Keats wasn’t wrong when he wrote these words from his romantic poem. It's the time to gather in fruits from gardens and hedgerows, to store or preserve them as jams and jellies to eat during the long winter months. Here at Withysmythe Meadow we grow many different fruit trees and plants that produce an abundance of fruit between spring and autumn.
This season we have have made some gorgeous jams including strawberry, plum (from our Victoria plumb tree), yellow and red raspberry jams and blackcurrant jam.
We have also made Apple juice from the orchard, Elder flower cordial, Elderberry syrup,and blackcurrant cordials
In the 5 years since we took over the land at Withysmythe we have planted it up with willow, fruit trees, a large vegetable and a flower garden and we now have an abundance of produce to store up for the winter.
We have now planted over 300 metres of pollinating varieties of hedgerow trees, including Hazel, Rowan, Dogrose, Goatwillow, Ashawthorn and Blackthorn.
This time of the year the hedges are full of food for us and for wildlife, so we can produce jams, syrups etc and the birds get their fill of berries!
It is hard work, but very rewarding!
Dorset is renowned for its rich biodiversity, particularly in terms of fruit-bearing hedgerow trees. These trees have been growing for centuries, providing a natural paradise for wildlife whilst also contributing to environmental sustainability. The diverse variety of fruit bearing hedgerow trees serve as vital food sources for wildlife, making them an essential component of the county's rich ecosystem and at Withysmythe Meadow we strive to nurture and maintain the natural cycle of seasonal produce that has been around for millennia, but has only recently been considered as the best way to live…Local food, seasonal produce, homegrown….
What’s not to like about that?
You can purchase some of our seasonal local produce at Withysmythe Meadow. Give us a call and come and see us!
Cath and Tosh Abbott work from their Withysmythe Meadow workshop in Dorset. You can contact them by phone or email. They look forward to hearing from you.
