Sep 01 2008
British apples: varieties, identification, cultivation, history and culture
English apples
Sandringham orchards, Norfolk, UK
Information about apples online and in print - the varieties, history, cultivation, cooking, supply and eating of English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish apples (and a little about pears, plums, cherries and other orchard fruit too).
Varieties of apples
Brogdale Horticultural Trust - The National Fruit Collection
Brogdale maintains a living collection of thousands of varieties of fruit, including over 2,300 varieties of apple. The website includes a detailed catalogue of the apple varieties with many photos.
Orange Pippin
Superb website with reams of information on apple varieties old and new, commercial and heritage, orchard and garden. The apple tree register is an ambitious project to map apple tree varieties around the world.
The New Book of Apples: The Definitive Guide to Over 2000 Varieties
Detailed descriptions and illustrations of thousands of varieties of apple, from well-known traditional apples and widely available commercial varieites to the very rare and highly unusual.
East of England Apples and Orchards Project
Focussing on traditional varieties of apple (and other orchard fruit) from the counties of the East of England (Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Suffolk), the EEAOP provides in-depth information on the history and characteristics of hundreds of heritage fruits that will be of interest to readers everywhere. The project also organises apple events, training sessions, co-ordinates initiatives to plant and protect orchards, searches for lost varieties and sells trees.
Identifying apples
Applekey is a key for the identification of over 700 varieties of apple, returning probable matches for apples with specified characteristics. Free to download (with suggested donation).
Apples: A Field Guide
Field guide to the identification of apple trees
The culture, history and science of apples
Common Ground
Celebrating the distinctiveness and diversity of Britain, with a particular long interest in apples. 19 years ago, Common Ground initiated Apple Day, now with dozens of events across the country.
Institute of Food Research - Apple facts
Thoroughly researched information on the science, history, cultivation and supply of apples. The composition of apples is explained, from the dry matter content (apples are 80% water but eating varieties can have 20% more dry matter than Bramleys) to the 250 volatile esters, alcohols, aldehydes and essential oils that determine the distinctive aroma of each variety.
The Apple Source Book
Beautiful writing on the culture of apples by the founders of Common Ground
The Story of the Apple
The origins of the cultivated apple
Sustainable apples
How Green are our Apples? (and the Pear Essentials) from Sustain
Report investigating the environmental, social and economic sustainability of British apples, from the importance of orchards for wildlife and the bio-diversity of traditional varieties to the impacts of importing so many of the apples we eat and the viability of British producers.
Cultivating apples
Keeper’s nursery
“Possibly the largest range of fruit trees and soft fruit plants in the world.” Excellent fruit tree and plant nursery offering hundreds of varieties of apple.
The UK apple industry
Defra’s Basic Horticultural Statistics provide fundamental data on the United Kingdom’s apple industry, from production (106,000 tonnes of dessert apples and 137,000 tonnes of cooking apples grown in 2007) to imports (522,000 tonnes imported in 2007).
English apples and pears
Trade association promoting English growers of apples and pears. Website provides information and data on the main commercial varieties of apple grown in England (Bramley, Cox, Egremont Russet, Gala, Spartan, Worcester Pearmain).
Bramley apples
Trade association promoting Bramley apples, Britain’s favourite cooking apple.
