By Hannah Corcoran, Deputy Editor, and Isabelle Geddes, Epigreen Columnist
An apple a day keeps the doctor away... until a Bristol medical student catches wind of free cider! Bristol Botanic Garden's annual Apple Day was a smashing success, and an amazing example of community solidarity.
An autumnal Sunday morning gave way to a warm sunny day as dozens of student volunteers, researchers and Botanic Garden staff gathered outside Holmes House to set up and open to visitors. From apple pressing to apple bobbing, there was no missed opportunity to celebrate this classic fruit. Andy Winfield, Senior Horticulturalist at the gardens, told us: 'There were nearly 400 people talking to university experts, sampling cider or freshly pressed apples, playing fete games and watching Morris dancing. Despite the low harvest this year, we were all able to have a celebration for Bristol that many parts of the University collaborated in.'
Apple Day has been a celebration of all things apple for several years now, with a growing focus on sustainability and building resilience in the wake of climate change. Gardeners Tom and Jacub described how 'apples have been a little bit down, but pears have been amazing this year - they're really drought-tolerant.' In lieu of this, the Garden are planting more Mediterranean varieties in the plots, due to their greater adaptation to prolonged dry spells the UK will continue to face.
Ned, President of Bristol University Conservation Group (BUCG), also noted how increasingly unpredictable weather patterns highlight just how reliant we are on the natural world. Members of BUCG have volunteered in previous years for Apple Day and today is no different. They were gathered in their dozens for the early morning briefing before helping to weigh, mash, macerate, and hydro press donated apples into juice.
Ned praised Apple Day for raising awareness around food waste reduction, but is also passionate about getting stuck into the physical activities associated with growing your own food, along with other dedicated BUCG members. It might be said that alongside the apple bobbing stand, BUCG were hardly coming up for air!
The sense of community generated by Apple Day was noted by Kasha Smal, Project Officer of the University's green spaces. She commented that, 'Apple Day brings students and the Bristol community together to celebrate the harvest, share knowledge, and make sure good food doesn't go to waste. Bringing people together over cider is a wonderfully West Country thing to do!'
Reducing food waste was a prominent theme of the day, with several stalls sharing information on how to reduce everyday food waste and limit your carbon footprint through your diet. Any leftover apples from the day were to be eaten by pigs, ensuring no pip or core goes to rot here and demonstrating the circular systems essential to combatting unnecessary waste.
One of the talks occurring in the Linnaeus study room, delivered by PhD student Emma Atkins, discussed how aesthetic standards for food generate copious amounts of waste for virtually no reason. She also outlined ways to oppose these standards, from wholesale production of crops to banishing the standards entirely.
Other talks complementing the practical apple activities included an expert presentation given by agronomist Alex Graham. He described the different challenges facing orchards such as pests, diseases, and climate change before outlining some of the mitigations that can be implemented.
Cider tasting with Branch Cider was particularly popular too, with attendees parching their thirst with free samples of Bristol-grown cider. Ed Gibson, of Branch Cider, highlighted how 'there is way more complexity and variation of flavour with cider than there is with wine,' and the session guided us on how to taste such variation.
Hannah Corcoran
The sense of community, shared solidarity and overall celebration of apple traditions made Apple Day a privilege to be a part of. Alex Graham sums up the experience of the day perfectly: 'It was an excellent day, and it was really encouraging to see such genuine interest in apples and cider from so many people.'
Featured image: Courtesy of BUCG
Who knew apples could bring people together so well?
