RED RIGHT THROUGH

HOW ONE APPLE GROWER CREATED A ROSY SUMMER SURPRISE

- Jennifer Stackhouse

Red apples have always been highly appealing but now it can be said that their beauty isn’t just skin deep. Breeders in Europe and Australia have been working hard at breeding red-fleshed apples.

The first red apple — ‘Redlove’, bred in Switzerland — is now being grown commercially in Australia. There’s also a local variety called ‘Magnus Summer Surprise’, named after Tasmanian Bob Magnus, the apple expert and nurseryman who bred this new fruit.

From the outside it’s a medium-sized, smooth, scarlet apple. The red pigment also permeates its deep pink spring flowers, reddish leaves and bark, adding to its garden appeal. Even the stem is red.