Bramley Apple Facts

 

• Apples have been grown in Ireland for at least 3000 years.
• St. Patrick is said to have planted a number of apple trees in Ireland, including one at Ceangoba, a settlement close to where Armagh is now situated.
•  Early monastic records tell us that the monks were given apples with their meals, especially at festival times.
• The Brehon laws (originating between 2000 and 1000BC) stipulated that anyone cutting down an apple tree would be subject to a severe penalty; namely a fine of five cows. Even removing a limb or branch warranted a fine of some sort.
• The oldest apple variety widely planted in Ireland is the Bramley’s Seedling, or Bramley for short. The Bramley apple story started in 1809 when Mary Ann Brailsford from Southwell , Nottinghamshire planted a pip from an apple into a pot in her kitchen. The seed grew into a seedling that was planted into their cottage garden.
• In 1846 the cottage was bought by Mathew Bramley, a local butcher and innkeeper. The fine cooking apples which the tree produced came to the attention of Henry Merryweather, a young local nurseryman. Henry was given permission to propagate seedlings from the tree on the condition that he named it after its owner.
• The original tree was planted 200 years ago, and is still alive and well. This apple was first cultivated widely in Ireland in the late 1880’s. Some trees dating from that time still stand in commercial orchards in Ireland today.
• The reasons that Bramley’s became so popular are manifold. From the viewpoint of the gardener, Bramley is an easy apple to grow, it is disease and pest tolerant and produces a good crop of apples, without attracting too many birds or wasps as the fruit is sharp-tasting. From the cook’s perspective, this sharpness or acidity is also a great quality. When cooked, the natural fruit acids help break down the apple into a delicious fluffy texture. The acidity also balances the sweetness of the pastry and any sugar that is added, meaning that the flavour is never over-sweet. Add to this the large size of the apple which makes peeling easy, and you can see why this apple became so popular in the kitchen. Lastly, for the modern grower, Bramley’s are good hard apples that can be kept in refrigerated cold-stores, meaning that they can be sold for a long period.
• Approximately one third of the world’s supply of Bramleys is grown in Ireland. It is the only apple available for the sole purpose of cooking
• Nutrition content of Bramley apples (raw, peeled)

To get the same amount of vitamin C as one Bramley apple provides, you would need to eat 6 plums, 50 cherries, 6 tablespoons of peas or 20 tablespoons of tomato puree!

It has certainly come a long way in 200 years, so why not raise a glass (of cider), accompanied by a treat made with Bramley’s, to 200 more.