The Bramley is a large apple that is used primarily for baking and cooking. Despite his British origins, he does not like damp and cool weather at all. But he has an interesting history to show for it.
The Bramley apple (Malus domestica 'Bramley's Seedling') is a part of British national pride. You can read below where and how the large cider apple thrives best and where its name comes from.
'Bramley's Seedling': Wanted Poster
| Synonyms | Bramleys, Bramley's Seedling, Triomphe de Kiel |
| Fruit | Large to very large, green-yellow, little body color |
| Flavour | Sour, aromatic |
| Yield | Most high, mass carriers |
| Harvest time | September |
| Maturity for pleasure | From November |
| Shelf Life | Good, see you in March |
| Growth | Medium to strong |
| Floor | Lighter soils recommended |
| Diseases and Pests | Susceptible to fruit tree canker; Blossom sensitive to frost |
Origin and history of the apple
The English apple 'Bramleys Sämling' is actually wrongly named, strictly speaking this variety should be called 'Brailsfords Sämling'. Because the big kitchen apple came from an apple seed that little Mary Ann Brailsford put in a pot in the early 19th century in a small village in Nottinghamshire. The girl had simply plucked the seeds from an apple that her mother used to bake a cake. Therefore, the parents of the variety are not known to this day. A tree developed from the apple seed, which only began to change into the fertile phase of life after more than ten years, as is usual for the genus Malus . By this time the Brailsford family had moved out and some had died and a butcher named Bramley moved into the cottage. The son of a local tree nursery owner came across the large, green and sour apples by accidentwere growing in the butcher's garden and asked for some cuttings to be allowed to propagate the tree in the family nursery. It was only a few years before 'Bramley's seedling' became increasingly popular in the UK. It is still produced today in many fruit tree nurseries and is particularly popular in English cuisine. However, the variety is little known outside the UK.
Bramley apple variety: appearance and taste
The 'Bramley' is large to very large and bulbous or flat round in shape. It is not uncommon for the halves to be unequal, which is due to incomplete fertilization. Accordingly, often not all compartments of the large nucleus contain a seed. The skin is elastic and has a greasy sheen from wax secretions. The basic color is yellowish green and is mottled on the sunny side or covered with matt red stripes. The ribs, which represent the five carpels, are clearly bulging. The stem is short, thick and sits in a narrow pit. The flesh of 'Bramleys Seedling' is yellowish green and medium to coarse. The juicy, aromatic enjoyment as a pure apple is characterized by the high content of malic acid with a comparatively low sugar content. As a result, the 'Bramley' is rarely eaten as a dessert apple.
Planting and caring for Malus 'Bramley'
The 'Bramley' can be cultivated as a small tree or as a large, natural tree that enriches any meadow orchard using the right rootstock. When grafted onto a slow-growing rootstock such as 'M27' the tree will remain small but will need to be supported by a sturdy tie throughout its life, especially when the bulky branches are flexing with fruit. For medium-sized or large home gardens, grafting onto a medium-growing rootstock such as 'MM111' is recommended. In this way, the tree usually only grows to a maximum of 5 m in height. On seedling stock, 'Bramley' can develop into a 7 m tall and 5 m wide tree.
In general, the 'Bramley' does not like clayey, heavy soil, but rather light, sandy subsoil that warms up quickly in spring. Moist locations that are prone to late frost are not well suited, because the mid-early flowering of the 'Bramleys Seedling' is susceptible to frost. In addition, the 'Bramley' apple tree grows strongly vegetatively on soil that is too heavy, which means more cutting work and fewer applesresult. The location should be sunny and warm.
Good pollinator varieties for 'Bramleys Seedling' include 'Gloster', 'Danziger Kantapfel', 'Cox' Pomona' and 'Croncels'. However, 'Bramley' is not a good pollinator itself, as it has a triple set of genetic makeup, which explains its size but makes pollinating other varieties impossible.
As a mass carrier, the 'Bramley' can easily be driven to alternate if cut incorrectly, i.e. to strongly fluctuating annual yields. Therefore, a cut should either be carried out rarely and carefully or annually, but never occasionally and radically. You can find out more about "pruning apple trees" in our related article.
In order to harvest fewer but larger fruits and to compensate for an alternation, (too) strong fruit sets can be thinned out. To do this, all but one fruit per infructescence are removed when they are about the size of a hazelnut.
The 'Bramleys' is susceptible to fruit tree canker. This is particularly evident in locations that are too damp - consequently, the infestation can be effectively prevented by choosing an airy, sunny location with permeable soil. 'Bramley' is not susceptible to other diseases.
Harvest Time and Use of the Bramley Apple
The apple variety 'Bramleys Seedling' can be harvested in September. Apples that are harvested early can be kept until March if they are stored he althy in a cool, humid place at 2 to 4 °C. The ripeness for consumption is not reached until November. However, the aromatically fragrant fruits are not necessarily suitable for direct consumption. Rather, the 'Bramley' is now ready to be processed into delicious baked apples, apple pie or - quite traditionally - into apple sauce. The fruit retains its structure during baking and develops a delicious aroma. The apple is also well suited for cider, especially because it simply produces a lot of fruit as a bulk carrier on the meadow orchard.
The 'Bramleys Seedling' apple is an easy addition to the home garden that won't plague its owners with disease. Such a variety is the 'Rheinische Winterrambur', which develops a delicious sweetness.