Over a month since my last entry – no excuses except that mistletoe season is upon us already, and that, ironically, keeps me too busy to blog about mistletoe.
So, some quick newsy updates:
Mistletoe crop 2008: Still looking good for berries – loads of them on the plants, but the leaves are looking a bit small – even absent entirely, on some sprigs. So it’s not yet clear whether this year is a good crop (like last year – when the berries were so good, it was described by some as a mistletoe ‘bling’ year) or whether things aren’t so good. Time will tell… specifically after the first Tenbury Wells Mistletoe Auction (to take place next Tuesday 25th Nov)
Sustainable harvesting: I’m still working to promote the idea (and ultimately the necessity) of better mistletoe management – to combat the neglect (sometimes misguidedly benign) of overgrown mistletoe-laden trees in apple orchards. More on this later in the season – but if you want to know more you’ll find info from last year here
Mistletoe Festival 2008: Final details of the Tenbury Wells Mistletoe Festival 2008 are now (almost) available. A few small bits still to sort out – but the main thing to know is that it all happens on Saturday 6th Dec (wholesale auctions are on 25th Nov and 2nd and 9th Dec), and it will include, for the first time, a charity mistletoe auction on the day… More at www.tenbury-mistletoe-festival.co.uk
Mistletoe Supply 2008: The Tenbury English Mistletoe Enterprise group are trading online again this season – orders are building up rapidly at present, which means I (amongst others) have to go climbing up a few trees as usual… More at www.teme-mistletoe.co.uk
Mistletoe Media 2008: News Release on the Festival due v soon. Will post it here when available. Several features in monthly mags already – particularly good one in BBC Countryfile Magazine – there’s an extract here. My only grumble is the way they’ve described how to grow-your-own – repeating the old wives tale about cutting flaps in the bark etc… More on that in a later post… More media info following next week’s auctions…
Druid mistletoe event 2008: As previously mentioned, this won’t be at the Tenbury Festival this year, but there will be a weekend-long druidic celebration from 5th to 7th December, near the Wyre Forest. More on this when info available…