This week, the Abingdon Carbon Cutters have been pressing apple juice at St Ethelwold’s House.

The process begins by washing the apples, cutting out any damaged parts, and chopping them. This is the most sociable part, with groups working together and chatting.

Next, the apples are put through a ‘scratter,’ which crushes them into a pulp.

The pulp is then transferred to a press, wrapped in muslin and squeezed, with the juice running out into buckets. The leftover pulp is collected for composting.

Finally, the juice is strained as it is poured into bottles – which are donated by visitors, just like the apples.

Bottles are £2 each. Fresh, unpasteurised juice was available straight from the press, while pasteurised juice, which keeps longer, could be purchased later.

While I was there two visitors brought their own fruit, and kept it separate throughout the process.

The 23rd September is the Autumn Equinox – derived from the Latin words equus (equal) and nox (night). We are at a point where the long summer days are all but over, and the nights grow longer.

Churches celebrate the harvest at this time of year. At Trinity yesterday the suggested list of harvest offerings to be given to The Asylum Welcome Centre included: cooking oil, sugar, UHT milk, tea and coffee, long-life fruit juice, couscous, noodles, lentils, jam, honey, biscuits and tinned vegetables, fruit, soup, fish and meat (not pork) with best before date of 6 months.

The leaves are turning in the avenue of trees between The Chestnuts and Wick Hall.

In the fields between Mill Lane and the A34, the harvest is over, and a tractor is tilling the ground for the next crop.

However, the garden at St Ethelwolds are still looking bountiful with: strings of tomatoes …

apples …

a few late raspberries

and many late flowers.

The garden at St Ethelwolds this year have been open for people to discover – at all seasons.