The green and rolling countryside of Worcestershire, England, is home to the cider apple orchards which surround the gardens of Pear Tree Cottage. They enjoy a sunny south westerly aspect with sweeping views across to Martley Hillside, Woodbury and Abberley clock tower. The Teme Valley lies just over the hill and, not far away, is the Herefordshire border. Although our climate is temperate, our seasons are often uncertain and always a challenge to a gardener! This began in 2010 & follows the weekly ups and downs of garden work chronicling both successes and failures but, above all, demonstrates the fun enjoyed by three people who regularly garden in all weathers

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17 November 2013

The Arrival of Pear Tree Cottage Apple Juice!

Some of the apple juice....

Well, the secret's out!  We had answers which ranged from 47 upwards.  My own guess was 82 - however from these 4 containers of apples, we now have 88 - yes 88 bottles of apple juice and it's deliciously tangy.  As the majority of the apples were Bramleys with some Katy's; it means that luckily, the sugar content is not too high and therefore the juice is not sickly sweet which can be a problem in a good year.  We have managed to find space for the excess numbers of bottles in the garage and the Gardener's Loo where it is dark (most of the time!) and cool.

It's amazing what Tim Nicholls at Hayward Park Farm, Shugborough (http://www.haywoodparkfarm.co.uk/) produced from these few apples and, unlike local 'pressers' he will recycle our bottles next time around.  The juice has been pasteurised and will keep for 2 years. It feels like 'getting one over' on the supermarkets and I bet this apple juice has greater purity!  Now, I need to make some (hopefully) suitably attractive labels for the bottles.
& even more!
Oh....and in case you're left wondering what happened to the residue apple pulp - it was fed to the pigs!!  An all round perfect use for an excessive apple crop!! (Maybe, we should try pear juice next year????)

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