| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| sean |
CherriesBritish cherries are in trouble. Apparently between 1951 and 2003 we ploughed up 95% of our cherry orchards and we're down to our last 750 acres.CherryAid |
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| Jonnyboy |
Wow, that's just brought back a fantastic childhood memory of eating cherries from a neighbours tree. | ||||||
| jamanda |
There's some nice looking recipes on there. The crab and cherry gazpacho sounded like a Jonnyboy sort of thing to me. | ||||||
| marigold |
Members in East Sussex and nearby might like to rent a cherry tree. I don't know what the definition of a Kent cherry is, but it seems they don't actually have to grow in Kent  .
People with land in other areas might like to try a similar scheme. |
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| lottie |
I planted 3 morellos and 3 sweet cherries last year so I've done my bit to feed the blackbirds. | ||||||
| tahir |
I've planted about an acre | ||||||
| sean |
Our last 751 acres then. | ||||||
| wellington womble |
Can you buy morello cherries? I only seem to feed the blackbirds, too but I fancy a morello jam and some sort of morello and chocolate affair. | ||||||
| tahir |
See, better already 
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| Jonnyboy |
You win. |
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| tahir |
Do I have to ring a premium rate number to claim my prize? |
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| Jonnyboy |
Unfortunately it resides in the account of a deceased african prince. Do you have £10k perchance? |
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| tahir |
Can I send it to you, or direct to the African prince? |
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| Jonnyboy |
I suppose I could help with moving it. Seeing as it's you. | ||||||
| tahir |
Very kind, I'll send it registered post tomorrow.
Back to the subject in hand I'm trialling 20+ varieties of cherry including 12 different white varieties, if any do well I'll be telling people all about them |
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| jamanda |
I'd like a cherry tree. We have a cooking apple tree which only fruits every few years, and neither Sean nor Boy W like cooked apples, so I keep thinking about grubbing it up and putting in something more sensible. | ||||||
| tahir |
Get rid of it and put in several cherries on G5 (dwarfing root stock), I'd go with Merton Glory for definite, choose others that'll pollinate it. | ||||||
| jamanda |
Several?  Tahir, we only have a titchy garden 
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| jamanda |
So it no good to just get one cherry tree? | ||||||
| tahir |
In my old garden 50' x 50' I had about 12 fruit trees as well as a veg patch, greenhouse and play area.
If you've got a bit of fence you can put minarettes at 3-4 ft spacings along it look at www.kenmuir.co.uk |
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| tahir |
There are some self fertile varieties but ALL will do better with a pollinator, but why have 1 when you can have loads? |
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| lottie |
Do they like plums/damsons/pears?---all come self fertile, crop heavier than cherries and the birds let you get some without netting them  It's o.k. for Tahir growing so many he'll be able to share with the thrushes
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| tahir |
The beauty of minarettes against a fence is that you can protect them quite easily, we netted ours. I'd agree that home grown plums are so vastly superior to shop bought that you should definitely try some. | ||||||
| lottie |
My new ones are dwarfed enough to net---hopefully I'll finally get some to eat
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| tahir |
Next Sunday's Food Programme:
Radio 4 Sunday 12:32 The Food Programme Cherries: Cherry orchards have been disappearing at an alarming rate over the past 50 years, but has the tide finally turned? Sheila Dillon investigates. |
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| Andrea |
How on earth can they find enough to talk about to fill six newsletters each year? |
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| cab |
White cherries are, in my view, the way forward. They seem so much less prone to birds picking them clean (meaning that I could go and harvest a rucksack full from some wildlings yesterday). |
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| cab |
Have a peek around your neighbourhood, bound to be some other cherries to cross pollinate with. 'Stellar' is a nice self fertile one, if you can't find any other cherries and don't have room to plant a couple. Rather tasty fruit with a good texture. |
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| jamanda |
There are a few others around within a few hundred yards. Not good eaters though. | ||||||
| cab |
Probably fine as pollinators. It'll also come down to whether they're flowering at the same time. Tahir, you still reading this? Do cherries have any funny business going on with pollinating groups, like apples do? |
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| tahir |
Apples are simple in comparison, cherries have extremely complex pollination groups, to be sure of GOOD pollination you need matching trees | ||||||
| cab |
Gosh, I didn't know that!
So where would be a good place to get the info on that? |
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| sean |
Quite fancy one of the Merton varieties 'cos they were developed just up the road from our old house. Are there any traditional Devon ones, and if so would any of them make a good match for say Merton Glory? | ||||||
| tahir |
There isn't as far as I know an online source that lists pollination groups and peculiar incompatibilities of cherries, Martin Crawford's (ART) book is the most complete source. One day, I promise, I'll get the flipping cultivar DB thing online. | ||||||
| tahir |
A few, you still got that book on cherries I sent you? Knew you'd like the Merton connection
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| sean |
Errrr, probably. I'll have a search. | ||||||
| tahir |
Which means that you have to rely on your nurseryman to know his stuff, all the modern varieties have been bred with ease of pollination in mind so they're less tricky. |
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| sean |
Found it. I'll get jamanda to read it.
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| tahir |
Very easy to get sucked in by the descriptions, look at me I've ended up with an acre of em 
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| jamanda |
I listened to the programme about cherries on the radio tonight, and it was very interesting, especially the bit about this place where you can rent a cherry tree. I'd wish someone nearer here did it. This scheme is in Kent. | ||||||
| marigold |
That's the place I mentioned on page 1 . It's actually is East Sussex, but they grow "Kent cherries"  .
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| hedgehogpie |
The Kent Cherry is a variety. They have yellow/red skins and pale flesh. | ||||||
| Helen_A |
Well - technically speaking, if its the guys I'm thinking of - they stradle the kent/e.sussex border 
Helen_A who is mildly annoyed not to be living there anymore, given that the 'nearest' cherries she can find to buy atm are from *turkey* (and no, I didn't actually buy any!) |
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| Bebo |
About 5 miles from where I live! Might have to rent one. |
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| jamanda |
Oh! I would certainly if I lived near it from that article - the sums seemed to make sense. | ||||||
| Blue Peter |
You've got an acre of cherries? 
Are you planning to net the lot? or do you reckon that you can beat the birds by killing them with obesity? Peter. |