October 2025

Published on October 1, 2025.

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The Power of Apple Juice.

We know the Rivers Orchard is a space of 4 acres, holding a treasury of heritage fruit varieties including the 43 unique cultivars that the Rivers Nursery developed in the nineteenth century. Volunteers devise the maintenance and development program and carry out the tasks involved on a rolling schedule throughout the year. Volunteers also stage events to celebrate the memory of rural Sawbridgeworth represented by Orchard and special projects such as this 300 year anniversary.


At the end of Apple Day, all the drop is loaded into the van to take to the juicers to make apple juice to sell the following year.

But what pays for all this endeavour? The answer to that is delicious popular organic juice pressed from the apples gathered on Apple Day by all of you coming to join in the excitement of harvest! If you want, or if your children want to see for themselves how much sweet juice a single apple holds, a small apple press is set up to demonstrate. Come wind the handle yourselves - watch the juice flow!


Rob Richardson with the apple juicing set up on Apple Day. Apples are crushed in the scratter (right side of the photo), then pressed in the spindle press (at the bottom).

After the harvest we crate the fruit up, pack the heavy load in a van and drive to a fruit pressing company in North Herts. The juice is sold all year round at local events and in the health food shop Full of Beans. There, among other interesting organic products of all kinds, bottles of Rivers Apple Juice can always be bought. Don’t forget: Rivers Orchard Apple Day, 4 October 10 - 3 - pick for your own household and most important - pick to help us provide fruit for the future.


Rivers Apple juice is always available from Full of Beans in Sawbridgeworth.

Rivers 300 Children’s Art Competition - 18 years old or younger: Entries due between 1st and 5th November, 2025. Come with your friends or parents to Apple Day for inspiration. The competition organiser will be there ready to answer questions and help you look, touch, taste!

Visit the Rivers 300 website for further details of the Competition and for details about all Apple Day arrangements.

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