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.

  • Regenerative Agriculture

    with Jairo Restrepo

    Agriculture is changing. A new brand of modern agriculture using Agro ecology as it's guiding principle is gaining traction both on the ground and in academic circles.

    Linked to this is the recognition that small farmers across the world need to organise and stand together in order to stand up to industrial food production.

    Jairo Restrepo has been a lead teacher in the field of Chromatography, biofertilisers, bokashi and micro organisms for many years. He also has extensive experience of implementing these at different scales through his consultation work. We are very pleased to be able to offer his expert knowledge at Ragmans as these technologies are increasingly recognised. As Darren Doherty says "this guy is a genius and a tour de force of the first order!"

    Regenerative Agriculture led by Jairo Restrepo, will give farmers and growers the practical tools needed to analyse their soils and create fertile systems using home made bio fertilisers and minimal-cost pest and disease control methods.

    Spanish is Jairo's first language so the course will be delivered through a translator who will be present for the whole course. Jairo has taught extensively in Europe and his teaching is relevant here as well as in South America. You can find a detailed biography on Jairo by clicking here

    A 5 day course 18-22nd July 2015

    (limited residential option available)

    Synopsis
    This course combines the theoretical and practical basis for Jairo Restrepo’s Regenerative Agriculture. The main focus of Regenerative Agriculture is the health of the land and the quality of the food produced on the land. Jairo’s teaching style makes clear the how and why of regenerating biological fertility and mineral agricultural soils; and how this enables the viable production of healthy food that is affordable to consumers and profitable for farmers. His methods allow farmers to disengage from a dependence on external inputs.

    The course has a very practical approach including practical workshops and encouraging sharing between participants whilst providing an opportunity to reflect on the principles, objectives and strategies of Regenerative Agriculture.

    The practical work covers production and application of organic fertilizers, bio-fertilisers, minerals, and micro-organisms (the ‘wines’ and ‘flours’ of Regenerative Agriculture) with a focus on producing these from locally available resources.

    Examples from Jairo’s work provide the evidence base for successful transition from conventional approaches to a regenerative agriculture approach.

    Who should attend:
    Farmers and independent small-scale growers, food producers, food retailers, technicians, students. Anyone interested in sustainable rural development and environmental protection. Students, experienced growers and technicians looking to update and acquire ‘new’ knowledge and methodologies for promoting sustainable development in rural areas.

    For a You Tube video on Regenerative Agriculture with English subtitles click here

    Course Objectives
    After the workshop, participants will be able to:

    • Identify the principles, objectives and basic strategies of Regenerative Agriculture.
    • Discuss the process of transition from a conventional approach to a Regenerative Agriculture approach, taking into consideration the conditions and the state of the resources, time and space available.
    • Recognise the factors and resources available/needed for applying Regenerative Agriculture principles
    • Encourage and support the sharing of such information with other farmers/growers, e.g. via campesina
    • Share appropriate practical tools and methodologies for sharing knowledge about Regenerative Agriculture
    • Provide examples of the successful application of Regenerative Agriculture.

    Course Outline:
    ∗ Introduction: A vision to rescue agriculture. More than 30 years of the farmer’s movement in Latin America and the tools that have been used.
    ∗ Crop nutrition as a tool to prevent pests and diseases.
    ∗ Theory and practice of trophobiosis.
    ∗ Regeneration of our soils. The concept of the 3 M's
    ∗ Using rock flour for re-mineralization
    ∗ How to make adapted bio-fertilizers
    ∗ Hot and cold mineral broths
    ∗ Plant protection and stimulating plant health
    ∗ Quick to build new floor (Bokashi) Composting
    ∗ Reducing the use of copper
    ∗ Seed protection
    ∗ The role of micro-organisms in soil and plants
    ∗ The use of micro-organisms for the regeneration of soil fertility
    ∗ The use of micro-organisms for combating pests and diseases
    ∗ How to identify which micro-organisms are essential for our crops
    ∗ How to produce native micro-organisms

    • Includes a one-day Chromatography session

    For a detailed breakdown of the course please click here

    Please note: this course will be delivered in Spanish with a translator.

    Jairo will also be running a one day course on Chromatography click here for details.

    Concessions available: please email us on info@ragmans.co.uk with details of why you would like to be considered for a concession.

    For information about Jairo's other courses and events whilst in the UK please click here

     


    £650.00

  •