Apple Pressing Day
This was held on Saturday 25th October outside the Merry Bells. Despite the odd shower, it was a successful morning, and we produced 85 bottles of pasteurised apple juice from the apples we have picked around the village. The proceeds from the cake stall covered our costs.
A big thank you to the owners of the trees we picked (we got over a ton of fruit this year), to the helpers who picked fruit and made the juice and to everyone who came along.
Grants for Equipment
We would like to thank the Mid-Counties Co-op and Alexandrine Kantor/South Oxfordshire District Council for grants which have enabled us to buy an electric Apple Mill and two Fruit Pickers which will be used for our annual Village Harvesting project.
The new electric Apple Mill and two Fruit Pickers (March 2025).
Village Harvesting
Each summer we offer help to villagers who have fruit trees in their gardens that they are not able to pick and have no use for. Depending on demand and weather, we arrange small groups about once a week to pick some trees. It is fun!
We have a sociable hour or so picking and chatting.
Once the fruit is harvested it is offered to nurseries, schools, the children’s centre, the food larder and other groups who can use it. Baskets of eating and cooking apples are left outside the shops on the High Street for all to share.
We welcome any volunteers who can help with the picking and distributing of the fruit and we have worked successfully with John Watson school to involve their students in this project on occasion.
Late in October we hold an apple pressing event outside the Merry Bells when everyone can help to turn any remaining apples into juice, bottling and pasteurising it. The juice is offered to the tree owners and other helpers and anyone else who would like some.
In 2022 we picked about 600 kg of fruit, saving it from going to waste. We are always keen to hear from anyone who would like to get involved in any aspect of this project.
Please look out for information and contact us in the summer, when we will start planning for the coming harvest.
Sustainable Wheatley 