| 'Ellis Bitter' | |
|---|---|
| Species | Malus domestica |
| Breeder | Ellis, Newton St. Cyres |
| Origin |  England, mid 19th c. |
Ellis Bitter, also called Ellis's Bitter or Ellis's Bitter-Sweet, is an English cider apple originating in Devon, but now widely planted across the west of England.
The variety's exact origin is unknown, though it was first planted around Crediton, Devon, in the 19th century, and was sometimes thought to have arisen on the farm of a Mr Ellis at Newton St. Cyres in the middle years of the century. [1] It was subsequently widely planted across the region by commercial growers, particularly those under contract to H. P. Bulmer, in the 20th century after being included in trial plantings by the Long Ashton Research Station, [2] and because its early cropping characteristics allowed extension of the harvesting season forward. [3]
Ellis Bitter is still found in modern commercial orchards, in additional to 'traditional' orchards.
The apple is a medium 'bittersweet', with low levels of malic acid and moderate tannins. The fruit is medium-sized and conical, with a slightly flattened shape. The skin is yellow and waxy with an orange-red striped flush, and russetted lenticels.
The tree is extremely vigorous and consistently self-sterile, [1] and has good disease resistance.
Perry, also known as pear cider, is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally the perry pear. It has been common for centuries in England, particularly in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire. It is also made in parts of South Wales and France, especially Normandy and Anjou, and in Commonwealth countries such as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees which are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive purpose. A fruit garden is generally synonymous with an orchard, although it is set on a smaller non-commercial scale and may emphasize berry shrubs in preference to fruit trees. Most temperate-zone orchards are laid out in a regular grid, with a grazed or mown grass or bare soil base that makes maintenance and fruit gathering easy.
Cider apples are a group of apple cultivars grown for their use in the production of cider. Cider apples are distinguished from "cookers" and "eaters", or dessert apples, by their bitterness or dryness of flavour, qualities which make the fruit unpalatable but can be useful in cidermaking. Some apples are considered to occupy more than one category.
Long Ashton Research Station (LARS) was an agricultural and horticultural government-funded research centre located in the village of Long Ashton near Bristol, UK. It was created in 1903 to study and improve the West Country cider industry and became part of the University of Bristol in 1912. Later, it expanded into fruit research and in the 1980s was redirected to work on arable crops and aspects of botany. It closed in 2003. The Research Station is known for developing Ribena a still popular vitamin C-rich drink that was widely distributed in the UK during the Second World War, and the Long Ashton Nutrient Solution (LANS).
The Kingston Black, also known as Black Taunton, is a cultivar of apple originating from the United Kingdom and used in making cider. The name of the cultivar comes from the apples' dark red or purplish skin, though despite the name, the fruit does not have a black hue.
'Brown Snout' is a 19th-century cultivar of cider apple originating in Herefordshire in the United Kingdom, though now grown in other counties and parts of the world.
The Foxwhelp is a very old cider apple cultivar, originating in the west Midlands of England.
The Hangdown, also known as Hangydown, Horner, or the Pocket Apple, is a traditional variety of cider apple grown mostly in Somerset and North Devon.
'Tom Putt' is a traditional variety of dual purpose apple, often used as a cider apple, originating in Devon. It was also known as Ploughman, Coalbrook, Marrowbone, Thomas Jeffreys and by many other local names.
Slack-ma-Girdle is an old variety of cider apple formerly widely grown in the South-West of England. It is one of a group of similar and closely related varieties all often known by the name "Woodbine".
Crimson King, also known as John Toucher's or the Bewley Down Pippin, is a traditional cider apple cultivar originating in Somerset.
Dufflin is an old variety of cider apple from the County of Cornwall, England. It was included in orchard trials by Long Ashton Research Station in 1957.
The 'Chisel Jersey' is a cultivar of cider apple originating in Somerset.
Michelin is a variety of cider apple commonly grown in commercial orchards in the United Kingdom, although originating in France.
The Coccagee, also spelt 'Cackagee' or 'Cockagee' and sometimes known as the 'Irish Crab' or 'Lord Cork's Crab', is or was a variety of cider apple, known in Ireland and the West of England.
Yarlington Mill is a traditional cider apple cultivar originating from the village of Yarlington, in the North Cadbury area of Somerset, England.
Major is a cider apple cultivar first grown in the United Kingdom in the area of Devon and Somerset.
Cap of Liberty, also known by the name Red Soldiers or Bloody Soldier, is a traditional cider apple cultivar originating in the Martock area of central Somerset.
The New Zealand grapefruit, otherwise known as the Poorman, Poorman orange, poorman's orange, poor man's orange, or goldfruit is a type of citrus fruit grown in New Zealand. Despite its name it's not genetically a true grapefruit, but believed to be a hybrid between a pomelo and either a mandarin or tangelo.
The Devonshire Quarrenden is a dessert apple cultivar historically grown and probably originating in England, although it has also been suggested as originating in France. A variety of local names and spellings, including "Red Quarrenden", "Quarrington", "Quarender", and the "Sack Apple", have been recorded in the past.
