Invercargill Brewery is calling on Southlanders to bring out their apples in preparation for Heritage Cider Day on April 18.

With room to brew at the new premises head brewer Steve Nally said it was time to revise the annual tradition, to both keep alive traditional skills and utilize a great resource.

 “Apples are part of our history and it seems a shame to bulldoze those orchards and forget about them. By making cider, we use them and create awareness – the best way to save something is to use it,” he said.

Invercargill Brewery has been hand-making cider since 1999.

The brewery’s last call for Heritage apples drew an amazing response, with people from throughout the South donating apples, including a real estate agent who collected windfall apples from an empty house he was marketing and a woman who bought in the cores and peels after doing her annual stewing and preserving.

“People are welcome to bring the apples to the brewery, or give us a call and we can collect them, if need be we’ll even arrange to pick them from the trees,” Mr Nally said.

Bowmont Meats have donated cool store space to store the apples until the big day.

Both Apple donors and volunteer cider makers would be presented with a bottle of the finished cider to commemorate their involvement.

Those wanting to know more about cider making can check out the brewery display be at the Riverton Harvest Festival  on March 20-21.

Creating a cider that’s 100 percent Southland adds to the occasion and the physically-demanding task will take place from 7am to 4pm on Saturday, April 18.