APPLE TREES Cooking (Cullinary)

                Apples siutable for culinary purposes, (or cookers as they are often referred to) can be used in many ways, whether it be for the good old apple pie,baked apple or as apple sauce to add as a flavour for various meats and dishes.

                The following list (if chosen young enough) can be trained to various shapes in the way of espaliers, cordons and so on, which is useful for the smaller  gardens as they can be positioned up against a fence, bearing in mind soil type or position.

               ROOTSTOCKS

               Rootstocks are the base onto which the named tree is grafted, and the  graft can usually be seen 6-12 inches above the roots. different base roots are used for the various purposes of producing a prolific grower, or to grow half standards, dwarf or full standards, you may even see trees with two or three different fruits which are different varieties (as many as four grafted on to one rootstock). I have seen different varieties of plum or apple even cherries grafted in this method. Usually they are grafted onto a dwarf stock and are sold for container or patio plants.

             Malus ALLINGTON PIPPIN.

                ALLINGTON PIPPIN was raised in Lincolnshire UK around 1850, an apple used for baking, as well as a  good cider maker, in storage the mellow fruit has it's own fuity if not unique taste likened to pineapple. Allington pippin has conical shape, with yellow green skin having a red flush with striping, and a cream coloured flesh which is acidic and tart.

          Malus ARTHUR TURNER

               Arthur Turner is a heavy cropping tree, and became the only tree, in the cullinary  variety, to be given an award of Garden Merit for its blossom. Arthur Turner makes a good baking apple, which when cooked turns to a yellow flavoured puree, needing a little sugar, making it useful for baking, sauce or pies,  Resistant to frost making it suitable for colder areas, whilst self fertile, another pollinator makes it fruit better.

               Malus BLENHEIM ORANGE.

               Blenheim Orange was originally raised in Woodstock, Blenheim, Oxfordshire UK, about 1740, and becoming well known both in Europe and America around 1820/40. Although Blenheim Orange, an all purpose apple, it is known for it's excellence  in cooking and dessert uses, gaining popularity with both  consummer and grower due to the size eveness of form and beauty. Blenheim Orange, a large variety yellowish skin with red and a light russeting. The flesh is sweet with a little tartness , but is crisp slightly spicy or nutty after taste.

                 Malus BOUNTIFUL

               Bountiful is one of the newer varieties in the last 50 years and was raised in Kent U.K. in 1964. When sliced it will still hold its shape after cooking for Bountiful is both sweet, light, soft and juicy. A pollinator is required.

     Malus BRAMLEY'S ORIGINAL

                Bramley's Original was grown from a pip by Mary Ann Brailsford, it was propogated by a local nurseryman around 1850 and by then Mr Bramley ( a local butcher) owned the land and insisted that the tree bear his name, hence the name Bramley's  original ( As the pip was grown by Mary Brailsford it should surely be called a Brailsford Seedling!). Bramley's original is a very vigorous tree, produces green with red striped skin with firm but pale yellow flesh, acidic in taste, and a very good cooker. Quality is assured as it was propogated from the original tree. A pollinator is required for assuring the quality.

            Malus BRAMLEY SEEDLING

               The Bramley Seedling is an apple considered by many to be the finest of cooking apples, dating from around 1883 when the  bramley seedling became widely known, it is a very good cropping apple. Although acidic the flesh is firm and a pale yellow, making it a very fine cooker, an ideal apple for the great apple pie.  The Bramley seedling tree needs a pollinator to thrive.

             Malus BARDSEY

                The name of this tree Bardsey, was taken from Bardsey island in Wales U.K., in 1998, although it is believed to have been raised  in the 13th century. The Bardsey apple is very much  resistant to disease, producing a cream coloured skin with pink stripes, and having a lemon scented flesh. When  cooking Bardsey it turns to a light golden fluff needing no sugar, possibly a connoisseur's choice. A pollinator is preferable  to produce the  crop.

          Malus COLE'S QUINCE.

                 Noted for it's high quince or pear flavour and aroma, this apple is also known as  Quince Apple or Pear Apple. Raised by Captain Henry Cole, his son S.W.Cole wrote about the apple in 1849, a yellow skinned apple with a possible red blush on the sunny side, and a flesh of yellow white, that is juicidly crisp and tender,mildly acid. TheCole's Quince is flatish, ribbed,and small to medium in size.

             Malus CRANBERRY PIPPIN.

                    Cranberry Pippin was orinally found as a seedling in a Hudson, New York farm. A spheroid shape medium to large in size, yellow in colour and striped in two differing reds, Cranberry  Pippin  has a white but juicy sub acid flesh.

           Malus CRIMSON BEAUTY.

                     A winter hardy grown in the 1800s by Francis Sharp in Upper Woodstock, New Brunswick, (which has been successfully grown in Alaska)  having a tendancy to a raspberry flavour. Also sold under the trade mark of EARLY RED BIRD, being advertised as the earliest of all apples. When ripe, there are wonderful red veins running through the flesh, making a marvelous apple sauce.

         Malus DUCHESS (of Oldenburg)

                      A Russian apple from the 1700s or earlier, introduced to the UK in 1824, and to the USA in 1835. proven to be very hardy, ripening in August, ( allowing you to make the besr ealy apple pies). medium to large, yellowy green skin with red splashes and striping.  Greeny yellowish white flesh that is firm and acidic.

                Malus FALLAWATER.

                        From Pennsylvania in the mid 1800s this huge apple is also known as a Molly Whopper. Although a late harvester with dull green, shaded with reddish bronze skin. it stores reasonably well.

              Malus HOWGATE WONDER

                 A tree of vigorous growth and consequently a heavy cropper, bearing  large fruit, yellow green and flushed red, a juicy flesh breaking down when cooked making it suitable for pies and sauces.  Frost resistant it is suitable for  colder  climates, but will need a pollinator.

             Malus GRANNY SMITH

                The Granny Smith apple has a bright geen skin with very firm flesh, although slightly asidc, it has a very firm flesh, and even when cooked for pies,baked apples or as a  sauce can be firm, Granny Smith is both juicy crisp yet full of flavour, in cooking a little sugar is  needed to sweeten, because the sweetening is needed I personally tend to think of  this apple as a cooker, although it is listed as a dessert/eating apple. My wife tells me Granny Smith a dessert apple. Possibly due to my taste buds I disagree, (but only when she is not around!).              FRED.