Bramleys from Wilma

 Wilma's generosity with apples has been amazing this year - most days she gives away a carrier bag full. Thank you very much.

These are Bramleys. The apple favoured by cooks for its sharp flavour and floury flesh. I made the apple tart pictured in the simple fruit tart recipe with these apples.

Sometimes you look at an apple and think it's not worth peeling. After all, who wants to find dessicated caterpillar corpses or the frass they

leave? It is just yucky. Still, the frugal soul that I am, I cut out the nasty bits and cook on. It is worth it.

Bramleys store well when they are not damaged, however without using chemicals along with dedicating a lot of time to defending the fruit tree, a lot of the apples are damaged. Sometimes it's simply from falling to the ground. Most of us don't have the time, or the head for heights, to carefully pick the fruit. So there's lots of fruit to cook at once - hence Wilma's apple distributing treks.

I think there is something rather beautiful about the fruit even if it is damaged, so I got Kit to take these photos, which show just a few of these lovely apples and the beautiful white flesh they have to offer, along with undesirable residents and blemishes.

apple and walnut cake

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3 cups plain flour (1/2 wholemeal/1/2 plain white)
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups chopped peeled baking apples
2 cups chopped walnuts

In a bowl, cream butter and sugar.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add vanilla.
Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg; gradually add to creamed mixture.
Finally, stir in apples and nuts. (Batter will be very stiff.)

Pour or spoon into lined cake tin (20cm) or bundt pan.
Bake at 325° F for 1 hour and 25 minutes or until cake tests done.
Cool for 10 minutes before trying to take the cake out of the tin.