East Dulwich Orchard Collective

[damon green]

Thank you to everyone who stopped outside Franklin's today and tried some apple juice. I spoke to some very interesting people, and there was plenty of positive reaction to the idea of an Orchard Collective.

The idea is to encourage people to grow more organic fruit in their gardens, to care for the many elderly and `heritage' varieties of fruit in our Victorian suburb and just as importantly, to see our individual trees as part of a larger whole.

If this is an idea that appeals to you - if you have a fruit tree in your garden, or have a neighbour who does, please contact me at [email protected].

I hope to be outside Franklin's again next Saturday, please stop and say hello.

Damon Green

[Alec John Moore]

Hi Damon

Thanks for organising this and nice to see you on Saturday. Thanks, too, for the advice on my ancient (possibly Golden Delicious) tree. Coincidentally, I managed to get some apples from my neighbour's neglected tree. They are enormous like gigantic eating apples but must surely be cookers. Will post a photo when I can.

Do you think it worthwhile trying to do an audit or mappling exercise for the "East Dulwich Orchard"? It sounds a bit formal and a lot of work but it may be something that one could get funding for and the results could be used to promote the idea.

Alec

[Nero]

I often notice that there are scores of fallen apples in the yard right behind the Franklins shop. Could they be collected and used, even if for animals? You probably haven't noticed them, but it does seem incongruous for you to be extolling the virtues of growing and using apples at home when there are loads of them in your very back yard going to waste.

[Alec John Moore]

A point worth making to the owners of the yard, Franklins, perhaps. They could have dropped from an overhanging tree belonging to a neighbour. As I see it, Damon's point is to make us more aware of what we have and that's something that we can all take a part in so not really incongruous at all.

I think it is incongruous for the council to plant fruit bearing trees in our streets. It would be good if we could harvest the fruits for some productive purpose but most often the fruits fall to the pavement and get squashed, creating more work for the street cleaners.

[Jamma]

Apple juice, whatevs ;-) Cider is where it's at. There's loads of apple trees in East Dulwich already and, I'm led to believe, a community orchard near Melbourne Grove.

There's already some folk do this with grapes. They collect grapes from folks gardens and turn it into wine. Here they are - http://www.urbanwineco.com/

Couldn't we do that with apples in east dulwich? The end result being some sort of late summer East Dulwich cider festival? (I am copyrighting 'East Dulwich Cider Festival' here and now OK?)

I've got two apple trees. Has anyone else got the wherewithal to get a project like this off the ground? Or an ability to make cider? Or TV contacts so we could make it into a documentary?

[Siduhe]

jamma - I was involved in something just like this when I lived in SE1 for three years. We were lucky enough to have a few very experienced cider makers otherwise the whole thing wouldn't have worked half as well - also lots of people (like me) who were enthusiastic but totally unskilled. Not sure if it is still going, but if there's serious interest, can see who from that group is still around. Certainly have contacts for press hire and stuff like that.

A lot depends on the apple variety from memory - we ended up driving to the west country to pick up a whole load of cider apples to balance out the locally grown ones.

http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/1267

[damon green]

Alec - I like the word `Mappling'. May I borrow it? One of the Collective has already started work on this, it will be a lot of work but we will see how it goes.

Nero - that tree is actually the one which started me thinking about this. It stands in a private garden and the fruit falls in a private yard. None, as far as I can tell, is ever used. It is a crying shame.

Jamma - I am a couple of steps ahead of you there. I have been making cider for years. I have all the gear and would be happy to share it, to make cider with apples from East Dulwich.

Siduhe - enthusiasm is the most important ingredient of cider making. Apart from apples, of course.

Thank you for your interest: if the Collective gets off the ground, it will be to promote the care of the fruit trees in our gardens, and to encourage people to see their trees, and their efforts, as part of a greater whole. Trees pollinate each other in the spring, they infect one another when they are sick, they support a community of birds and insects, dependants and parasites. When a tree dies or is cut down, all the others are affected.

Likewise, it's easier for two people to prune a tree than to do it on your own; five people can pick plums faster than one; and you can't drink a barrel of perry on your own. So if we do it together it will be fun. Much more fun, I can promise you, than making a documentary about it.

[Alec John Moore]

Accidental development of the English language has helped make it what it is today. The fact that it went unnoticed by the "culprit" is all part of fun. Perhaps if we eventually come up with our own East Dulwich apple we can name it the Mappling. I really like the idea of sharing labour, knowledge, tools etc. That is the basis for farming collectives/cooperatives throughout the world and down the years. The interest and enthusiams for the idea has led to our neighbour providing us with more fruit from the neglected apple tree in his garden and some from his mate's garden. I'm thinking baked apples, apple and rhubarb crumble, apple pie . . .

[Nero]

Damon,

Why not ask the owner of the tree whether you could have access to it? S/he can only say no (or yes).

[damon green]

Yes, good idea.

Effectively, setting up the East Dulwich Orchard Collective will give me a good reason to knock on people's doors.

[Alec John Moore]

Remember to ask him/her if you can plot it on the EDOC map.

[Alec John Moore]

Hi

I wondered if anyone could identify the apples in the attached picture. The one on the right is from a very old tree in our garden and looks like a standard Golden Delicious. The one on the left is from a neighbouring garden and is the size of a Bramley but you can see from the picture the colouring is more like a dessert apple. Any clues?

Alec

[Thomas Micklewright]

Glad to see the EDOC is doing well!

Im sure you will be keeping us all updated!

Tom

[Alec John Moore]

Hi

I've created a map for East Dulwich Orchard Collective that should allow you to plot your own tree and the trees of you neighbours or even those on public land. You can write a short description of the tree, too. Make it as formal or as lyrical as you like - it can be edited later. Looking forward to seeing the virtual orchard grow.

http://maps.google.co.uk/?mid=1287431266

Alec

Edited to say: It looks like you'll have to send me your email so that I can invite you to collaborate in the map making exercise.

[damon green]

The large one on the left looks like it might be a Blenheim Orange. The one on the right is almost certainly a Golden Delicious. The only other apple it looks like is the Emneth Early which fruits in August. Please borrow our book on English Apples and bewilder yourself with the possibilities...