Bramley and Empire Apples
Bramley and Empire apples are superb choices for the home orchard.
Bramley Apple
This apple tree originated in Britain somewhere around 1809-1813 or so. Bramley apple tree is a large, spreading tree. It is vigorous and very high yielding.
A dwarfing rootstock is a good idea. The tree is resistant to mildew and scab.
Bramley apple will tolerate frost pockets that will kill other apple trees. This tree blooms late in the season.
The plant has sterile pollen and can’t pollinate other apple trees. Rome apple is a good choice to insure good pollination takes place.
The fruitful tree bears good crops every year.
Bramley apple has the highest Vitamin C content of all the cooking apples. This is also very high in phytonutrients.
This apple can ripen from early fall to mid October. But, some sources refer to it as a mid-winter variety.
Bramley apple has a very long storage. These apples can keep until spring or summer and at least a minimum of four months.
This cooking apple is by far the most widely used cooking apple in Britain and the most popular cooking apple in England. Bramley apples can be picked when green for commercial use. These can also be left on the tree until they start to develop red stripes or when they turn yellow.
The very large to large apples are flat to round with an irregular shape. The shiny skin is coarse textured.
Typically, they ripen to yellow-green with red stripes or blush. This juicy, firm apple is also great for eating fresh as well as for cider, baking, stewing, canning, and dumplings.
This apple holds its shape when cooked. The white-yellow flesh is juicy with a tart flavor.
Empire Apple
The Empire apple was a cross between McIntosh and Red Delicious. This was bred at the Geneva Agricultural Experiment Station in New York. The tree is hardy to -30 degrees Fahrenheit.
Introduced in 1966, it is an upright, large, vigorous, spreading tree This has a good structure. Grown by many commercial orchards, this tree begins bearing at a young age.
Empire apple bears large crops of fruits every year. It is not self-fruitful. The tree is prone to apple scab.
The Empire tree has been used to breed other apple varieties. It grows well in cold regions and on the East Coast. This apple was among the Baker’s Dozen of apple varieties chosen by entomologist Robert Nitschke, founder of Southmeadow Fruit Gardens.
This apple ripens two weeks after McIntosh and is considered a mid to late season variety. It ripens from mid September to late September.
These fruits keep well on the tree.
The medium to small sized fruits are uniformly sized. They’re round and just beautiful—deep red with green.
This apple stores better than McIntosh. However, sources seemed split when it comes to its storage life. Some said it stores well, while others said it didn’t.
The waxy skin has stripes along with a heavy bloom on the skin. The firm tender flesh is juicy and aromatic. It is cream colored.
When you bite into this apple, the flesh tends to crack. Empire is considered a great apple for kids. It is a high quality, dessert apple. This has a semi-sweet to sub-acid flavor.
Empire apple is great for cider and for eating fresh. It is considered a better quality apple than McIntosh.
Bramley Apple
This apple tree originated in Britain somewhere around 1809-1813 or so. Bramley apple tree is a large, spreading tree. It is vigorous and very high yielding.
A dwarfing rootstock is a good idea. The tree is resistant to mildew and scab.
Bramley apple will tolerate frost pockets that will kill other apple trees. This tree blooms late in the season.
The plant has sterile pollen and can’t pollinate other apple trees. Rome apple is a good choice to insure good pollination takes place.
The fruitful tree bears good crops every year.
Bramley apple has the highest Vitamin C content of all the cooking apples. This is also very high in phytonutrients.
This apple can ripen from early fall to mid October. But, some sources refer to it as a mid-winter variety.
Bramley apple has a very long storage. These apples can keep until spring or summer and at least a minimum of four months.
This cooking apple is by far the most widely used cooking apple in Britain and the most popular cooking apple in England. Bramley apples can be picked when green for commercial use. These can also be left on the tree until they start to develop red stripes or when they turn yellow.
The very large to large apples are flat to round with an irregular shape. The shiny skin is coarse textured.
Typically, they ripen to yellow-green with red stripes or blush. This juicy, firm apple is also great for eating fresh as well as for cider, baking, stewing, canning, and dumplings.
This apple holds its shape when cooked. The white-yellow flesh is juicy with a tart flavor.
Empire Apple
The Empire apple was a cross between McIntosh and Red Delicious. This was bred at the Geneva Agricultural Experiment Station in New York. The tree is hardy to -30 degrees Fahrenheit.
Introduced in 1966, it is an upright, large, vigorous, spreading tree This has a good structure. Grown by many commercial orchards, this tree begins bearing at a young age.
Empire apple bears large crops of fruits every year. It is not self-fruitful. The tree is prone to apple scab.
The Empire tree has been used to breed other apple varieties. It grows well in cold regions and on the East Coast. This apple was among the Baker’s Dozen of apple varieties chosen by entomologist Robert Nitschke, founder of Southmeadow Fruit Gardens.
This apple ripens two weeks after McIntosh and is considered a mid to late season variety. It ripens from mid September to late September.
These fruits keep well on the tree.
The medium to small sized fruits are uniformly sized. They’re round and just beautiful—deep red with green.
This apple stores better than McIntosh. However, sources seemed split when it comes to its storage life. Some said it stores well, while others said it didn’t.
The waxy skin has stripes along with a heavy bloom on the skin. The firm tender flesh is juicy and aromatic. It is cream colored.
When you bite into this apple, the flesh tends to crack. Empire is considered a great apple for kids. It is a high quality, dessert apple. This has a semi-sweet to sub-acid flavor.
Empire apple is great for cider and for eating fresh. It is considered a better quality apple than McIntosh.
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