Kaiser Wilhelm Apples
Estimated Inventory, lb : 0
Description/Taste
Kaiser Wilhelm apples vary in size, depending on growing conditions, and were once considered a medium to large variety, averaging 6 to 8 centimeters in diameter and 5 to 7 centimeters in length. The apples are now smaller compared to many modern commercial cultivars and have a round, conic, to slightly elongated shape with angular sides and a knobbed crown at the base. The fruit’s shoulders are also flat, sloping, and feature a slender, fibrous stem set in a funnel-shaped cavity filled with textured, grey-brown russet. Kaiser Wilhelm apples have a yellow-green base hue, often covered in patches of red blush on sides exposed to the sun. The blush can be transparent to solid, and some dark red striping is overlaid on the surface. The skin is also moderately thick, taut, and smooth with tiny, raised russeted lenticels, giving the surface a lightly textured feel. Underneath the skin, the white to cream-colored flesh is fine-grained, crisp, firm, and aqueous. As the apple ages, the firmness will become dry and crumbly. The flesh also encases a central core filled with a few black-brown seeds. Kaiser Wilhelm apples are edible once ripe and have a balanced, sweet and sour flavor with subtle nutty, spice, and vinous nuances.
Seasons/Availability
Kaiser Wilhelm apples are available in the early fall through winter. The apples are typically picked in mid-September and October and can be professionally stored until February.
Current Facts
Kaiser Wilhelm apples, botanically classified as Malus domestica, are a German variety belonging to the Rosaceae family. The mid to late season cultivar was discovered growing as a chance seedling in the 19th century and was selected as a new variety for commercial and home gardens. Kaiser Wilhelm apples are known under several names in German markets, including Peter Broich apples, Wilhelm Apfel, and Kaiser Wilhelm Apfel, and the variety is favored as a dessert and culinary cultivar. Growers in the 20th century once valued Kaiser Wilhelm apples for their fast-growing nature, producing large trees reaching 6 to 8 meters in height. Kaiser Wilhelm trees also bear annual, consistent harvests with high yields and the fruits are disease resistant. Historically, Kaiser Wilhelm apples were a prevalent variety in Germany throughout the early 20th century, but the variety eventually fell out of favor, being replaced by newer, modern cultivars. In the present day, Kaiser Wilhelm apples are a specialty variety only grown in limited quantities and are no longer commercially produced. The fruits are harvested from smaller private orchards and home gardens for use in a wide array of fresh eating and sweet or savory culinary preparations.
Nutritional Value
Kaiser Wilhelm apples have not been studied for their nutritional properties. Apples, in general, are a source of fiber to regulate the digestive tract, vitamin C to strengthen the immune system, calcium to support bones and teeth, and vitamin E to guard the cells against the damage caused by free radicals. Apples also provide potassium to balance fluid levels within the body, vitamin A to maintain healthy organs, magnesium to control nerve functions, iron to develop the protein hemoglobin for oxygen transport through the bloodstream, and other nutrients, including vitamin K, zinc, copper, manganese, and vitamin B6.
Applications
Kaiser Wilhelm apples have a sweet-tart taste suited for fresh and cooked preparations. The variety can be consumed out of hand when ripe and are eaten with or without the skin, depending on preference. Kaiser Wilhelm apples can also be sliced and tossed into salads, chopped into fruit medleys, shredded into slaws and side dishes, or cut and served on charcuterie boards. In addition to fresh preparations, Kaiser Wilhelm apples were a popular cooking apple in the early 20th century and were used in sauces, jams, jellies and compotes. Kaiser Wilhelm apples can also be stuffed and baked whole, fried into fritters, or stirred into pancake batter. In Germany, apples are sometimes used in apfel flammkuchen, a flatbread, and kartoffelpuffer, a potato fried cake with apples. Sweet-tart apples, including Kaiser Wilhelm, are also baked into pies, cakes, strudels, and tarts. Kaiser Wilhelm apples pair well with caramel, honey, raisins, nuts such as almonds, walnuts, and hazelnuts, spices including nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves, meats such as pork, turkey, and poultry, citrus, apricots, and red onions. Whole, unwashed Kaiser Wilhelm apples will keep for several weeks to months when stored in a cool, dry, and dark location such as a cellar or the refrigerator. It is important to note that the variety will dry out over time, so it is recommended to consume fairly soon after harvest. In professional cold storage, Kaiser Wilhelm apples will keep up to three months.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
Kaiser Wilhelm apples were named after the former German leader and last German emperor Kaiser Wilhelm II. This name was given to the apples as a marketing tool to attract consumer attention and gain the favor of leaders in Germany. It is said pomologist Carl Hesselman wrote to the Kaiser in 1875, seeking approval for the name, and sent thirty-five of the apples as a gift for the Kaiser’s Christmas table. Court official to the Kaiser, Fürst Pückler, responded to the letter, stating that the emperor had given his blessing and thanks for the honor of the naming. The official also requested that a Kaiser Wilhelm tree be planted in Babelsberg Park, near Potsdam, Germany. Wilhelm II became Kaiser in Germany after his father’s passing in 1888 and was twenty-nine years of age. After his ascent to emperor, Wilhelm II became known for his emotional and sometimes rash political decisions, especially during World War I. He was one of the most recognized and known public figures in Europe during the war due to political choices, eventually leading to his abdication of the throne in 1918. Despite the Kaiser’s forced removal from leadership, his name provided recognition for the apple variety, encouraging German nurseries across the country to carry and market the cultivar.
Geography/History
Kaiser Wilhelm apples are native to Germany and were discovered growing as a chance seedling in 1824. Vicar and fruit breeder Johann Wilhelm Schumacher noticed the seedling naturally growing in Solingen, Germany. It is hypothesized that the variety may have been a descendant of the Harberts Reinette apple, but the origins and true parentage of the apple is still unknown. Schumacher began propagating the new apple, calling it Peter Broich after a friend and Rhineland pastor of the same name. Schumacher also opened a fruit tree nursery in the German city of Ramrath in 1830 and may have cultivated the variety for the business. Later in 1864, German pomologist and schoolteacher Carl Hesselman found an unmarked apple tree in the gardens of Haus Bürgel, an estate situated on the Urdenbacher Kämpe, a protected area of the Rhine floodplain between Düsseldorf and Monheim am Rhein. Hesselman first encountered the variety in 1864 and declared it a new cultivar, naming it Kaiser Wilhelm apples, and was unaware that it was the same variety as Peter Broich. Kaiser Wilhelm apples quickly spread in cultivation throughout Germany as the famous name attracted many growers and buyers. The variety was widely advertised in nursery catalogs in the early 20th century and was commercially produced and grown in home gardens. It wasn’t until 2011 that pomologists officially proved through genetic testing that Kaiser Wilhelm and Peter Broich apples were the same apple. Despite this discovery, the name Kaiser Wilhelm stuck and was prevalently used, leading it to be the most used moniker. Today, Kaiser Wilhelm apples are an heirloom variety primarily grown in Germany. The variety is also found in small quantities throughout Europe and in preservation orchards in England. The Kaiser Wilhelm apples featured in the photograph above were sourced through orchards in Brogdale Collections in Faversham, Kent.
Recipe Ideas
Recipes that include Kaiser Wilhelm Apples. One
is easiest, three is harder.| Southern Made Simple |
|
Fresh Apple & Brown Sugar Cake |
| Life As a Stawberry |
|
Easy Apple Butter |
| Chisel & Fork |
|
Apple Prosciutto Pizza |
