Surplus Apple Collection 2025

Due to the volume of apples that people have brought in this year, the apple collection service is currently paused. 

Message from Bushel & Peck

Hello ... and thank you for all your apples!  So far we have received an abundance of fruit, in excess of 6 tonnes, some of which has already been turned into Bristolian apple juice, some of which is becoming Bristolian cider and some of which - the fruit we collected earlier this week - is being processed.

For those of you who requested juice, this will be delivered to the Riverside Garden Centre sometime in November, we'll let you know the date in advance and we'll be on site at the Riverside for the duration of that day, so we hope to be able to meet some of you.   For those who requested cider, this will be ready next spring, usually mid- to late-May; again, we'll notify you when it's ready and waiting for collection.

Given the overwhelming response we've had this year and the increasing popularity of the scheme, we now have an over-abundance of fruit, so we'll have to bring the scheme to a halt for this year, for any more deliveries of fruit.  It may be that we'll find some space in our barn to ferment another batch or two of cider and will reopen the scheme in November for late-ripening fruit, but for the time being we request that you no longer bring fruit to the Riverside Garden Centre.  Thank you.

If you have any questions or comments then please get in touch.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

Other places you may be able to take your apples:

Community Apple Pressing Day - Royate Hill Community Orchard

Horfield Organic Community Orchard

Patchwork Community Gardening Group

Find more events in Bristol at Bristol Good Food

 

Do you have spare apples from your tree? Bring them to Riverside!

Riverside Garden Centre has partnered with Bushel & Peck in their Surplus Apple Scheme. Simiply fill a bag (available from Riverside) with good quality apples for Bushel & Peck to make huice and cider with - and recieve a Litre of Juice/Cider for every 10kg of apples! Reducing food waste and making some delicious 100% natural apple drinks too!  

"The best apple juice comes from apples grown close to home, not from those carted across continents, and comes from apples grown in gardens and orchards that are free of harmful chemicals so the birds, the bees, the insects and the wildflowers can all thrive." See more on Bushel & Peck's Website

 

Did you know! We also stock the apple juice made from your apples! HUMBLEBEE Natural Pressed Apple Juice, made with 100% apples can be found in our cafe! 

 

To take part:

 

How it works:

- collect as many empty sacks as you need from here (Riverside)

- pick apples when they are ripe, a few days before a collection day

- bring sacks here (Riverside) just before or on a collection day 

- fill in a card and place in the sack (1 card per sack)

- we weigh and record each and every sack

- collect free juice or cider on a subsequent collection day (juice in autumn, cider the following spring)

 

Upcoming Collection Days:

Please note: We hugely appreciate it if you could pick and deliver your apples as close to a collection date as possible so the apples can be at their best. 

18th August

8th September

22nd September

6th October 

(and following every other week (tbc))

 

We exchange 1 litre of juice or cider for every 10kgs of apples we recieve, which is about 15-20% of the juice we press from your apples.

Full details available on

www.bushelpeck.co.uk or www.humblebeejuice.co.uk

 

In a bit more detail:

The scheme is operated by The Cotswold Fruit Company Ltd., in conjunction with the location where you see this (Riverside).

We weigh your fruit according to the quantity of the fruit we are able to use to make juice or cider. Therefore we both suggest and request that:

- you pick the fruit as close to possible to the Collection Day - the collection day can be found on posters at Riverside or at the top of this page!

- you only use good quality fruit; it doesn't have to be perfect, the odd bruise or scab is ok, but no rotten or even partially rotten fruit please! As a guide, ask yourself "would I eat this apple?" and if the answer is no, then don't expect us to use it either!

 

If you have chosen to recieve apple juice, it will be brought to you at Riverside on the next collection day.

If you've chosen to recieve cider, it'll be brought to Riverside the following Spring(April or May) and we'll email or text you the date beforehand.

 

The Cotswold Fruit Company Ltd., Bieby House, Abbey Terrace, Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, GL54 5LL

 

 

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