Red Fleshed Apples - Christmas Pink
Another of the redfleshed apples rescued by Ram Fishman from the remains of Albert Etter's experimental orchard in Ettersberg. The flowers are lighter than some red-fleshed varieties and a fortnight to three weeks later than most. The flesh colour is crimson, according to Ram's photograph, and the apple can be stored from Fall (mid-October) until Christmas, when the acidity has diminished somewhat.
The apple I photographed was not fully ripe and the picture was taken on 19 September which accounts for the lighter colour. It is extremely juicy but rather tart if picked and used straight away.
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UPDATE,2013
Photographed again on 19 Sept; this apple dropped prematurely (codling moth) but the colour is more evident this year and the taste more intense and less acidic:
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Update 24 Dec..........most apples stayed on the tree uintil early December. In late December the flavour reached its peak. The flesh of most apples is pink/red but not quite as dark as Grenadine. It darkens a little on storage. If blindfolded one would probably not be able to recognize the fruit as an apple. It is quite sweet, texture like watermelon; undoubtedly apple-flavoured but with grassy notes of celery or chard (hexanol / hexanal - see apple flavours page), and exactly the right amount of acidity.
The texture is more like watermelon than apple; crunchy; slightly more texture (cellulose) than an ordinary apple; low in tannins. Tastes refreshingly 'fresh', slightly grassy, and spring-like.
This is a better-flavoured apple than Grenadine, Rubaiyat, or Burford Redflesh.
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compiled by Nigel Deacon / Diversity website
