Most of us rarely pause to consider the overflow car park and the apple trees around it. This is the club’s Community Orchard, with trees adopted by members – sometimes in the name of a loved one.
It was envisaged as a project that would generate some incremental funds for the club while providing a pleasant space in keeping with the club’s heritage in this rural community.
We have planted a wide range of heritage apple varieties, around 28, with some 300 trees planted in total. The varieties listed below are just a few of those quietly growing in this often forgotten quarter of the club.
- St Edmund’s Pippin – one of the best English russets
- Golden Russet – golden yellow with a sweet honeyed flavour
- D’Arcy Spice – with hot, spicy nutmeg flavour
- Knobbly Russet – looking like a potato, with creamy flesh
- Egremont Russet – creamy yellow with a nutty flavour
- Rosemary Russet – orange-red with russet patches
- Pitmaston Pine Apple – small and conical with a pineapple flavour
The trees are properly pruned and maintained (we’re not short of apple growers around here) as part of the orchard. The fruit is picked and made into either cider or fruit juice, with members being the first to know about how to get hold of a glass of something delicious and refreshing grown just a few steps away from their sporting activities.
For information on ‘adopting’ a tree: contact membership@mardenchc.co.uk
