Apple Pressing 3rd and 4th October
Yes, it’s apple pressing time again next month at Llanllowell House! And although successive heatwaves have reduced their size, there are still plenty of apples and pears to be harvested.
So bring apples and pears for juicing here on Sunday October 4th, from 2pm, and go home with your own fruit juice. We’ll show you how to preserve it through freezing or pasteurisation.
Or just come along to join in the fun and see how it’s done.
Kids and dogs are most welcome.
We’ll also be doing an apple pressing demonstration on the day before (Saturday October 3rd) at the Usk Farmers’ Market from 9:30-12:30am.
Apple Pressing Day at Llanllowell House, Sunday October 4th
You are warmly invited to bring your own apples and pears for juicing here on Sunday October 4th from 2pm. Bring your own bottles or pick up a bottle here (plastic for free, glass with screw cap - at cost - for £1). Take home your own fruit juice on the very same day!
If you don’t have your own apples or pears, come along anyway, as there will be plenty of surplus fruit to press.
We are not providing lunch, but soft drinks, coffee, tea and biscuits will be available, and – er – lots of fresh apple and pear juice! So bring a picnic if you want to, and a folding chair if you need one.RSVP by email to give us an idea of numbers on Sunday
Thanks to funding from the National Lottery Community Fund, the event is free. But donations are welcome to support the work of Llanllowell Eco Projects. This is the nonprofit organisation created by a group of friends and neighbours who share an ambition to work together to deliver projects which will protect and – hopefully – enhance the precious biodiversity of the ecosystem in and around Llanllowell, which is 2 miles South of Usk on the road to Llantrisant/Newport. We also aim to make the meadows and woods around Llanllowell House more accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds who want to enjoy and learn from the natural world, and thereby improve their health and wellbeing.
The apple pressing event will go ahead come rain, wind or shine; if it rains, we can shelter in the Coach House with a log fire to keep us warm and dry, and there will be gazebos to provide additional shelter from the elements.
As well as making juice, you can ramble in 33 acres of woods and meadows, with a stream running through.
There is also access on foot to Gwent Wildlife Trust’s Springdale Nature Reserve next door - http://www.gwentwildlife.org/reserves/springdale-farm - and you’re welcome to explore their beautiful landscape. Or you can park in their car park at the top of the hill and walk down to Llanllowell House.
Parking and wheelchair access are available here, but please share a car or ride a bike to keep traffic to a minimum. Give me a shout if you need directions.
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RSVP by email to give us an idea of numbers on Sunday
If it’s juice you want, you can watch the demo on Saturday, and get stuck in with some serious apple and pear pressing on Sunday.
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I look forward to seeing you again for my favourite time of year, when we convert the bounty of our fruit trees into juice which you can drink for the rest of the year.
All my best.
Hamish.
Hamish Sandison
CHAIR, LLANLLOWELL ECO PROJECTS
Llanllowell House
Llanllowell Lane
Usk
Monmouthshire
NP15 1LL
United Kingdom
tel +44 (0)1291 672043
mobile +44 (0)7711 014363
email hamish.sandison@llanllowellecoprojects.org
follow us on Instagram @llanllowellecoprojects
Apple Pressing Demonstration at Usk Farmers’ Market, Saturday October 3rd
The idea on the Saturday is to show how apples and pears can be turned into juice in a matter of minutes, and for you to learn how to do it yourself. It’s very hands on, and kids – as well as adults – are welcome to turn the apple press.
I also encourage you to attend the apple pressing demo and support your local farmers’ market, which brings fabulous food direct from local farms to local people – without any intervening supermarket.
If you want to make your own juice, the Sunday event is probably more appropriate; the Saturday event is just to show how it’s done, especially for kids to have a go. It’s not set up for large numbers of people to press large quantities of apples and pears. It’s a DEMONSTRATION only.
If it’s juice you want, you can watch the demo on Saturday, and get stuck in with some serious apple and pear pressing on Sunday.