Red Delicious

Red Delicious is the quintessential red apple.  It has a wonderful appearance with its full, deep red skin colouration and classic long conical shape.  It is a sweet, juicy apple with very crisp but rather bland white flesh. Unfortunately, many people associate it with lack of flavour and a pappy, soft texture, though new storage techniques have largely consigned the texture issues to the past.

Red Delicious has been edged out by newer and better red varieties in recent years: examples are Empire and Modi among others. The best Red Delicious can be found occasionally in supermarkets (e.g. M&S, Morrisons and Waitrose).

Red Delicious was always a favourite in the fruit trade because it was easy to store. In the past, American packers also sprayed the fruit with an edible wax so it was big, red and shiny.

Good Fruit Guide Rating: **

While Red Delicious has its fans, there are many other better varieties with good red colouration.

Red, crisp, sweet.

Names: Red Delicious; Starking; Starcrimson; Red Chief, etc

Origin: Red Delicious originated on the farm of Jesse Hiatt, in Peru, Iowa in 1875. It was given the name Delicious, by CM Stark of Stark Bros. nursery in 1893 which soon evolved to Red Delicious. At the time, Delicious was renowned for its flavour, but since its discovery, many clones and sports of the original variety have been selected on appearance and have resulted in the modern version as we know it today.

Grown in: Red Delicious is widely exported from the United States and is particularly associated with Washington state. However, good production also takes place in Canada, France and Italy, and many countries grow the various clones of the variety.

Harvest & Availability:

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

Websites:

OrangePippin – Red Delicious

OrangePippin – Delicious