Red Delicious Apple

Malus domestica 'Red Delicious'

fruit

Red Delicious is the iconic dark-red American apple, first recognized in Iowa in 1872 and one of the most planted varieties in the world. Modern Red Delicious has been bred for deeper color and tougher shipping skin, with mild sweet low-acid flavor and crisp pale yellow flesh; best eaten fresh straight from the tree rather than cooked.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Chives — Repels aphids and may suppress apple scab
• Comfrey — Mineral-mining mulch
• White Clover — Nitrogen-fixing living mulch
• Yarrow — Attracts beneficial wasps

❌ Keep away from

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Apple scab →

  Rake fallen leaves, prune for airflow, sulfur in wet years

• Codling moth →

  Pheromone traps, fruit bagging, drop removal

• Fire blight →

  Avoid heavy nitrogen, prune blighted shoots 12 in below cankers

• Plum curculio →

  Kaolin clay at petal fall; pick up early drops

🌾 Harvest & storage

Red Delicious is harvested in mid-October. Wait for the background color under the deep red blush to shift from green to yellow-green and the seeds inside to turn dark brown. Lift apples in the palm and twist for a clean stem-on pick. Store at 33F; Red Delicious holds well for 4 to 6 months. Fresh-picked fruit from a home tree is dramatically more flavorful than the shipping-tough grocery version.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

About 52 calories per 100 g with 2.4 g fiber, 5 mg vitamin C, and 107 mg potassium. Red Delicious has notably high polyphenol content concentrated in the skin, so eat unpeeled for full antioxidant value. Studies have linked apple-skin compounds to reduced cardiovascular risk.

⚠️ Toxicity & safety

Eat the flesh, not the seeds. Apple and pear seeds contain amygdalin, a cyanide-releasing compound. Swallowing a seed or two is harmless, but do not deliberately eat or crush the seeds or cores in quantity.