During the 2019 National Tree Week, as part of the Public Health-funded orchard project for Barking & Dagenham and in partnership with Company Drinks, volunteers planted a new 64 tree community orchard at Eastbrookend Country Park.
The orchard contains a range of apple-tree varieties, suitable for juicing, cooking and making cider and will be available for Company Drinks and the public to harvest once the trees start bearing fruit. In anticipation of this, the Park Rangers and Company Drinks, along with volunteers and local families, paid a visit to the National Fruit Collection in Brogdale, Kent.
This was a chance to look at the 2,300 varieties of apple that grow there, as well as discover how the orchard is managed. Led by a local guide, the group had the opportunity to pick some of the apples during the tour, as well as learn a little bit more about the origins of their names, their different uses and, of course, flavours.
Everyone enjoyed a picnic in the sun, eating their freshly picked apples and sampling some cordials and juices provided by Company Drinks, before visiting the tree nursery. There, the group were given a talk by one of Brogdale’s horticulturalists, who explained the work that they do and gave insights into how they graft, grow and care for the trees. This was valuable information for the group ahead of their own orchard planting and provided a lovely day out for people of all ages, making the most of the glorious late-Summer weather.
