Mrs Danvers

So, having started out with good intentions to bake an apple pie on this fall day, I have come back from the grocery store with Granny Smiths.

In the UK there used to be a couple of different varieties of "cooking apples". I think one must have been Bramley, not sure what the other one was. They were big and quite ugly as far as apples go, and you wouldn't think of eating one raw. Has anyone been able to get hold of those over here?

Bob

Nope....Wolf River is supposed to be the closest.

We just use Macs and JonaMacs for the most part though, but then they're everywhere here and are pretty cheap at a buck a pound which is more than half the cost of the other apples.

WEBlue

Yes, Bramleys were the ones I used for baking in the UK. No Bramleys here in my part of the US (that I can see) so I have used Cortlandts. I think Granny Smiths would work too, maybe better (for tartness and firm texture), but the G Smiths I see look so small, and I'm used to bigger apples for pies (less work peeling/cutting).

According to the Farmer's Almanac's recommendation, Jonagold, Rhode Island Greenings, and Winesaps will work for pies too.

http://www.almanac.com/content/best-apples-baking

Speedwell

So-called "Delicious" apples are good for exactly nothing, and the remaining varieties we get around here are frankly foul. England and Germany between them have spoiled me for apple eating. If I could get a bag of Cox pippins for Christmas I'd consider it a wonderful gift.

Pulaski

IMO they shouldn't even be called apples. They're nasty! Cox's Pippin/ Cox's Orange Pippin: the best eating apples bar none!

robin1234

We've been cooking with apples from hedgerow trees around here, presumably very old varieties or just self sown mutts. They are mostly delicious (that is, delicious the word, not Delicious the apple variety ...)

Apples from supermarkets here are uniformly horrible. Large, shiny, inedible.

However, you can usually get a big selection of really good, heirloom apples at the farmers market or directly from the farm, if you ask around. Since they are all different from British varieties, though, it takes a few years to get to know which Apple is good for which purpose ...

Speedwell

Yes, you can... in New York and also in Washington and in North Georgia! Texas... well, at least our grapefruit is good

robin1234

Yeah I've never actually been to Texas. Which part of the country is it, anyway? I'm guessing if they grow grapefruit it must be down south somewhere ..

Speedwell

Heh.

Oh here is a COMPREHENSIVE guide to American apple varieties and what to do with them: http://www.pickyourown.org/apples.htm It also includes a list of English apple varieties near the bottom.

This semi obscure apple is my favorite one of all: http://www.orangepippin.com/apples/rubens-nfc

TopSec

I used Braeburns the other day when I made a sauce for Roast Pork, not as good as Bramleys but not too bad. I'm in Texas

Mrs Danvers

Well, thanks for the replies. The thing about farmers markets around here at least, you find the most amazing apples one week and then never see them again. The next week they've got something else.

I have an apple tree in the back yard. They never get very large and they only seem good for making applesauce. They're too soft. That and the squirrels and deer seem to leave most of them half scoffed on the ground anyway.

robin1234

I'm off to make an apple crumble from various windfalls we pick up on our walks. We've been having apple crumbles every day or two for the last several weeks, getting to the end of the season now though ..

kins

Cortlands and Macintoshes are the local apples so if I'm making a pie I buy them in a big bag, usually very fresh. My weird kids like Granny Smiths so I buy those for them to eat.

Rete

I use Granny Smith for pies but also like to make sauce from the Honey Crisp apples and sometimes will mix that with Gala apples.

Also use Gala in pies and strudel. Don't care for Delicious applies or MacIntosh.

paddingtongreen

You can now buy Cox's Orange Pippin trees in various forms. This site has them plus some close relatives that have a wider zone tolerance

You can get Bramleys there too