8 Things You Need To Know About Bramley Apples
The Bramley Apple has a long and proud history in the UK, spanning back over 200 years. What started as a couple of pips planted by a young girl in her garden all those years ago, has since become a national favourite.
You’ve probably seen Bramley apples in your local supermarket, you may have even bought and cooked them for yourself. But despite this, there are a lot of things you may not know about these tasty fruits, and we’re here to enlighten you.
Below, we’ll share eight lesser-known facts about Bramley apples that you need to know.
1. Are Bramley apples seasonal?
Although these apples are picked at around the same time each year and are considered a seasonal fruit, in most cases they are available year-round.
How is this possible?
Well, after the harvest the apples are cold stored so that they can be made available throughout the year and there is a relatively constant supply for consumers.
They can also be processed in other ways, such as being pulped, to ensure freshness and that you can access Bramley apples all year round.
2. So when are they picked?
Depending on the location, the exact time of the harvest may vary. However, as a general rule, these apples are picked around August to September time.
Some growers may wait until slightly later, perhaps October, but certainly no later than the end of November.
3. How many Bramley apples do we eat in the UK each year?
We know that these apples are hugely popular in the UK, but are you aware of just how popular? Well, each year in the UK we consume around 100 million fresh Bramley apples and a further 250 million apples that have been processed in some way.
That’s a petty impressive number of apples!
4. Where do the bulk of these apples come from?
These huge figures beg the question, where do we get this many apples from?
Well, although these are grown across most of the UK now, the majority come from the South East, East Midlands and Northern Ireland.
5. Are Bramley apples used outside the UK?
Though there is a demand for Bramley apples outside of the UK, this is far smaller than that of those living in Britain. Because of this, a small quantity of both fresh and processed Bramley apples are exported outside the UK each year.
However, as these apples are not well-known outside of Britain, they tend to be requested by those who have lived in or been to the UK and understand that these make the ideal cooking apple.
6. What makes Bramley apples so good to cook with?
You might be wondering what makes these apples different from others and why they have become the cooking apple of choice.
The reason is that Bramley apples are unique. They contain a higher level of malic acid and lower sugar levels, this means they’re able to produce a stronger and better flavour than other apples even through the cooking process.
Not only this, but the chemical composition of these apples makes them great to cook with as they break down well when baked or boiled. This gives them the ‘melt in the mouth’ texture we know and love, and allows them to add moisture to recipes like pies and cakes.
7. Can you eat them raw?
We always think about these apples as an ideal cooking ingredient, but ultimately they are just fruit, so can they also be enjoyed raw?
Well, you can eat them as they come, they certainly won’t do you any harm. However, they do have quite a sharp flavour when they aren’t cooked which isn’t to everyone’s taste. So it really depends on your apple preferences.
But from a purely health perspective, yes, you can eat them raw.
8. Are they a healthy choice?
Finally, as with all other apples, Bramley apples contain a range of vitamins including A, E, B1, B2 and B6. They also provide a good level of vitamin C and potassium, all of which have varying functions in the body.
Not only this, but they are a low-fat food with naturally occurring sugars which makes them a sweet but healthier alternative when making things like desserts. They are also naturally sodium free and contain fructose.