Rathay's Old Goat Cider, Herefordshire, United Kingdom
Graham and Jenny Blackmore are two of the kindest people I met in the Welsh Marches. Retired chemists, they moved out to Herefordshire and bought a small orchard. Well, not just any orchard, they just happened to buy the house and orchard of one of Bulmer's orchardists, who just happened to have a penchant for good record keeping and high cultivar diversity. The orchard is divided by hedges and fencing for their goats, which give their name to the Blackmore's cider "Rathays Old Goat Cider". It was interesting to be able to talk about our research project with fellow scientists who were also cultural practitioners. Graham and Jenny thought our ethnobotanical project was very interesting, and had lots to share with us. They had years of data on their orchard, based on their own observations coupled with the records kept by the previous owner. I was amazed at the intricate detail these two knew about the floral rate of their trees, they could describe every detail about what the ground, trees and sky would look like.
Graham was also kind enough to show me how to use a pancking pole. In all of Britain, this was the only time I saw one used. He thought it would be a shame for me to leave without seeing it done, so he dusted off their pole and shook a few trees. I wish the pictures would have turned out better.