Saturday 15 October, visitors coming to the gardens were treated to a celebration of seasonal fruit and local crafts as we held our first ‘Apple Day’. Volunteer Jane Pownall takes up the story.
This Saturday, amidst a blaze of Autumn colour, we celebrated our first Apple Day at Furzey Gardens.
The sun shone for most of the day and attracted a steady flow of visitors. Some came to identify their own apples with our local expert, Chris Bird, whilst others came to see and taste over 50 different types of fruit, plucked from the Plant Heritage Collection of Hampshire and Isle of Wight apples, held at Sparsholt College.
A dedicated team from Minstead Trust were on hand working an apple press, turning apples into delicious fresh juice. Many thanks to all those that assisted at the juicing station, many hands made light work! Families were delighted to leave with a bottle of their own juice to take home for supper.
Parents and children enjoyed testing their aim at the fabulous maggot shy, hurling beanbags at the plump maggots, peeping out of the rosy apples suspended in mid-air.
It was a delightful sight to see so many people wearing their hand made willow crowns, lavishly adorned with all sorts of seasonal fruits and foliage. Fairy wings and Autumn crowns seemed like a winning combination!
Local crafters worked through the day, demonstrating their skills and selling their hand made wares. All against the stunning backdrop of the fiery red, Furzey landscape.
The head gardener charmed the visitors with his enchanting tales of exotic trees from far off lands, each with their unique adaptations to different climate conditions around the world.
There were so many smiley faces throughout the day. Those enjoying the delicious apple cakes in the café, others inventing miniature apple creatures out of windfalls and others simply enjoying a gentle afternoon walk.
A local mycologist discovered some rare treats around the grounds, including these amazing, collared Earth Stars.
All in all, it was a really fun day and just shows that Furzey garden can be enjoyed in so many different ways.