I am growing Scarlet Surprise, Rubaiyat, Thornberry, Blush Rosette, Grenadine, and Pink Parfait and Niedzwetzkyana.

Except for the Niedzwetzkyana, I got all from Greenmantle Nursery as benchgrafts two years ago. The first year they were in 3 gallon pots and transplanted into the ground last year.

None have fruited yet.

I have been eyeing Firecracker as well.

Mike

I got red fleshed apples from Greenmantle two years ago as well. I bought Rubaiyat and Blush Rosette bench grafts The Rubaiyat died, a bird or some other critter broke it before the graft healed. The Blush Rosette is doing great and is about 6' tall, I'm hoping to get a couple apples this coming season.

I've tried to graft in winekist, but there seems to have been comparability issues.
May try again

Steve, your graft being broken reminds me of a story I read once where the grafter would see a bird go from graft to graft, down a row breaking each one. It seems that they like to roost on the tallest one around...So, after he put up a tomato stake taller than than any of the grafts in the row, the bird(s) would use it instead and the breakages ceased.

On the subject of red-fleshed apples, I grafted Scugog last year. But the graft hasn't grown that quickly, so it will probably be another year before I can try any. I'm hoping to graft Roberts Crab this coming spring.

I have a Firecracker that I planted about 5 years ago. It has put out pretty, but small, fruit the last couple of years. So far however, it has very little taste.

I grafted an Airlie's Red Flesh a couple years ago.

I have a Hidden Rose apple, obtained from Southmeadow Fruitgarden a number of years ago. Unfortunately deer have liked this one in preference to my other fruit trees and browsed it incessantly until I fenced it off 2 years ago. I finally got a few apples off it the past 2 years which were small, with variagated red color flesh, green skin, tasted very sweet with a tart bite.

Hello! I have 'Scarlet Surprise' (can't remember who I bought it from) and 'Arborose' from Arboreum. I should get at least a couple of Scarlet Surprise this year. Arborose is still too young. I also have a 'Motts Pink' which is also a fun apple to grow. It is tart but it is wonderful. Mrs. G

Mes111 & Steve357 Green mantle does seem to have the best selection. I'm rethinking firecracker kudzu9 after you mentioned it does not have a lot of taste. Windfall_rob I am intrigued by what I read about winekist and they seem to available from http://www.saltspringapplecompany.com/Winekist.htm. bob_z6 I have had the birds do it to me here. I cringe in the spring when I see a large flock of starlings looking to fatten up here. Quillfred / Eboone I think from a flavor perspective Airlie Red Flesh would be a winner aka Hidden Rose http://www.orangepippin.com/apples/airlie-red-flesh. Mrs G. I'm researching those varieties , Motts pink sounds interesting http://www.raintreenursery.com/Mott-s-Pink-Apple-M26.html. Lucky_p i'm already seeing a trend with problems with disease resistance. I might be able to grow a couple as a novelty but an orchard full does not seem possible. I'm interested in their antioxidant properties due to the red flesh. The way eboone described the deer reaction to them would imply they are healthier than the surrounding things to eat.

Here is a link that might be useful: Green Mantle Red fleshed Apples

This post was edited by ClarkinKS on Fri, Dec 19, 14 at 7:15

Clark, I would go to the Arboreum Nursery site and click on Arborose. I have hope for this one. I do believe my 'Scarlet Surprise' is from Greenmantle. I have since heard from planting it three years ago, that it is really more of a crab that is shaped like a red delicious. I hope this is not true. The Motts pink is a lovely apple with opalescent skin. You can see the 'hot pink' streaking underneath the yellow and green skin. Very beautiful. Mrs. G

I read recently that the Czech Republic is a hotbed of red-fleshed apple research and that they are experiencing some good results.

Guess my grandkids will taste some.

Mike

I have no red-fleshed apples because I have yet to hear of a really tasty one that is not hard to grow. Heres to hoping the Czech researchers come up with something!

Scott

Hidden Rose and Scarlet Surprise will be in the ground in the spring. Maybe a few grafts too.

Agree,..nothing really good yet to eat but it will come. Redlove from Switzerland is now being grown in Washington State, see video replies.

I asked Markus, [breeder] how does Redlove taste,.he didn't answer this question, then I mailed back saying, since I didn't get a reply on my question I suspect it taste a bit harsh.

Then he replied saying...Some varieties tart, some sweeter.
In video, Markus is saying, the eating quality is stunning, the apple is sweet,...oh really? He just lied I think, good for sales, please notice, when he goes over to the other apples he spits it out!
But..I love it as a cider apple!
I grow Red Wonder

Here is a link that might be useful: Redloves

Thanks Mrs G. those reds look promising. mes111 hopefully reds will come in the next couple of years and they will be on to blue fleshed apples by that time. Scott I'm beginning to wonder if you might be the wise one holding off. I figure I can top work it later if I need to.Valgor I will be interested to know how the flavor is for you. I will try and remember to post a follow up on taste myself when I decide which variety is going to work for me. Konrad I did see where he spit it out. I don't think red love is available here.

So why would someone grow a red fleshed apple if it wasn't reputed to be an excellent eating apple? If this is for visuals maybe you should stick to crabs, which can be red fleshed and quite useful for culinary purposes.

Novelty acts are a short lived amusement to me.

Harvestman I'm thinking of growing them because of increased health benefits.

>> maybe you should stick to crabsIt's easier/faster to pick large red-flesh apples then little crabs.

Ah, the flavonoids. Good point!

I'm a boomer trying to get every possible edge as well. My retirement plan is to hold it off until I'm 80, unless I manage to die sooner.

Harvestman,
The attached link has an interesting article on crabapples. Red apples based on their pigment could have high anti carcinogenic properties as you mentioned such as flavonoids. This year I mixed my apple juice with aronia juice and could tell a significant difference in how it makes me feel.

Here is a link that might be useful: Crabapple info

This post was edited by ClarkinKS on Mon, Dec 22, 14 at 4:31

The color of foods does seem to be a good indicator of health content.

Here is a link that might be useful: Red foods

This link further breaks down Anthocyanin's / flavonoids.

Here is a link that might be useful: Anthocyanins

>>maybe you should stick to crabsWould you rather collect little apples to do chips?
I don't think your wife would.

Actually, tart apples makes nice chips!

Konrad those look fantastic!

Konrad, I believe your point is valid. I like big blueberries for the same reason. Picking gets tiresome.

I do know folks who don't mind picking their red-fleshed crabapples, however, and they are so fruitful that it really doesn't take much time to gather bushels. If you add them to sweet apples and make cider you get a very flavenoid rich concoction with much more distinctive flavor than straight sweet apples. Some crabs are also very high in vitamin C.

Those slices look wonderful.

Exactly...that's why I grow both.
This red flesh crab tree is from my own seedling, I picked it almost clean, [some for wildlife] and used it for my brew/blend.

Thank you all!

I probably grow the largest privately owned collection of red fleshed apples in the US, Nick Botner probably had more at one time but he sold his business a few years ago.

Out of my almost 900 varieties of apples 140 of them are red fleshed varieties ranging from purple (Purple Passion, Aldenham Purple), beet red (Almata, Winekist), pink (Pink Pearl, Pink Princess), orange (Apricot Apple, Peche Melba), some red on the outer half of the flesh (Geneva, Discovery), red in the center (Ten Commandments, Violetta), to red streaks throughout the flesh (Bloodstreak, Browns Apple).

Plus I have a dozen or so red fleshed pears.

The first red fleshed variety I grew and still one of my favorites is Pink Pearl which ripens around the first of September here in SE Ohio. And right behind it I would list Red Devil (mid August, English variety), Geneva (mid September), Discovery (early August, English), Redfield (late September) plus a cross of mine which I market as Derek's Pink Dream (Pink Pearl x Black Gilliflower). This last one was picked #2 in a taste test I had this past October where I had 42 varieties of dessert apples to sample.

Most red fleshed varieties are on the tart side and a few are truly spitters but make great cider ie Niedzwekyana, Redford and Red Flesh (actual name). Other red fleshed ones that make great cider but have a more balanced sweet tart flavor include Raven, Red Sauce, Almata, Winter Red Flesh.

I do sell scion wood and you can obtain a variety list by sending me an email to derekcs2005@aol.com

Derek Mills

Hocking Hills Orchard

Thanks for the info Derek. We love red fleshed apples :0)

My red wonder go nipped to Romania and made darker! http://agrointel.ro/42065/marul-cu-pulpa-rosie-cat-costa-infiintarea-unei-livezi-cu-acest-soi-creat-pentru-procesare/

I bought two bench grafts from Maple Valley Orchards, Wisconsin, and planted 'em spring of '13. Redfield branched well last year and is doing nicely. I tasted it first time in fall of '12: quite tart, tasty and pink within; holds promise for a lovely pie. I also got Winekist, which has woolly leaf undersides. This whip has grown about 6 feet without any branching, so I tipped it last month to encourage that, and then discovered it pushed 6 bloom spurs this season. They are a lovely magenta, in full bloom today and much later than the literature has led me to expect. Looks like I must keep two fruits on it to report back on its flavor profile. I bought it to provide cider juice to mix with Rambour Franc, which both should come ripe the same time, in August.

Redfield should come ripe in Spokane about mid-October. It is reputed to bear rather lightly. I wonder if Winekist will set a good crop each year, once it grows up.