Devonshire October November 16

The COUNTRYMAN
CHRIS TAYLOR
The COUNTRYMAN
Chris lives in the north Devon
countryside at the confluence of
the Mole and Bray Rivers. Raised
on a farm, with a degree in
Agricultural Zoology, Chris moved
into Farm Management and more
recently into Estate Management
and Consultancy. Over the
past 50 years his passions cover
all aspects of the countryside,
wildlife, conservation,agriculture
and country pursuits.
Photos copyright C. Taylor
Shortening, cooler days ahead
Mr Hare
Apples reddening nicely
The chopping machine in action
So October comes around again
and some are already talking of
Christmas. All I will admit to is
thinking of those young turkeys
growing fast in the back garden.
Well lets hang on the the last
vestiges of summer whilst we can,
there are still several summer
migrants around, albeit only a
few swallows and house martin
remain. To me one of the best
parts of the summer is the picking
of fresh runner beans, commonly
known as string beans in Devon.
This year, as most, I planted a
few seeds in early July to take
their chances on there being an
Indian summer, if that happens,
there may still be a picking into
mid-October. Gales and early frost
will thwart my desire to deceive
the seasons, beans just give up at
the sign of frost. Living within
a stones throw of the River Bray
valley bottom means that the area
is a frost pocket, so marrows and
late raspberries all disappear at
the same time. So far this Autumn,
the garden harvest has been gathered.
Onions, pumpkins and potatoes
in store, the sweetcorn has will be places in North Devon
had a bumper year and any day some can still be found to pick.
now all the apple varieties will be In the middle of September there
ripe. There are many old varieties were many still forming at the
in the small orchard alongside the end of the toll road down to Crow
Bray. One variety reputably bred Point. The weather between then
by the previous owner, ripens and now will have determined if
late August and coincides with they ripened successfully.
the first blackberries here. Any Over the last 25 years, since
spare minute available is devoted becoming the custodian of the
Turkeys in the back garden - amazing looking birds!
to pick these fantastic free fruit orchard with some very old trees
as I can't get enough of my wife's in, it became a mission for me to
wonderful blackberry and apple save as many trees as possible. I
pies. Even as late as October, there had taken many apples to Rose-
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