Last Sunday The English Apple Man attended the first Bountiful Botanics event at Wakehurst Place in East Sussex
Wakehurst Place is a most beautiful place to visit; under the control of Kew Gardens it houses The Millenium Seed collection.
Bountiful Botanics is a new event at Wakehurst and blessed with perfect September weather attracted many visitors on Saturday & Sunday.
Below: Set out on the lawns at Wakehurst Place - a mix of tasty foods.......fruit, vegetables, bread, preserves, cheeses, et al
The Potash Farm Stand at Bountiful Botanics displayed Kentish Cobnuts and a wide selection of associated products; Alexander Hunt the owner of the farm also welcomes farm walks that provide a splendid opportunity to learn more about cobnut production and what is involved in managing a commercial plantation. He has twenty-five years experience in cobnut growing and now provides an expert advisory service for those farmers and growers who are wishing to diversify into cobnut production.
Below: Pumpkins - and - Kent Cobnuts on the Potash Farm stand
Click on Kentish Cobnuts for more more information.
Below: Honey, Herbs and Spices abound on the Herb Jedi Stand
Hand made cheeses are an attraction to any food lover's taste buds and my visit to the High Weald Dairy stand resulted in a purchase of Brighton Blue - a 'semi soft cheese with a mellow blue flavour and a slightly salty finish' and Sister Sarah a Gold Award winning ' 'semi soft mild flavoured cheese' without any of the 'goatiness' of goat cheese
Below: Award winning 'hand made' cheese on The High Weald Dairy Stand
For more information about their award winning cheeses High Weald Dairy
My next stop was at the Heaven Farm Shop Stand - this is a new enterprise which re-opened in March 2015 under new management. In addition to a wide choice of fruit & vegetables, pickles, preserves, delicatessen, dairy and eggs, Heaven Farm offers a Mobile Farm Shop which takes me back to my younger days when fresh fruit and vegetables were 'hawked' around the villages before Farm Shops and for that matter, while Supermarkets were still in their infancy.
For more information about Heaven Farm Shop
Below: Stefan Jordan brought a mix of apples from The BIFGA orchard at Hadlow College for visitors to Bountiful Botanics to taste
Coming back to my 'core interest' - apples; my good friend Stefan Jordan, Lecturer at Hadlow College spent his Saturday & Sunday at Wakehurst with samples of apples from The BIFGA trial orchard at the college, offering visitors an opportunity to taste varieties they may have never tried before, while canvassing 'consumer opinion' on preference. Stefan sought opinion on size and taste.
Stefan asked those under 13 (child) - under 20 (adolescent) and over 20 (adult) for their preferred size, logging the best remarks; 50-55mm (very small) "leaves room for more" said an under 13 year old. 55-60mm (6 to the pound) "because its bigger than my nose" said an under 13 year old. 60-65mm (five to the pound) "prefer a snack" - 65-70mm (four to the pound) "fits in my hand" - 70-75mm (3.5 to the pound) "big bite without any core" - 75-80mm (3 to the pound) "need a meal" - 80-85mm "dont' like small apples"
Stefan brought Gala, Zari, Herefordshire Russet, Golden Hills, ..............
The 'stand out' apple for taste was Golden Hills, an apple bred by Nuvar and with Greensleeves x Greensleeves parentage Developed by: John Breach and Hugh Ermen
Click on Hadlow College for more information on what the college has to offer horticultural students.
Below: a visitor tries a Golden Hills apple - and - McCarthys Country Store offered 'artisan bread' and some very tasty treats; the EAM bought cheese sticks, Pasties and Eccles cakes - deeeelicious!
For an in depth look at 'artisan bread' click on McCarthys Country Store
The machinery collection attracted Mum's, Dad's and children.......
Below: Dad & Daughter on a John Deere - and - Mum and kids on a New Holland Tractor
A nice view from the bottom lawn where the machinery was displayed towards The Mansion - and - Wakehurst Plants
One of the 'activity attractions' revolved around a rather splendid tree set up with climbing ropes and a Zip wire. I stood with a proud Mum as her 4 year old son fearlessly dealt with the Zip wire, while his Dad caught the whole show on his camera.
Below: the Zip wire and climbing ropes were a popular attraction
Below: this 'fearless four year old' on his way up - and - on his way down the Zip Wire
'The Little Grey Fergie'
One of the exhibits really caught my attention; Ferguson 'the little grey tractor' created by engineering genius Harry Ferguson has had a place in the lives of (I imagine) every grower of apples during the last 70 years, and many more small farmers as well. At Wakehurst I met Gary and Heley Anderson who have a reverential love of al things Ferguson; Gary and Heley are both qualified pilots and he told me he found out many years ago that the inspiration for the 'ground breaking' - '3 point hydraulic linkage' was due to Harry Ferguson being 'first and foremost' an early aviator, flying his Ferguson Monoplane - built by his brother's company, J.B.Ferguson & Company, Harry made the first flight in Ireland on 31st December 1909.
Although Harry Ferguson first patented the hydraulic system in 1926 and following various associations with Henry Ford, which ended in Harry suing Henry Ford II for infringing Harry's 3 point linkage patents, which ended with 'an out of court' settlement in April 1952 of $9 million (which cost Harry half in legal fees) - by which time most of his 'important' patents had run out, allowing tractor manufacturers across the World access to his designs. Harry built the first TE20 in 1946 (made from 1946 - 1956) becoming famous as 'The Little Grey Fergie' - now beloved by tractor enthusiasts like 'Gary Anderson............
........and as Gary said....if Harry Ferguson had never been involved with aeroplanes.......how long would it have been before someone else discovered the '3 point linkage system?
Below: Who is this on a Little Grey Fergie? - and - Gary (on the right) with one of his TE20's
The TE20 really resonates with The English Apple Man, as after leaving school in 1958 (aged 16) many a summer was spent mowing our apple orchards with 'the Fergie' - initially with gang mowers and later with the Hayter mower, more efficient but not as pleasing as the 'cricket field' like sward finish of the gang mowers!
Later I cajoled my father into buying a 'Vineyard Fergie' enabling better access to the orchards (without knocking off apples ) as trees grew into the alley way during summer.
Below: 'reliving my youth on Gary Anderson's Little Grey Fergie
Take a look at the Ferguson Club for more history on Harry Ferguson's contribution to tractor development.
Mushrooms, Truffles and Melissa Waddingham...........
Another stand which caught me attention was Melissa Waddinghams display of wild mushrooms. Melissa is clearly an amazing 'countrywoman' with a passion for the joys of foraging.
Below: Melissa's own words from her website;
"My name is Melissa Waddingham and I am a truffle hunter and wild mushroom picker. In the spring and autumn months I run mushroom forays, truffle hunts, talks, courses and throughout the year I provide truffle hound training days for your truffle hound to be"
"I also manage woodlands for the sustainable production of truffles".
Below Melissa Waddingham at Bountiful Botanics
Learn more about the 'Truffle and Mushroom Hunter Melissa Waddingham to learn more about her 'foraging' in our beautiful countryside.
When potting plants and trees we are all aware of what is available in our local Garden Centre; on Sunday I saw an entirely new concept. The Air-Pot system really caught my eye.
Below: the Air-Pot system looks a very interesting concept
For more information - Click on Air-Pot
Below: Cyclamen 'en mass' at Wakehurst is an annual pleasure for visitors
For more information click on Wakehurst Place
That's all for this week..................and we are 'early on line' at 5pm on Friday....off to a retirement party tonight for my ex colleague Graham 'Bertie' Basset......
Take care
The English Apple Man
My son Stuart is very involved with Squash and has been involved in the organisation of World Squash Day in aid of Unicef - take a look at the Website!