Kilkenny apple pressing season begins at Walled Garden event

Walking on crunchy leaves, wearing cosy jumpers and pressing your own apples into juice - highlights of the season as we welcome autumn!

Get stuck into at least one of these in Callan, this weekend, with the first apple pressing of the season at Westcourt Walled Garden as part of the Living and Growing plant sale.

The Kilkenny Fruit Tree Project will have a crew on-hand with all the equipment needed to turn your own apples into juice.
All you have to do is bring the fruit and, of course, containers to bring the juice home!

Brian Dillon, of the Project, said that the event is always good craic, with people chatting about apple varieties.

He encourages people not to be shy about the amount of apples they bring along - a wheelbarrow full or a vegetable crate of apples is a good quantity.
If your harvest is less then they might be included with other small harvest. A minimum amount of apples is about a shopping bag full.

For juice containers, Brian says a good rule of thumb is to expect about half the volumes of apples you bring to be produced as juice. Don’t forget your containers for your juice!
Windfalls are perfectly fine as long as they are not mouldy, just give them a wash. If picking your apples from the tree they should be ripe - they should come off with the first twist.

The juice can be frozen, with some people also making it into syrup or even cider.
“There’s nothing like the taste of fresh juice, it’s completely different to cartons in the supermarket,” Brian said.

On the day you don’t need to book a time, but it can get busy so come early and be prepared to queue if it’s busy. Two machines will be in action - one to chop the apples then a second to press out the juice.
The dry pulp can be taken home and added to compost as an activator, or is good for pigs and chickens. You don’t have to take it away. You don’t even have to bring apples - pears work well and the apparatus can even press grapes.

There is no charge to press your apples, but a donation to the Red Cross in aid of Palestine is encouraged.
This is the first pressing of the season, and more will take place throughout the harvest season in Thomastown, Castlecomer, Stoneyford and at the Savour Festival in the city.
See dates on Facebook at ‘fruittreeproject’.

Plant Sale
The apple pressing will be just one attraction at the Living and Growing perennial plant sale, this Saturday, September 7, from 11am to 5pm. Now is the perfect time to plant perennials for strong, healthy flowers next spring.
Home bakes, tea and coffee will be on sale to raise funds for a new polytunnel in the garden, mostly funded by a recent Climate Action Grant. There will also be a raffle, with great prizes, and live music.

The Walled Garden at Westcourt is home to several growing initiatives, including enthusiastic volunteer growers who provide weekly boxes of organic vegetables to members of a small Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) scheme, and allotment holders who cultivate their own plots of fruit and vegetables.

The garden hosts a workability CISE horticultural project aimed at providing pathways to employment for people with intellectual disabilities.
Several ETB courses are hosted in the garden. A course on creating a garden border with perennial plants has just started and a course in vegetable growing, autumn planting and preparing your garden for winter starts on September 16.
To be informed about upcoming events and courses at Westcourt email friendsofwestcourt@gmail.com to join the mailing list.