Saturday, 24 November 2018 / Published in Our Story

Mothers Day Workshop

Come join us on this exciting workshop to create a beautiful Table Arrangement using fresh foliage’s and fabulous flowers as Yolanda guides you through the skills of designing your own gift to take home or give to your special Mother!

Images: Yolanda Campbell

Mothers Day Workshop

Join professional florist Yolanda Campbell, RHS Chelsea Gold Medal winner and National Teacher, for a unique day of creativity at Long Meadow Farm:

Create a beautiful table arrangement using fresh foliage’s and fabulous flowers

Professional guidance throughout the workshop from the award-winning Yolanda

Enjoy a walk through the orchard gathering fresh foliage and apple tree prunings which can be incorporated within your designs

Experience the magic and beauty of the orchard in early Spring

All materials, equipment and foliage provided

Tea/coffee will be available throughout the day (please note that lunch is not provided and we recommend you bring your own)

Upcoming Workshop! Thursday 28th March 2019 – BOOK HERE

  • Workshop begins 10:00am and ends 2:00pm (approx. 4 hours)
  • Free parking on site (click here to find us)
  • Price per person £60

Workshop Notes

  • Please dress appropriately as it is a working farm, best to wear boots and warm clothing!
  • Other dates may be released pending demand & availability
  • Bookings are strictly non-refundable but may be deferred to another date pending availability
  • Bookings are available for individuals and small groups who will join a workshop limited to 15 people
  • If you would like to book a workshop for your own group please get in touch
  • If the workshop is cancelled in the event of inclement weather or other situations beyond our control we will offer you a rescheduled date
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Tuesday, 06 November 2018 / Published in Our Story

Workshops

ART IN THE ORCHARD – SAT 19 JAN 2019

Enjoy a day of creativity in the heart of Long Meadow Apple Farm, nestled in the orchard county of Armagh… a fantastic Christmas gift if you’re after something different and unique!

Art in the Orchard

Join professional visual artist Deborah Malcomson for a unique day of creativity at Long Meadow Farm:

A unique opportunity to get out into the orchards and enjoy the challenge of producing your own creative response to the surrounding apple trees

Beginners and seasoned artists all welcome to the workshop with all materials and equipment provided

Experience the magic and beauty of the orchard in Winter season

Professional guidance through the process of exploring line colour and form through a range of media

Includes an orchard tour with an opportunity to sample cider and apple juice

Tea/coffee available throughout the day with VIP lunch provided by Yellow Door Deli (Portadown)

Upcoming Art in the Orchard Workshop! Saturday 19th January 2019 – BOOK HERE

  • Workshop begins 10:00am and ends 4:00pm (approx. 6 hours)
  • Free parking on site (click here to find us)
  • Price per person £65

Workshop Notes

  • Please dress appropriately as it is a working farm, best to wear boots and warm clothing!
  • Other dates may be released pending demand & availability
  • Bookings are strictly non-refundable but may be deferred to another date pending availability
  • Bookings are available for individuals and small groups who will join a workshop limited to 12 people
  • If you would like to book a workshop for your own group please get in touch
  • If the workshop is cancelled in the event of inclement weather or other situations beyond our control we will offer you a rescheduled date

 

MOTHERS DAY WORKSHOP – THU 28 MAR 2019

Come join us on this exciting workshop to create a beautiful Table Arrangement using fresh foliage’s and fabulous flowers as Yolanda guides you through the skills of designing your own gift to take home or give to your special Mother!

Images: Yolanda Campbell

Mothers Day Workshop

Join professional florist Yolanda Campbell, RHS Chelsea Gold Medal winner and National Teacher, for a unique day of creativity at Long Meadow Farm:

Create a beautiful table arrangement using fresh foliage’s and fabulous flowers

Professional guidance throughout the workshop from the award-winning Yolanda

Enjoy a walk through the orchard gathering fresh foliage and apple tree prunings which can be incorporated within your designs

Experience the magic and beauty of the orchard in early Spring

All materials, equipment and foliage provided

Tea/coffee will be available throughout the day (please note that lunch is not provided and we recommend you bring your own)

Upcoming Mothers Day Workshop! 

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Friday, 02 November 2018 / Published in Our Story

Long Meadow Farm Tours

UPCOMING TOURS – SAT 2 MAR 2019 & FRI 22 MAR 2019

Visit us at Long Meadow Farm for an unforgettable, fully guided tour in the heart of the Orchard County! Traverse our bountiful orchards, explore our cider-making facilities and sample our award-winning Irish ciders all in the good company of the friendly and welcoming farm patrons, the McKeever family!

The Tour

After a warm welcome and brief introduction of the farm, you will experience:

An orchard walk explaining the different orchard plantations in place

A visit to the cold storage facility where apples can be stored from harvest season in September to June/July the following year

An opportunity to see the pressing and blending facilities

An oral history of the Oak Aged Barrels which stores our limited edition oak aged cider

An opportunity to sample our award-winning craft ciders and apple juice

Tea/coffee & apple tart provided

The Seasons

Coming for a tour? Here’s what to expect when you visit:

Jan/Feb – Winter pruning

March – Early bud burst

April – Buds are developing into early pink flower

May – Apple Blossom

June – Apple set, formation of young apples

July/Aug – Summer pruning, apple development and growth

Sept/Oct – Apple harvest

Nov/Dec – Winter pruning & orchard maintenance

Upcoming Tour! Saturday 2nd March 2019 – BOOK HERE

  • Tour begins 11:00am and ends 12:30pm (approx. 90 minutes)
  • Free parking on site (click here to find us)
  • Price per person £15

Upcoming Tour! Friday 22nd March 2019 – BOOK HERE

  • Tour begins 11:00am and ends 12:30pm (approx. 90 minutes)
  • Free parking on site (click here to find us)
  • Price per person £15

Tour Notes

  • Please dress appropriately as it is a working farm, best to wear boots!
  • Other dates may be released pending demand & availability
  • Bookings are strictly non-refundable but may be deferred to another date pending availability
  • Bookings are available for individuals and small groups who will join a tour limited to between 10 and 20 people
  • If you would like to book a tour for your own group please get in touch
  • If the tour is cancelled in the event of inclement weather or other situations beyond our control we will offer you a rescheduled date

Unique Location for Meetings

We host a variety of groups who attend our unique facilities for monthly meetings, AGMs and social get-togethers. Why not get in touch to arrange your next meeting at Long Meadow Farm?

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Tuesday, 21 February 2017 / Published in Our Story

Our Story

It’s all in the family!

The Long Meadow is part of our farm which has been owned by the McKeever family for three generations. Through our stewardship, we have focussed on Bramley apple production, but each generation of our family has also had a policy of growing a mix of varieties and using different planting processes to further refine the apples we use. Each generation has passed on different methods and traditions to the next; from Peter (Senior) to Patrick to Peter (Junior) in order to grow and produce the perfect apples on our home farm. Our cider is pressed and fermented naturally by both father and son; Pat and Peter McKeever.

The lay of the land!

For many years, the orchard in The Long Meadow was known locally for the quality of its Bramley apples. In addition to all of the wider benefits enjoyed by County Armagh, The Long Meadow has an added advantage of being right beside the waters of the Upper Bann river. This river which is the longest in Northern Ireland, rises in the Deer’s Meadow in the Mourne Mountains (the meadow itself nestling under Slieve Muck). From there it flows into Spelga Dam, before meandering past The Long Meadow on its way to Lough Neagh, from there becoming the Lower Bann, which reaches the Atlantic Ocean beside Castlerock. When in flood, the Upper Bann has long provided silts and minerals to the lands surrounding The Long Meadow, which gains, in our opinion, an intangible benefit to the trees growing on our farm. More obviously, its waters permeate our soil, this in effect being the water of life to our trees.

Plantation!

For many centuries, apples have been selected for particular properties of yield, season, flavour and use (eg eating, baking, cider production). When a new variety is discovered or bred, new trees are propagated by grafting, a skilled technique where the desired apple type is ‘spliced’ into a rootstock of predictable vigour and strength. Our oldest apple trees are planted on M1-11 rootstock. These are vigorous growers where mature trees achieve a height of 15-20” (4.5-6m). Each tree can carry up to half a tonne of apples, but they are costly to prune, pick and manage. We have recently replaced 12 acres of orchard with trees on M9 rootstock. This is a much more restrictive sort which limits the growth and height to no more than 8’ (2.8m).

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