end of the month, delicious with blackberries. Why not make a blackberry and apple crumble, an apple and blackberry ‘crisp’ or ‘cobbler’ or bramble jelly. Some of the windfalls will be too small and unripe to use. These apples are excellent for throwing, stacking, and using for target practice!

This is a good time to find out about why particular apples, for example ‘Ten Commandments’, ‘Orange Pippin’, have their distinctive names and when they ripen. Follow this link for more info. If you don’t know the varieties in an orchard near you this is also a good time to find out, so that you know when the apples will be ready to pick. 

September – Many apples in the orchard are not ripe until October, but the following varieties are ready to pick and eat or cook with: King’s Acre, Bountiful, Crimson Queening, The Ten Commandments, and Tom Putt. The Farmers’ Market at Corn Square on the second Saturday of the month also has wonderful choice of local orchard fruits – apples, pears, plums all available at this time. Parry’s veg shop on Broad Street, Leominster also stock a variety of locally-grown apples. Host an ‘apple tasting’ of different, unusual varieties, and encourage other people to take an interest in local apples. September is a lovely time for story-telling in the orchard, inventing new stories or poems, or reminding ourselves of classic apple stories such as ‘William Tell’ and Isaac Newton’s falling apple revelation.

Follow this link to discover fascinating apple stories from around the world.

Apple Tasting can be enjoyed at any time of the year. The best time is between September and February when local UK apples can be bought or picked, and when unusual heritage varieties can be found. In the other months of the year plenty of other apples can be found from various corners of the globe. The experience of comparing  the taste of  just a few apples is a great pleasure in a group setting where preferences and experiences can be shared. It is interesting to taste cooking and cider apples, as well as dessert apples. Apple tastings can also be spiced up by discussing what accompaniment goes best with a particular apple eg, pickle, chocolate, peanut butter, and different types of cheese.

October – Most apples ripen in October and the following are some examples that can be found in the orchard: Herefordshire Beefing, Annie Elizabeth and Bramleys. This is the perfect time to do ‘apple tastings’ of dessert and cooking apples. Since ripe apples are to be found in abundance in October it is also a good time to cook some traditional apple favourites: apple sauce, Dorset apple cake, apple pie, apple strudel, apple chutney, baked apple. Demonstrations of apple juicing and cider-making take place in local farms and at Grange Court. The Farmers market (Corn Square, second Saturday) will be full of orchard fruit for sale and the annual Apple Fair, which takes place in the Priory Church, is a fantastic occasion to celebrate and learn about apples. This is also a time revisit traditional apple games, including apple bobbing. Toffee apples, surprisingly simple to make, are a seasonal treat.

Many farms are busy making cider, and Hereford’s Cider Museum is a great place to visit.

November – There will still be many apples to harvest at the orchard for eating and cooking, and the colder weather provides the perfect excuse to eat warming apple puddings with custard. Many apples can be stored for later use, and should be collected in before frosts damage the harvest. November is also a good time to see evidence of mammals eating the windfalls.

Collect a variety of apples for artistic inspiration: drawing, painting or creating apples in other ways is a lovely thing to do on a cold day and

helps you to appreciate the subtle colours and differences between varieties of fruit.

December – Apple trees have an important link with Christmas traditions through the Adam and Eve story and the apple tree as a symbol of wisdom, immortality and fertility in many cultures, so why not make apple-themed Christmas decorations –there are many ideas to be found online. Follow this link for the background to some of these traditions.

Here is a recipe for a special festive drink – Mulled Cider. 

Ingredients: 1 litre of local cider

1 apple cut into quarters

1 sliced orange

2 cloves

 1 cinnamon stick

Small piece of fresh root ginger, unpeeled and roughly chopped

Pinch of nutmeg, or half a grated nutmeg4/5 tablespoons dark brown sugar

Method: 1.Put all of the ingredients into a saucepan and simmer, with the lid on, for 30 minutes. Do not boil. 

2.Take off the heat and check the sweetness. Add more sugar if needed

3.Leave to cool to a warm drinking temperature.

4.Pour through a sieve and serve the drink.

Tip –Use apple juice if you want an alchohol free drink, or add a dash of rum when the mixture is taken off the simmer if you would like an extra alchoholic hit!