Apples for the birds

We've talked about feeding the birds before on this blog and we do sell wild bird seed mixes in the farm shop but do you know just how much birds love to eat apples.?

Take a look at this series of photographs showing a male Blackbird feeding his young.

If you'd like to feed the birds apples in your garden we now have large nets of "bird" apples for sale in the farm shop  on Redmoor Lane, Wisbech at only £1.00 a net.

Chickens, ducks, geese etc love them too.

 Not to mention horses & ponies, tortoises, monkeys, iguanas, peacocks and pigs...

And of course you can eat them yourself, juice them, make cider, chutney, apple pies, apple cakes....

Mr Fips Wonder Circus £2.00 off per person coupons for Wisbech shows

Mr Fips Wonder Circus is coming to town! 

Just up the road from our tea room on what is known as the Pink Tractor Field.

The circus will be in Wisbech from Wednesday the 22nd of October, until Sunday the 26th and we have some £2.00 off per person vouchers to give to our customers.

So come on down to The Orchard Tea Room & Farm Shop, Redmoor Lane, Wisbech, PE14 0RN and grab your £2.00 off per person voucher for Mr Fips Wonder Circus ~ quick before they all go!

And if you have children you might like to attend our own Halloween Event on Fri 31st Oct click

Halloween at The Orchard, Redmoor Lane, Wisbech, 

for more details 

The Complete Amateur Gardener by H.H. Thomas ~ Rainy day Vintage at The Orchard

Did you know that we have vintage (and other) books at The Orchard for you to peruse at your leisure. Borrow to read in the tea room or buy to take home. They do make lovely gifts for friends and family.

On a rainy day how about a spot of armchair gardening?

The Complete Amateur Gardener by H.H. Thomas

full of lovely illustrations and practical advice

Perfect to dip into whilst enjoying a lovely cup of coffee!

10 Things about Halloween

October means pumpkins in the farm shop and of course Halloween so here's 10 things you may or may-not know about Halloween:

1. Did you know that the custom of trick or treating is believed to have developed from a medieval custom called souling?
 The poor would go from door to door asking for food in return for prayers for the dead.

2. And do you know why folk dress up for Halloween?
Why to fool the spirits that are wandering on All Hallow's Eve when the veil between the world of the living and the dead is said to be at it's thinnest.

3. Do you know the legend of the Jack O Lantern?
 Apparently Jack tricked the devil into agreeing never to collect his soul. Unfortunately for Jack when he died he wasn't allowed into Heaven and because of the agreement the Devil had made he wasn't allowed into hell either. Jack's spirit was left to wander the earth moaning about how dark it was. Someone took pity on Jack and tossed him a lump of glowing coal which he put into a hollowed out pumpkin which he now uses to light his way - especially on Halloween!

4. And did you know that large turnips (swedes, rutabaga) were once used to make Jack O Lanterns in the UK?
Pumkins were very much a North American crop but now they are very popular in the UK too and they make a far more dramatic, and easier to carve Jack O Lantern.

5. Do you know why orange and black are such popular Halloween colours?
Well orange is a symbol of strength and endurance and black symbolizes death and darkness. These two colours  symbolize the demarcations between life and death and as the veil between the living world and the world of the dead is said to be at it's thinnest during Halloween they have been adopted as Halloween colours.

And did you know that some people suffer from a Halloween phobia?
No me neither but they do and it's called Samhainophobia.

6. Do you know that Halloween is also known as Samhain?
Samhain is a Celtic festival, a pagan sabbat, that marks the end of harvest.

7. And did you know that Samhain / Halloween is also The Celtic New Year? 
In the old Celtic calendar the New Year began at sunset on Samhain.

8. Do you know that Halloween is the perfect time for scrying, trying to see the future?
There are many ancient Halloween traditions for trying to see into the future, especially for finding out who you are going to marry.

9. And did you know that Halloween is a time to honour  the dead?
Many cultures honour their dead and remember their ancestors at this time of year in a way we do it too with Remembrance Sunday in November.

And if you have children and are in the Wisbech area you might like to attend our own Halloween Event on Fri 31st Oct click

Halloween at The Orchard, Redmoor Lane, Wisbech, 

for more details 

We're open for Heritage Open Day with Guided Tours of our Redmoor Lane Orchard

We're open for Heritage Open Days on Sunday 14th Sept with guided tours of our 100 year old apple orchard and apple juice tasting. Tours are at 10.30 and 2.30 and our tea room and farm shop will be open 10-4.

Find out more about Heritage Open Days by clicking here

Art at The Orchard ~ A mini collection of original art works and prints by illustrator Julie Parker

We're delighted to be hosting an exhibition of original artwork and prints by talented local artist Julie Parker in The Orchard Tea Room this September.

Opening hours: 10am - 4pm daily.

Do come along and take a look at Julie's fantastic work.

A Monkey Hunt in the Orchard

Last weekend we had a monkey hunt in the orchard.

Participants  had to count the monkeys hidden along a monkey trail in the orchard, the toy monkeys were all donated by customers. Some were really well hidden and only 3 contestants got the right answer, but everyone won a prize.

Children also enjoyed the banana throwing competition!

Many thanks to everyone who donated monkeys, especially  Pam who searched high and low for toy monkeys for weeks in advance of the hunt, to those who assisted on the day and of course to everyone who turned out for the Monkey Hunt, it was a really super fun day.