Apple Pressing Service

Dean and Kim who run the Market Garden at Ragmans are offering an apple pressing service this year.

If you’d like your apples pressed please read the information below and contact them:

Dean on: 07501 772781

Email: ragmansgarden@gmail.com

Facebook Page:  CLICK HERE

FAQs

What apples can you press?

You can make apple juice with any apple variety, cookers and desert apples. They are good mixed, producing a sweeter/more dry juice depending on the sweetness and mix of the apples. We can also press pears; pear and apple is delicious.

When do we press?

This year we will be pressing in October and early November

Minimum/Maximum Amounts

Maximum limit. We may be able to process commercial quantities of apples. Call us to talk through your requirements.

Minimum limit. We require a minimum of 300kg of fruit. This would be similar to 25+ shopping bags full. We appreciate it can be hard to estimate weight so feel free to send a photo of fruit either harvested or on the trees.

What you need to do:

Pick your fruit – the better quality the fruit the better the juice
No rotting fruit or badly bruised fruit please. We will discard any we find that is turning*.
Bag it up or put it into boxes or crates. Make sure you can lift them!

*IMPORTANT - Please note: If fruit is ‘turning’ or partially rotted (going brown) we will reject it. We may need to store the apples for up to a week from date of delivery, if it is in poor condition a lot of wastage can occur. We will carry out a final check and will sort fruit as we press but if the fruit is in a poor condition and is too difficult to sort we reserve the right not to press. Windfalls can be juiced if they are in good condition. Please ensure any animals grazing your orchards are out of the orchard for 6 weeks before you pick the fruit.

An easy way to tell if your fruit is ready is to taste it (!) and check the pips - they should be dark brown when the apples are ripe.

What we do:

We will wash the fruit, mill it, press it, bottle it (750ml green glass) and pasteurise it.

Fruit will be pressed in batches.

We don’t add anything to the juice – no sugar or preservatives. The pasteurisation process will preserve the juice for 24 months.

We will pack your juice in boxes of 12 to make storage and handling easier, otherwise please drop off your boxes/crates for the bottles.

Our juice process takes 2 days. We will call or message you when your juice is ready to be collected. We charge storage for juice left with us for over a week.

How much does it cost?

Please ring Dean for a quote:   07896 967807

Re using old bottles

Due to strict health and safety regulations it is NOT possible for us to re use your old bottles.

Organic or Biodynamic

Ragmans Juice processing site is registered with the local Environmental Health Service and with the Soil Association for producing apple juice to organic standards. If you have organic or Biodynamic fruit certification in place we can process your fruit separately but need to know this in advance.

Records

We keep records of all the juice we process. You are welcome to inspect our records.

  • Living Willow Residential

    Living Willow Residential Weekend 

    17 & 18th February 2018 (Sat 10am – Sun 4pm)

    Learn the art of living willow over the course of a weekend.

    We will begin with a tour of our willow beds and select, harvest and grade the willow for the weekend.

    Using the “ Universal Weave technique “ we will first make the simplest of all willow structures a “ fedge screen “. Applying what we have learnt we will then progress on to a 3 dimensional structure such as an arch or dome.

    The course is primarily hands on but we will also cover topics such as site selection, suitable willow varieties and the 4 golden rules: the key to making successful, long lived willow structures. Steve & Carine will share their experience and tips from two decades of designing and installing living willow structures.

    By the end of the weekend each participant will be able to design and make any type of living willow structure whether it be a screen, den or outdoor classroom.

    Participants will also receive handouts with instructions and diagrams to take home and be eligible for a 5% discount on any willow ordered in the month after the course.

    Accommodation is in the Farm’s Bunkhouse which is heated by a willow powered masonry stove as used throughout Scandinavia.

    Delicious home cooked vegetarian food is provided all weekend by Anna, our local chef extraordinaire. (Please let us know if you need a specialist diet)

    On Saturday evening Steve will present his famous ‘Willow in art, technology & the environment’ slideshow. Or you can just kick back with a bottle of our Ragmans Lane Cider in front of the stove with your new willow friends.

    Participants travelling long distances may arrive on Friday evening between 6pm and 10pm.

    Sheets, pillows and pillowcases are provided, but bring your own Duvet/Sleeping Bag and Towel.

    Cost £190

    For more information and to book a space please CLICK HERE



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