Grenadier apple
Malus domestica
If you want an early-season English cooking apple, this is the one - good flavour for all sorts of culinary uses, very easy to grow, and crops well.
England is the only country where a major distinction is made between cooking and dessert apples, but these days only one variety remains to maintain the tradition of English cooking apples - the famous Bramley apple. However before the supermarket era the choice was wider, with a whole range of culinary or cooking apple varieties grown, each with their own characteristics and season. Chief amongst the early cooking apples is Grenadier, which ripens by mid-August in the UK.
Not much is known of the origins of Grenadier, but it was discovered during the mid-19th century in England and was quite widely grown by the end of the century, although it is no longer grown commercially.
Two reasons probably account for Grenadier's fall from favour. Firstly, like all early apple varieties it does not store particularly well, a serious drawback for modern distribution methods. Secondly, it is not the most attractive of apples - it is a lumpen green, often with a pronounced ribbed effect. However, this ugliness is transformed in the pot, where it easily cooks down to cream-coloured puree with a superb apple flavour. Grenadier is also a good base for apple jam.
Grenadier is also quite an easy apple tree to grow in the garden, being reliable, resistant to the common apple diseases, and not likely to grow as vigorously as a Bramley. Growing your own is also the easiest way to get over its poor keeping qualities, as you can pick it over a number of weeks.
So if you want to make a light English-style apple pie for a summer picnic then Grenadier is exactly what you need.
Summary
- Origin: Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom
- Introduced: 1800
- Orange Pippin Cultivar ID: 102700
Identification
- Bultitude apple group: 1. Green, smooth, no russet, acidic, culinary
Using
- Good for cooking
- Good for juice
- Cooking result: Puree
- Flavour quality: Good
- Flavour style: Sharper
- Ripening period: Early-Mid season
- Use / keeping: 1 week
Growing
- Cropping: Heavy
- Flowering group: 3
- Fertility: Self-sterile
- Good pollinator
- Vigour: Slightly small
- Gardening skill: Easy
- General disease resistance: Good
Climate
- Suitable for temperate climates
- Suitable for NW. Scotland?: Yes
- Suitable for N. England?: Yes
Other qualities
- RHS Award of Garden Merit 1993
Mature tree heights for this variety (approximate)
| Rootstock | Soil quality | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poor | Below average | Average | Above average | Very good | |
| P22 | 1.8 ft 0.6 m |
2.3 ft 0.7 m |
2.7 ft 0.8 m |
3.2 ft 1.0 m |
3.6 ft 1.1 m |
| M27 | 2.4 ft 0.7 m |
3.0 ft 0.9 m |
3.6 ft 1.1 m |
4.2 ft 1.3 m |
4.8 ft 1.5 m |
| M9 | 3.6 ft 1.1 m |
4.5 ft 1.4 m |
5.4 ft 1.7 m |
6.3 ft 1.9 m |
7.2 ft 2.2 m |
| Bud.9 | 3.6 ft 1.1 m |
4.5 ft 1.4 m |
5.4 ft 1.7 m |
6.3 ft 1.9 m |
7.2 ft 2.2 m |
| Geneva 16 | 3.6 ft 1.1 m |
4.5 ft 1.4 m |
5.4 ft 1.7 m |
6.3 ft 1.9 m |
7.2 ft 2.2 m |
| Geneva 11 | 4.2 ft 1.3 m |
5.3 ft 1.6 m |
6.3 ft 1.9 m |
7.4 ft 2.3 m |
8.4 ft 2.6 m |
| M26 | 4.8 ft 1.5 m |
6.0 ft 1.8 m |
7.2 ft 2.2 m |
8.4 ft 2.6 m |
9.6 ft 2.9 m |
| Geneva 30 | 4.8 ft 1.5 m |
6.0 ft 1.8 m |
7.2 ft 2.2 m |
8.4 ft 2.6 m |
9.6 ft 2.9 m |
| MM102 | 4.8 ft 1.5 m |
6.0 ft 1.8 m |
7.2 ft 2.2 m |
8.4 ft 2.6 m |
9.6 ft 2.9 m |
| M7 | 5.4 ft 1.7 m |
6.8 ft 2.1 m |
8.1 ft 2.5 m |
9.5 ft 2.9 m |
10.8 ft 3.3 m |
| M116 | 5.4 ft 1.7 m |
6.8 ft 2.1 m |
8.1 ft 2.5 m |
9.5 ft 2.9 m |
10.8 ft 3.3 m |
| MM106 | 6.0 ft 1.8 m |
7.5 ft 2.3 m |
9.0 ft 2.8 m |
10.5 ft 3.2 m |
12.0 ft 3.7 m |
| MM111 | 7.2 ft 2.2 m |
9.0 ft 2.8 m |
10.8 ft 3.3 m |
12.6 ft 3.9 m |
14.4 ft 4.4 m |
| Bud.118 | 8.4 ft 2.6 m |
10.5 ft 3.2 m |
12.6 ft 3.9 m |
14.7 ft 4.5 m |
16.8 ft 5.2 m |
| M25 | 9.6 ft 2.9 m |
12.0 ft 3.7 m |
14.4 ft 4.4 m |
16.8 ft 5.2 m |
19.2 ft 5.9 m |
