Cripps Pink Apples
Estimated Inventory, 40 lbs : 5.56
This item was last sold on : 03/29/25
Description/Taste
Cripps Pink apples vary in size and shape, depending on their growing conditions, and can range from small to large apples. The variety produces somewhat uniform fruits with a round, blocky, elongated shape. The fruit’s surface may be slightly ribbed, giving it a smooth, taut, but bumpy feel, and the stems are slender, pliable, and green-brown. Cripps Pink apples have thin skin and are notably covered in prominent yellow-green lenticels. When ripe, the variety transitions from green to golden yellow-green and develops a characteristic pink, sometimes pink-red blush across 30 to 80% of the fruit. This blush becomes darker and saturated with prolonged sunlight exposure during cultivation, and the surface occasionally develops a greasy feel in storage. Underneath the surface, Cripps Pink apples have white to ivory flesh that is firm, fine-grained, aqueous, with a crisp, succulent consistency. The flesh is slow to oxidize and envelops a small central core filled with dark brown-black seeds. Cripps Pink apples are aromatic and edible raw or cooked when ripe. The variety is known for its high acidity and sugar, developing an initially tart and tangy taste followed by a floral, sweet, and fruity, honeyed finish.
Seasons/Availability
Cripps Pink apples are harvested in late fall through summer. The variety is grown in both hemispheres and can be professionally stored for extended periods, creating year-round availability in select markets.
Current Facts
Cripps Pink apples, botanically classified as Malus domestica, are an Australian variety belonging to the Rosaceae family. The pink-blushed apples are a late season cultivar developed in the 1980s as an improved commercial fruit. Cripps Pink apples grow on spreading trees with an upright habit and are known for their low winter chill requirements, allowing them to be planted in warmer climates. Cripps Pink apples also have a high tolerance to sunburn and a long growing season. The variety is said to be one of the first cultivars to blossom each season and the last to be harvested, being exposed to over 200 days of sunshine. This extended exposure to the sun gives the variety its signature pink hue. It is important to note that Cripps Pink apples that pass strict quality standards are sold under the Pink Lady® brand name. Pink Lady® was the first trademarked apple worldwide, and the registered name is owned and managed by the Western Australia Department of Agriculture and Apple & Pear Australia Limited, an industry body of commercial growers in Australia. The branded version is sold as a premium variety, and only around 10% of the annual Cripps Pink crop grown worldwide is marketed under this name. Cripps Pink apples are a versatile variety sought by chefs and consumers for fresh eating and cooked culinary preparations.
Nutritional Value
Cripps Pink apples are a source of fiber to cleanse the digestive tract and potassium to balance fluid levels while replenishing electrolytes. Apples also provide vitamins A, B, C, E, and K to maintain healthy organs, strengthen the immune system, guard the cells against free radical damage, or aid in faster wound healing. Outside of vitamins, apples contain calcium to build strong bones and teeth, iron to develop the protein hemoglobin to transport oxygen through the bloodstream, copper to help the body make collagen for connective tissues, and other nutrients, including phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, and zinc. The apple’s bi-colored, pigmented skin indicates the presence of anthocyanins, which have antioxidant properties to reduce inflammation and contribute to overall bodily health.
Applications
Cripps Pink apples have a sweet, subtly tangy, and fruity flavor suited for fresh and cooked preparations. The variety is famously consumed out of hand and is valued for its pink blush coloring. Cripps Pink apples are slow to brown, making them a choice cultivar for salads. Slices can be added to leafy green salads, pasta salads, and fruity medleys, or they can be sliced and served over nut-buttered or hummus toast. Cripps Pink apples are notably used in packaged apple slices for their slow-browning nature. Their crisp consistency also lends itself to charcuterie boards and spring rolls or chopped and served as a textural garnish over tacos, grain bowls, porridge, and pancakes. Try dipping whole Cripps Pink apples into toffee or chocolate as a sweet treat. In addition to fresh preparations, Cripps Pink apples hold their shape when cooked and are incorporated into muffins, cakes, crisps, crumbles, pies, and bread. They are also hollowed, stuffed, and baked whole or cooked into a lightly pigmented apple sauce. Beyond sweet recipes, Cripps Pink apples complement savory dishes like roasted meats or root vegetables. They can also be served as a topping over flatbread, simmered into creamy soups, mixed into rice dishes, or added to stuffing. Slicing and baking thin slices of Cripps Pink apples produces healthy apple chips that can be eaten as a snack or served with dips. Cripps Pink apples pair well with fruits such as watermelon, kiwi, plums, grapefruit, and pineapple, ginger, fennel, lemongrass, and nuts, including pine, pecans, almonds, and walnuts. Whole, unwashed Cripps Pink apples will keep for several weeks when stored in the refrigerator’s crisper drawer. In professionally controlled atmosphere storage, the apples can be kept for 10 to 12 months after harvest.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
Cripps Pink apples are named after apple breeder and horticulturist John Cripps. Mr. Cripps was born in the United Kingdom and spent his youth living in the county of Sussex in southern England. In 1955, Mr. Cripps emigrated from England to Australia when he was 28 years old to take a job with the Western Australia Department of Agriculture. During his career, Mr. Cripps was given permission in 1973 to establish the first apple breeding program in Western Australia. Apple crosses in the program were done by hand, and it took many years before Mr. Cripps and his team successfully bred the variety now known as Cripps Pink. Since the variety’s release, Cripps Pink and the branded Pink Lady® apple have become one of the most commercially grown apples worldwide. Mr. Cripps was honored for his contributions to the apple industry in 2010 by being inducted into the Agricultural Hall of Fame of the Royal Agricultural Society of Western Australia. In 2015, Mr. Cripps was also named an Officer in the Order of Australia, a prestigious recognition given to individuals who have given outstanding service to Australia and the world as a whole. Mr. Cripps passed away at the age of 95 in 2022, but his breeding legacy continues to live on as one of the most famous branded apples in history.
Geography/History
Cripps Pink apples are native to Australia and were developed from planned, natural crosses conducted through the Western Australia Department of Agriculture. The variety was created by John Cripps, a Senior Research Officer of the Department of Agriculture at the Stoneville Research Station in Western Australia. Mr. Cripps and his team crossed Lady Williams, an Australian apple, with Golden Delicious, the famous American variety, in 1973. Seedlings were eventually selected from the cross and were planted at the Manjimup Research Station in Western Australia. The seedlings fruited in 1979 and were evaluated and tested for several years before one was selected as a new commercial cultivar. The official selection was made in 1984 and was named Cripps Pink in 1989. Cripps Pink is the true varietal name of the apples, but in 1991, only the highest quality Cripps Pink apples were launched under the trademarked Pink Lady® name. Since their release, Cripps Pink apples have been planted worldwide and are grown commercially in regions with a warm climate and long growing season. Cripps Pink apples are produced in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, Europe, South Africa, South America, and Mexico. When in season, the apples are found through farmer’s markets, retailers, and distributors worldwide.
Featured Restaurants
Restaurants currently purchasing this product as an ingredient for their menu.
| The Lion Share | San Diego CA | 619-564-6924 |
| Nolita Hall | San Diego CA | 619-618-8820 |
| Bleu Boheme | San Diego CA | 619-255-4167 |
| 264 Fresco (Kitchen) | Carlsbad CA | 760-720-3737 |
| Top of the Market | San Diego CA | 619-234-4867 |
| Justin Weiss | Bonsall CA | 760-724-9875 |
| Toast Catering | San Diego CA | 619-795-9135 |
| Scrimshaw Coffee | San Diego CA | 951-663-2207 |
| El Sueno (TAKO Bar) | San Diego CA | 619-972-6286 |
| Project Wildlife | San Diego CA | 619-299-7012 |
| Viejas Casino Grove Steakhouse | Alpine CA | 800-295-3172 |
| The Farm Golf Club | Rancho Santa Fe CA | 858-756-5585 |
| Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center | National City CA | 619-434-4281 |
| Herb & Wood | San Diego CA | 520-205-1288 |
| Under Belly-Uptown | San Diego CA | 619-269-4626 |
| Manna | Encinitas CA | 510-366-3057 |
| The Roxy Encinitas | Encinitas CA | 760-230-2899 |
| San Diego Yacht Club | San Diego CA | 619-758-6334 |
| InterContinental Vistal Kitchen | San Diego CA | 619-501-9400 |
| Vertex - Merryfield Row | San Diego CA | 619-405-8950 |
| Sepulveda Meats & Provisions | San Diego CA | 619-501-1878 |
| Omni Hotels | San Diego CA | 619-231-6664 |
| Harvest Kitchen | Vista CA | 619-709-0938 |
| Marriott Marina Kitchen | San Diego CA | 619-234-1500 |
| Monarch School (Nutrition Lab) | San Diego CA | 619-804-1766 |
| Espadin | Temecula California | 951-383-5585 |
| Bekker's Catering | San Diego CA | 619-287-9027 |
| Drift Cafe | San Diego CA | 858-263-4298 |
| InterContinental San Diego | San Diego CA | 619-501-9400 |
| Juniper & Ivy | San Diego CA | 858-481-3666 |
| Finca North Park | San Diego CA | 619-581-3003 |
| Sheraton Carlsbad (Banquets) | Carlsbad CA | 760-827-2400 |
| Fairmont Grand Del Mar | San Diego CA | 858-314-1975 |
| Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club | Rancho Santa Fe CA | 858-756-1582 |
| Kingfisher | San Diego CA | 619-861-8074 |
| Seneca | San Diego CA | 619-588-2411 |
| Cal A Vie | Vista CA | 760-945-2055 |
| Urban Corps Charter School | San Diego CA | 619-235-6884 |
| Vista Valley | Vista CA | 760-758-2800 |
| We Olive La Jolla | San Diego CA | 858-551-8250 |
| Royal Polaris Sportfishing | San Diego CA | 619-226-8030 |
| Paradise Point The Spa | San Diego CA | 858-490-6363 |
| Counterpoint | San Diego CA | 619-564-6722 |
| Moxy San Diego Gaslamp | San Diego CA | 619-376-1850 |
| Knotty Barrel- Rancho | San Diego CA | 858-484-8758 |
| Home & Away - Old Town | San Diego CA | 619-886-1358 |
| Little Frenchie | Coronado CA | 619-522-6890 |
Recipe Ideas
Recipes that include Cripps Pink Apples. One
is easiest, three is harder.| More Sweets Please |
|
Apple-icious Pie |
| Call Me Cupcake |
|
Apple Cobbler with Vanilla Sauce |
| Life Made Sweeter |
|
Easy Apple Cider |
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