Apple Day brings community together at Bristol Botanic Gardens
Celebrate the harvest and reduce waste with local cider-making
This Sunday (4th October), the University of Bristol Botanic Gardens will host the third annual Apple Day, a community celebration aimed at reducing food waste by transforming surplus apples into cider and juice.
Andy Winfield, Senior Horticulturist at the University of Bristol Botanic Gardens, explains that the event is rooted in a collaboration with The Cider Box, which seeks to create a cider unique to Bristol using apples from across the city. Speaking about the initiative, Winfield said, "Well, this is a big community event. It's our third Apple Day here at the Botanic Garden... We can press the apples and they get taken away and made into a Bristol cider."
Local community centres, including Bramble Farm, Lockleazes, and Hillfields, contribute apples to the event, reinforcing its community spirit. Winfield added, "This bringing the city together, you can really feel it's tangible... People bringing this along really enjoy their apples contributing to something from our city, and the cider is good as well."
Visitors can bring their apples to the Botanic Gardens for free entry or donate them at community hubs ahead of time. The event also includes demonstrations on pasteurization for those who wish to take home apple juice.
Apples should be pesticide-free and rinsed, though slightly bruised fruit is welcome. However, rotten apples cannot be accepted. Fair Share will also distribute leftover apples to food-sharing communities in the South West.
Last year, the event saved three thousand kilos of apples from landfill, demonstrating its effectiveness in promoting sustainability and reducing waste.
For more information, please visit the Botanic Garden website.