I remember as a kid one of the most exciting things was to go scrumping for apples in September at the local farmer’s orchard (sorry about that). There was the fun of jumping over the fence and then the thrill of being able to pick the apple straight off the tree and biting into what often was a unripe specimen. Of course we would eat them anyway and return home happy but with sore tummies.

So it was a great treat to find myself being surrounded by hundreds of apple trees and not even having to climb a fence at the Karuna low impact permaculture project on Team UK’s first filming outing.

Ruth, Emily, Arianna, visiting from the States and myself were met by Janta and Merav whose 18 acre site has over 50 tree species. Planting started in the winter 2006 and there are now 7,000 trees.

Janta planting trees in the early days

They live with the two children, Soma and Caio who when not playing or studying help out with the ducks, chopping wood, collecting water, and looking after the trees. They also showed us their bush skills and how to build a fire and cook using a tin can.

Phil can't leave his iphone alone for a minute!

The family are doing their best to live as self sustainably as possible and live off the grid with power coming from solar panels and a small turbine. Open meadows have been retained and a large excavated pond has increased biodiversity.

There is an overflowing garden with the most amazingly large and vibrant vegetables I have ever seen. Their secret it seems is comfrey fertilizer. It’s a simple and free liquid made from chopped comfrey leaves with a measure of water and left to break down in barrels. After three to five weeks it is ready to use on plants. Warning though it really pongs!

Merav and Janta believe that people who preserve the future of life on earth are ‘Bioneers’. Together they are creating an age of restoration, guided by the shared values of interdependence, kinship,    cooperation, community and mutual aid.

Their motto comes from a Kashmiri proverb.

“We have not inherited the world from our parents, we have borrowed it from our children”.

Karuna acts a vision for what is possible and in the short time we were there we learnt how to plant and to propagate trees, the various flowers that are edible and the easiest weeding method in the world – simply leave a plastic sheet on the ground for few weeks, remove it and hey presto not a weed in sight.

Emily after planting a greengage tree

When things are not looking and you want to be inspired and be given hope Karuna is just the place to visit. If you get the chance see it now in its full Autumn glory the apples are really scrumptious. There’s a very warm welcome waiting you and I am glad to say there’s no need to jump the fence.

For info, bookings and courses visit www.karuna.org.uk