12th and 13th October 2019
Harvestime 2019 marks the thirtieth anniversary of the Big Apple, a community event celebrating apples, orchards and cider and all the ways in which they have shaped the landscape in one small corner of Herefordshire.
Nine venues in and around Much Marcle will be offering visitors the chance to learn, taste and enjoy. Cider and perry and making will be taking place at all scales from cottage style to fully commercial, and the producers will be sharing their knowledge and offering plenty of opportunities to sample and buy.
An amazing range of dessert and cooking apples will be on display for tasting at the Feast of Apples at Hellens and less well-known varieties can be purchased in the Apple Market. Marcher Apple Network will be on hand to help anyone hoping to identify their own apples.
As part of the 30th celebrations, there will be two talks at Hellens on Sunday 13th October. At 12 noon, local fruit grower, Norman Stanier, will be delving into the early records of the Woolhope Naturalists‘ Field Club to discover the stories behind the famous Herefordshire Pomona. At 2pm, Professor Paul Hadley of the University of Reading will be talking about ‘Apples in a Warmer World’, ongoing research looking ahead to the possible impact of climate change on future UK apple production.
Marking growing international interest in orchards, sustainability and tourism, the Big Apple is proud to be part of Ciderlands, a network of cider tourism destinations across Europe whose aim is to preserve and celebrate the heritage and environment surrounding cider culture. The Ciderlands 2019 conference will be taking place in Herefordshire this week and what could be more natural for delegates than a visit to the Big Apple?
A full programme of events can be found at www.bigapple.org.uk
