Another short clip from the ‘Under the Sun’ series. Nathan Leroy visits a cider apple orchard in England and interviews owner, Paul Barber, about his orchard.

Traditional harvesting means all the apples are shaken from the trees, and then collected by hand. Mistletoe, which encourages biodiversity, is present in many of the trees. The orchard produces an abundant harvest of apples, without any chemical or mechanical intervention. This also means it has become an important habitat for birds, who feed freely on the mistletoe. It really is a pleasure to watch this clip.

Paul Barber is determined to maintain the orchard for the natural life of the trees. When the current trees die, he intends to replant the orchard with the same varieties. Given that English orchard habitats have declined by more than 60% since the 1950’s (People’s Trusts for Endangered Species) it is reassuring to know some farmers that are committed to maintaining these important and very beautiful fruit producing trees.

Cheap fruit imported from overseas and sold in supermarkets has been the main reason for orchard decline over the last fifty years. Combined with neglect, intensification of agriculture and pressure from land development orchards are still facing an uncertain future.

He doesn’t use any sprays (pesticides and insecticides) whatsoever. Given that it is believed the average conventionally produced apple contains as many as 30 synthetic chemical residues, Paul’s approach to apple growing is a quiet reminder that really it is totally unnecessary. Nathan points out that many of the sprays used are for cosmetic purposes – “It’s all about the image of the food, rather than the quality of the food.”

For me it’s interesting to see how simple and straightforward the organic production methods are. It’s encouraging to know the crop yield is high, and the fruit will yield lots of nutrients and vitamins unsullied by synthetic toxins. A wonderful example of how organic food and sustainable living work together hand in hand.

Filed under: Organic Farming

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