Topic: bramley apples

[shirley B]

  I am hoping i am in the right forum, can anyone tell me the best way to keep bramleys, the freezer has as many as i can put in and leave room for other produce, thanking you in advance.
          shirleyb

[goodlife]

I keep majority of my cookers in storage boxes/baskets in shed..and use them as and when..you just have to keep eye on for any fruit that is starting go off and remove before they have a chance to spoil others. And any apples that you are going store whole needs to be really good condition and unbruised. Windfall ones do not store and they need to be used first. For storage I pick the fruit straight from tree.
You can always make apple sauce/jam/leather/cheese/juice or make some dried rings..no need for any freezer for those

[tim]

Ours keep in trays in the barn until May. Used to keep them in the cellar but, at my age, that's now a no go!!

They exude their own oil which helps preserve them.

[small]

I use old freezer baskets, so as much air as possible can circulate, newspaper between each layer, in an unheated utility room - check every couple of weeks - they last till well into spring with no perceptible deterioration.

[shirlton]

I got some clear plastic pot trays free from homebase and we have the onions and apples sitting in each hole. They are in the spare room which we dont heat.First year for apples so am hoping they keep.  Like you said you have no room in the freezer. Its the same here. If they keep until we have freezer room I will be pleased.

[Vinlander]

If you are considering freezing them then you're not that bothered about using them for cooking.

So if the freezer has little space then juice them and freeze that - it's 2 or 3 times smaller than the apples.

If no space in the freezer then - cider!

If you want to cook with apples then buy some - bramleys are the only apple worth buying - much better than frozen ones, even home-grown frozen ones.

Bramleys are only worth growing if you have an allotment: a) they are unlikely to get nicked and b) you can use the space at home to grow a fantastic heritage apple that never shows up in the shops.

I grafted mine over to a connoisseurs apple.

[goodlife]

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Bramleys are only worth growing if you have an allotment: a) they are unlikely to get nicked ;D ;D..that's true...I can't even give them away..even if I pick them, ready to go ::)
I also have Stamford Pippin-cooker..now those are much more 'prittier' than Bramleys ..and I've go few people every year, almost queing, wanting for any spare ones.. ::)..luckily nobody has resulted nicking yet.
I've just dried some apple rings from cookers..and they are lovely to eat as they are...trouble is, once you start tasting, they tend to dissapear. Well..plenty of apple to make some more.. ;D

[valmarg]

This is a method of using up Bramley apples.

This is a recipe for rosemary jelly.  You could substitute mint, or parsley.

Both rosemary and mint jelly are wonderful with lamb in winter.  Parsley jelly is great with cold ham

ROSEMARY JELLY

5lb cooking apples
2 pints water
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
2 pints vinegar
granulated sugar
green food colouring (optional)
chopped rosemary

Wash and roughly chop the apples.  Put in a large saucepan with the water and rosemary.  Bring to the boil, then simmer for about 45 minutes until soft and pulpy.  Stir from time to time to prevent sticking.  Add the vinegar and boil for 5 minutes.

Strain through a jelly bag or cloth and allow the juice to drain for at least 12 hours.  Do not squeeze the bag or the jelly will be cloudy.  Discard the pulp.

Measure the extract and return to the pan with 1 lb sugar to each pint of extract.  Stir until the sugar has dissolved, then boil rapidly, without stirring for about 10 minutes until setting point is reached.  Skim the surface with a metal spoon.  Add a few drops of colouring and chopped rosemary (to taste).  Pot and cover in the usual way.


It does use up quite a few Bramleys.  They can also be used in other jellies as they are a rich source of pectin.

valmarg

[valmarg]

P.S. You can also cook them up in large quantities as apple sauce.  Freeze them in small quantities for apple sauce to go with pork during the winter.

valmarg

[shirley B]

  Thank you all for your answers which are very useful, Valmarg i will make up jelly as i have loads of pots,
  and rosemary in the garden.   Shirleyb

[Robert_Brenchley]

They improve with storage, as they're not really ripe when they come off the tree, or appear in the shops.

[PurpleHeather]

They can be kept for some time if they are perfect.

Like potatoes, they need to be checked regularly for decay.

I use the damaged ones first, then keep the rest in card board boxes with layers of newspaper so that the apples do not touch each other.

It is a case of one rotten apple can spoil the rest. Check regularly and if one shows any sign of decay, use it.

February is usually the time when the last of the best needs to be used.