North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Ed & Pat Fackler <rocmdw@aye.net>]

 

dwalsh/wchase wrote:

H ... is it Hélène? (Now I'll have to learn the codes for the accents) There is the original Bramley's Seedling which is a big green apple, then somewhere along the way, someone found a branch on their Bramley's Seedling on which the apples were redder than usual.  This second one is called Red Bramley's Seedling.  It isn't really red, but it has flecks and streaks of red on it if it is grown in the sun.René Poisson of Tsolum River (no longer in business) probably had the Red Bramley's Seedling This has happened with Gravenstein, Jonagold, Gala, Spartan, and Delicious and many other apple varieties.    There is quite a difference in flavour between the Red Gravenstein and the original Gravenstein, the Red Delicious and the original Delicious, and perhaps between the others, but I can't detect any difference between the Red Bramley's and the original Bramley's. I tried baking a Bramley's once ( in the microwave) and when I opened the door of the microwave I had the biggest surprise ... the whole apple had sunk to a height of about 1/4" .. not my idea of a baked apple!

     My response--------

     The last sentence, "not my idea of a baked apple" alludes to the problem indigenous to an incredible number of antique apple cvs.
Or, various literature/descriptions are often repeated (plagerized) for decades without considering the factors of the original description.
     My guess is that Bramley, many decades ago, was among the best available AT THAT TIME.  Compared to more modern cvs., Bramley simply isn't much for either culinary purpose or for fresh eating, at least when grown in warmer climates.
     The recent exchanges on this one reminds me of an exchange which occurred during the last NAFEX meeting whereupon Elwood Fisher (collector/nostalgia-guru) made the statement something to the effect, "an incredible number of antiques SHOULD be extinct".
     I was sitting in the audience, almost asleep (from the shear rhetoric---"we iz savin' the world by collecting old stuff") when Elwood made this statement.  I publically thanked him for making this observation and was immediately chastised by all 'em other collector/gurus (like we wuz havin' an apple guru sit-in!) for blasphemy!!!

     Just a passing thought.

Ed, So. Indiana, Heaven, etc.