Luton Orchards Apple Juice
Enjoy our locally produced apple juice. It's delicious and made of fruit donated by people from all over our town.
We're sold out
Our 2023 batches flew off the shelves. We had 250kg of fruit donated, which made 227 bottles of apples. The juice was sold at the High Town Christmas Fair, Luton Hoo Walled Garden and directly. I fought to keep a few bottles so we can compare with next year's vintage. You can read more about the Apple Amnesty in this article online.
New batch expected in October 2024
This year, we'd love to be able to produce double the amount. of juice Ambitious, I know, so if you know someone in and around Luton, who could donated apples to us, please get in touch: ediblehightown@gmail.com or contact us directly at the Luton Orchards project.
Apple varieties
We took samples of the apples to local apple experts to find out what varieties were turned into juice.
And thanks to the fabulous apple identifiers from the East of England Apples and Orchards Project, we managed to identify most of them!
Apple varieties in this the 2023 juice include:
Adam's Pearmain (1826 from Robert Adams in Norfolk)
Laxton's Superb (late Victorian Bedfordshire variety)
Egremont Russet (Victorian variety)
Worcester Pearmain (from 1870s...you guessed it... Worcester)
Bramley's Seedling (discovered 1809 in Nottinghamshire)
Help us research the history of Luton's orchards
Is there an orchard near you? Do you have memories of orchards in Luton. We'd love to hear from you. Thanks to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, we're digging into historic maps to find what Luton had in the past. And we're visiting all existing orchards (at least we hope to!) that our town currently has.
Find out how you can get involved at www.lutonorchards.org
Our very own apple juice - since 2022
In 2022, we introduce our first batch of Luton Orchards apple juice.
The juice is made from donated apples that have grown trees grown in private back gardens and community orchards across High Town and Round Green. In 2023, we extended the Apple Amnesty across and beyond Luton.
The apples were then professionally pressed and bottled, with just a little vitamin C added to stop the juice from oxidising during bottling. Made this way, it'll last up to 18 months (if you can wait that long)
Register your tree for the next apple amnesty!
Do you have an apple tree with more fruit than you can use? Why not take part in our 'apple amnesty' and donate them to a good cause?
The gardeners from Penrose Roots2Recovery and Edible High Town have organised a series of apple drop-off days to supplement our own harvest and get Luton's fruit turned into delicious juice.
You'll be able to register your tree for the 2024 season shortly.
Bedfordshire and Luton Orchards group
Do you want to get more involved? Do you need advice on your fruit trees? Would you like to join local pruning training events or help organise an apple day?
The Bedfordshire and Luton Orchards Group (BLOG) will be happy to help and connect you with like-minded people locally.