Apple varieties and descriptions
Apples
(Malus Domestica) are a fruit that have been cultivated for many centuries
and many thosands of varieties exist. Here are some descriptions of popular
apple varieties. They can be bought on different rootstocks to alter the height
and spread of the resulting apple trees.
There are over 4000 apple varieties around the world, but many people only ever experience their local variety or the few options provided by supermarkets. However, a little investigation reaps amazing rewards. Here is a short list of some apple varieties which are worth hunting down.
- Alexander - Not a good keeper, but the fruits can get very big.
- Baldwin - Lovely north American apple variety that has a thick skin and keeps well.
- Blenheim Orange- a great all-round apple with excellent storage qualities.
- Braeburn - popular sweet red apple with a crisp texture.
- Bramley - The most popular cooking apple.
- Brown's - A great little cider apple from the west of England with lots of lovely sharpness.
- Cox - The best of all. Nothing like else quite like a Cox's apple.The tree does tend to suffer from diseases, although some ecent cultivars are proving very resistant and are still producing amazing apples.
- Crimson King- a 19th century somerset cider apple still going strong today.
- Golden Delicious - retains shape and size well, so often seen in supermarkets, but loses flavour quickly. When fresh off the tree it is a fabulous apple.
- Granny Smith - a real cruncher
- James Grieve - individual flavour from an easy-to-grow variety.
- Katy - A rich red apple often grown for juicing.
- Worcester Pearmain - Another great juice apple. Reliableearly cropper
with lovely balanced taste and good orange colour.
It is estimated that there are 7,500 varieties of apple grown around the world, with golden delicious the most widely grown variety. Although pretty bland, it has good keeping qualities and is usually blemish free.
More than 20% of all the apples grown each year are pressed and processed into apple juice and cider.