Spartan Apples Harvest October 2011

We have a small area od Spartan apple orchard, planted when the field was part of Wye Collgee, and very neglected over the years. Left un-pruned for a long time and un-weeded, many of the trees are covered in 'old man's beard' and crowded by Alder. But we have done some pruning and tidying since renting this field, and this year we have been rewarded with a bumper crop. It has generally been a good year for apples, and these are no exception. They are ready earlier than usual too, so on Tuesday we harvested the lot (we leart our lesson after last year, when we harvested a couple of boxes each week for the markets for a few weeks, and then found empty trees - some-one had been more than scrumping!

Here's a couple of pics to whet your appetite, they will be sale at Stoke Newington and Whitstable Farmers Markets this Saturday, and then every week until they're gone.

Also available to order as extras with our box scheme.