Pixie (Pixie Crunch)

Pixie is a small to medium size bi-coloured apple with an attractive orange-red skin colouration turning to a deeper red with intensity. The pale green background colour changes to a deep yellow as the fruit matures. The fruit is round-conical in shape. Often, there is a light sprinkling of yellow lenticels evident in the blushed areas of the fruit, and quite heavy russeting can develop around the calyx cavity. On biting, the skin is of light to medium thickness and chewy with a very slight astringency. The green-yellow flesh is firm with a good crunch and reasonably juice levels, though can become slightly floury with greater maturity. The taste is sweet and rich with a hint of raisins or grapes in the flavour, and acidity levels are quite low.

Pixie can develop a slight stickiness to the skin with maturity.

Growers are attracted to Pixie due to its resistance to Scab and suitability for organic production; long hanging on the tree when mature, and its visual and organoleptic qualities.

Pixie is a mid-season apple variety.

Good Fruit Guide Rating: ****

Pixie is a very attractive apple with good sweetness and flavour.

Sweet, crisp, flavoursome

Names: Pixie®; Pixie Crunch^TM; Coop 33; PRI2712-1; USPP 13871P2

Origin: Coop 33 was developed through the cooperative breeding program at Indiana, Illinois and New Jersey Experimental stations, USA. The cross, of two numbered varieties, from which Coop 33 originated was made in 1971 at the Cream Ridge Research and Development Centre, Rutgers University, New Jersey. The variety was selected by Edwin. B. Williams of the Purdue Resesarch Foundation, West Lafayette, Indiana in 1978. The US Plant Patent was granted in June 2003.  Pixie Crunch and Pixie are the trademarked and registered marketing names of the variety.

Grown in: USA, France, Italy, Australia

Harvest & Availability: Pixie is generally available in UK as follows:

• January:
• February:
• March:
• April:
• May:
• June:
• July:
• August:
• September:
• October:                   France
• November:              France
• December:

Websites:

Pixie Crunch – Purdue University pdf