Selfsufficientish.com

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-635aboftCO4/Un6ToXG9mtI/AAAAAAAAAIk/HnInsqFaQsQ/s320/photo+(2).JPG Tomorrow is Christmas for me. That's the day when I will be collecting the first batch of apple trees that were kindly grafted at Barters nursery in Chapmanslade, Wiltshire. I'm quite fortunate in my day jo...

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-iDgd3SCp5pw/Uj2DMJk0i3I/AAAAAAAAAIE/uOItcsvVC4s/s500/blogger-image--2008734971.jpg The cider trees will soon be collected from the nursery and will take at least 5 years before they begin to produce a heavy crop of apples. In the meantime we've been acquiring (scr...

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qrB2rn5FHNc/UiyvupMbauI/AAAAAAAAAH0/FQDwkE-bia8/s320/d.jpg Since the last blog post I've been sifting through hundreds of apple varieties trying to decide upon which mix of trees we'll plant this winter. In order to create a well balanced and cider full of flavour and dept...

Hey all,


I'm planning to make a batch of apple juice blended with elderberries.

Has anyone made this too? Wondering if it would it be best to make the two separate and blend them together (based on taste) or would it be better to put them in with the apples as I press them?

Ta.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vnmPAtwXbkI/Uero_pWV8II/AAAAAAAAAGU/FvH9Qmb733I/s320/19wt15hawkeridge_v01.jpg Picture courtesy of http://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/ Today has been quite eventful, so to think things through I've decided to stock up on a few bottles of local cider....it's helping to lubricat...

Great, another customer!

Or chief sample taster?!

Good idea for making a hedge, there is areas where it's become gappy and the wind whistles through.

Thanks for your suggestions.

I heard that the moisture content of willow wood, unless well seasoned can make a smoky fuel, though will burn quite well

Hey all, A large willow has fallen into my field which is currently being prepared to plant an orchard. The main core was very rotten and with the wet spring leading to the very hot summer it has finally taking a bow. The entire tree is about 18 metres in length, with a trunk of around a metre acros...

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dsvwkVsVJU4/UeBc-yTK9GI/AAAAAAAAAFo/vWF7ZJWl1hg/s400/Graftin+course+-+March+2013.jpg Earlier this year I was involved with the Food Champions scheme run by the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust and attended a grafting course with other members of local community orchards. The cours...

In recent months there's been a large amount of field management in order to get the land into good shape for the trees this autumn. All that is left now to complete is a bit of rotavating on the recent furrows we ploughed. This will take the high soil ridges from the deep plough cut and create a fi...

Advice from the masters: I had been putting today off for a while, hoping that our efforts at ploughing a few weeks back were not in vain. I was fearful that the clods of turned earth hadn't settled enough to starve out the pasture grass beneath and there would be tufts spurting out from every crevi...

The ploughing we undertook in the last few weeks has settled down, each furrow began sprouting pasture grass but has since been knocked back a little. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lAACPbdO9YY/UY6xu_D2CjI/AAAAAAAAADA/Jnck3eJAPYQ/s400/P1017667.JPG The next step was to be rotavating, but just for the time...

Many thanks! It's a long process, but very satisfying....hope you can stick around til harvest time!

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-slie4WzhsFw/UYVo4x1DX2I/AAAAAAAAACI/iSRRLrgMvP4/s400/P1017625.JPG Today came a huge milestone in the development of the orchard field, we began ploughing! A neighbour known only to me as Dave was on hand to provide the equipment, in the form of a beautiful old tractor from...

No problem Oldjerry, I find the cider helps to lubricate the gears, many thanks for your advice. I'll be sure to get in touch in the future, I'm in the process of drawing up a planting plan for the orchard and am keen to source some more unusual varieties. I'll be using perry pears at the some point...