Cloughjordan’s Ecovillage in Tipperary celebrated the 10th year of their apple harvest festival, Féile na nÚll, this week.
Festival-goers were encouraged to bring their own apples or pick windfall from the ecovillage’s extensive orchard, which features over 70 varieties of heritage apple.
On site were juicing presses operated by local business The Night Orchard. Collected apples were mulched, pressed and juiced for visitors to take home free of charge.
This year has seen a bumper crop of apples within Irish orchards. It may seem generous for visitors to pick apples and collect juice free of charge, but the festival’s coordinator, Dr Oliver Moore, explained that even with the huge amount being picked and processed on the day, their own harvest was not affected.
“The following day, you wouldn’t have known anyone was here,” he told the Irish Farmers Journal.
Moore says community members planted hundreds of apple trees sourced from the Irish Seed Savers “some years ago” and they now have a resource which helps revive old skills.
“From a food sovereignty perspective, conserving and using heritage apple varieties can help communities take back some control over their food system,” festival co-coordinator Davie Philip explained.
“Heritage apples matter because they carry genetic diversity, local adaptation and cultural significance.”
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