What to do with the apple harvest

This year has produced bumper apple crops in the UK.

In spite of picking off lots of the fruits in June, giving the apples left on the tree chance to grow to a good size, we have been overwhelmed with the amount of fruit produced. None of the trees get sprayed so they produce an organic crop, complete with extra protein - you can’t offer these apples to the squeamish.

We eat apples as desert nearly every day (using up the worst specimens) and there is no room left in the freezer for anymore. We would need to buy a new freezer, and find the space to put it. What to do with the surplus – about two hundred kilograms!

The apples were gathered up and put into plastic boxes (supplied courtesy of Tesco) and taken by car (two journeys) to nearby Haywood Park Farm which offers an apple juicing service.

After being checked for bruising the apples were put through a chopping machine - I don't know its proper name - it's like an oversized liquidiser.

Then the farmer put the chopped-up apples onto the press and juiced them. The two types of apples produced distinctly different juices which were pasteurised and bottled.

Now all we need to do is to get labels made for the bottles - C has said he will help with this - and make a list of everyone who will get apple juice for this year's Christmas present.