The Redlove, a red-flesh apple first bred in , is now available here through .
“From the outside, it looks like a standard red apple with a red skin. It’s not until you cut it in half or that you take a bite that you realise it has a red flesh,” says Lenswood’s commercial manager, . Its taste is similar to a : tart, sharp and only a little bit sweet.
The Redlove can be baked, stewed, juiced or eaten fresh. “Because of the red pigmentation, when it’s cut and put on a cheeseboard, it doesn’t oxidise as quickly as a white-flesh apple would,” explains Franks, who also suggests adding it to salads.
Redlove apples, served on biscuits with avocado and cheese. Source: Sam Luke
“Early indications from our tests show that it’s 15 to 20 per cent higher in antioxidant[s] than a standard apple due to the red pigmentation of the flesh,” he adds.
Chef Dean Zammit, from in the Adelaide Hills, was one of the lucky few to get his hands on the apple this month. He served it compressed, with cured ocean trout, dill puffed wild rice and crème fraîche.
The Redlove is also great in a baked dessert, as cooking accentuates the red colour of the flesh.
Lenswood is , which is also available in Europe, North America and China. The cooperative has around in South Australia, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia.
Because of the red pigmentation, when it’s cut and put on a cheeseboard, it doesn’t oxidise as quickly as a white flesh apple would.
were picked in South Australia. The harvest was smaller than expected and the apples were bearing minor marks because of a bad hailstorm in the Adelaide Hills at the end of 2017.
While next year’s harvest is expected to be larger, the apples will still mostly go to restaurants. But Franks doesn’t rule out making them available to the public in the future.
In the meantime, you can grow them at home. Redlove apple trees are available in nurseries and stores, including . Spring is the best time to plant the tree, which is easy to grow.
There’s hope that the Redlove will revive interest in the fruit. , the consumption of fresh apples has been slowly declining in the last few years. Granny Smith, Delicious, Pink Lady, Fuji and Gala are .
But Franks says there has been strong interest in the Redlove apple because of its uniqueness.
Lead image by Gabrielle Easter.
