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The stick is still used to push apples through the 'Scratter', but in the past was used to mask apples - a popular activity with Elfins and Pioneers alike, before it is pressed for apple juice. The apple juice is mostlly all drunk on the night of the pressing. Pressing often starts in the light and ends in the dark (6 to 9pm) and is always enjoyed by all. A small apple orchard at the end of Billesley Lane Allotments provides the apples (some trees planted by Woodcraft Folk). Using the apple stick marks the seasons, like the 'Wassail' in the Orchard in January.
The annual activity has taken place since Birmingham started an allotment at Billesley Lane Allotments in 2014.
How it became one of our 100 Objects
The stick was used an an introduction to workshops - it was passed around a circle and each person says, 'This is not a stick, it is a ....'
The game ends explaining the stories objects can tell, and what the actual purpose of the stick was, and how it related to Woodcraft Folk History.
Where Can I find it?
It has returned to use at Birmingham District to make apple juice.
Apple Stick' used to mash the apples ready for pressing for juice in Birmingham 2015-2022 before Mathais’s scratter - see below at Rochdale Pioneers Museum
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