Donkey Lane Community Orchard - Useful Plants

 We have largely forgotten the closeness we had to plants in the past, buying our food in the supermarket and our medicines in the pharmacy, not to mention the way that plastic has replaced wood for a whole range of former uses. Artificial fibres have replaced plant fibres in much of our clothing and bedding. We no longer rely on the willow weaver to make our baskets and other containers, or collect rushes to light our homes, and firewood and brush to cook with and keep us warm. But if we stop to think about it, we do still rely on a wide variety of plants in our daily life, both for eating and medicine, for wooden furniture and linen or cotton clothes. But now the plants are a good step removed from our daily life, both in terms of collection and manufacture.

In the past and especially before the Industrial Revolution, people lived closer to the earth and to a large extent, looked after themselves as much as they could. Ordinary people living in the countryside were of necessity, what we now call 'foragers'. Foraging has had a raised profile in recent times, building on the earlier work of people like Richard Mabey with his 'Food for Free' book first published in 1972. Nowadays up-market chefs use foragers to supply them with a whole range of wild leaves and berries for their restaurants. Celebrity foragers have Instagram accounts and have appeared on recent mainstream TV programs as diverse as 'Countryfile' and ‘Extraordinary Escapes with Sandi Toksvig'. As well as providing unusual cocktail ingredients and tasty additions to salads, plants are being re-discovered for other uses - such as nettles for fibre, and elderberry juice for its anti-viral properties. Read more

Open Air Performance at Donkey Lane Community Orchard

Come and join us for ‘Sour Cherry Soup’, a new 45 minute one woman show tells the story of the changing landscapes and populations of the Chilterns, as well as how the history of cherries is also the history of Southern England, reflecting the richness of the landscape, past, present and future.

The stunning chalk landscape of the Chilterns is crisscrossed by historic pathways, hillforts and burial mounds, full of ancient woodland, hedgerows and chalk streams, with traces of human occupation going back at least 5000 years – plus the cherry orchards, cultivated by generations of farmers plying the land, a bygone culture literally beneath our feet in the local towns and villages.

But it’s also a contemporary landscape, a thriving environment that supports busy town populations and diverse communities, as well as glorious walks across the hills and a fragile ecosystem of protected plants and animals.

Sour Cherry Soup, written by playwright Sara Clifford for the Chalk, Cherries and Chairs Landscape Partnership Scheme, has been inspired by real stories of Chilterns people, gathered by Sara at creative workshops and discussions with community groups across the Chilterns. We’re thrilled to be bringing this brand new play to a range of outdoor venues in the Chilterns this summer – join us to dive into the Chilterns in a way you may not have experienced before!

Find out more and book your tickets