History

In 1806, it was written in the Gazetteer of Scotland that Jedburgh was "for a long time famous for its pears, apples, plums ... once 'cried' in the streets of London, where the 'Jethart pears' were a favourite fruit and a source of considerable income for growers."

The industry continued to produce a significant income until the commercial requirements of fruit production drew growers away from the Borders, resulting in the loss or neglect of the majority of smaller local village and town orchards.

The decline accelerated throughout Britain in the 1970s, with urban development, government subsidies and the demand for cheaper fruit through larger scale production resulting ultimately in the disappearance of two thirds of apple orchards, along with many old and rare varieties.

In the Borders, these orchards made a major contribution to community life, not just to the local economy, often producing varieties of fruit particularly suited to the local climate and wildlife, supporting the latter and thereby shaping the area's ecology and landscape.

Orchard Development Group was established in 2006 to help address the loss of these productive fruit orchards, local ecologies and culture.

"In 1971, over 6,000 names for culinary apples had been recorded in the UK, representing between 2,000-3,000 different varieties"     (National Fruit Directory, 1971)