Red Pippin Apples
Estimated Inventory, lb : 0
Description/Taste
Red Pippin apples are round to conical fruits with a slightly flattened, lopsided, and irregular appearance. The skin is smooth, firm, and waxy with a yellow base, covered in red-orange striping and some russeting. Underneath the surface, the flesh is ivory to white, fine-grained, crisp, and aqueous, encasing a sizeable central core filled with many black-brown seeds. Red Pippin apples are aromatic and have a nutty, sweet-tart, and mildly acidic flavor with notes of orange, vanilla, and pear.
Seasons/Availability
Red Pippin apples are available in the mid-fall through late winter.
Current Facts
Red Pippin apples, botanically classified as Malus domestica, are a sweet-tart, hybrid variety that belongs to the Rosaceae family. This mid-season cultivar was initially known as Fiesta apples when first released to the market, but over time it was renamed to Red Pippin to reflect its famous parent variety, the cox orange pippin. Red Pippin apples were developed to create a fruit that retains the cox orange pippin’s signature flavor while interbreeding an easy-to-grow nature, a trait that the cox orange pippin notoriously is not known for. While the Red Pippin is a prolific variety and contains a quality flavor, it has not seen commercial success due to the tree’s unusual sideways growth and the fruit’s lopsided, irregular shape. Red Pippin apples are primarily found in home gardens and are considered one of the most popular specialty dessert apples in the United Kingdom.
Nutritional Value
Red Pippin apples are an excellent source of fiber, which can help regulate digestion, and are a good source of vitamin C, which is an antioxidant that can boost the immune system and increase collagen production within the body. The apples also contain vitamin A, potassium, calcium, and iron.
Applications
Red Pippin apples are best suited for both raw and cooked applications such as stewing, baking, and boiling. The apples have a sweet-tart flavor that is showcased when consumed fresh, out-of-hand, and the aromatic flesh can be sliced and tossed into salads, quartered and served with dips, chocolate, and nut butter, or pressed into juices and ciders. Red Pippin apples can also be baked with honey as a dessert, chopped into fillings for baked goods, or cooked and pureed into mild applesauce. Beyond fresh and cooked applications, Red Pippin apples can be thinly sliced and dried for extended use. When dried, the slices can be consumed as a chewy snack or reconstituted into jams and compotes. Red Pippin apples pair well with spices such as thyme, nutmeg, clove, and cinnamon, caramel, apricots, dates, oranges, mangoes, cranberries, and nuts such as almonds, walnuts, and chestnuts. The fresh fruits will keep 1-3 months when stored in a cool, dry, and dark place such as the refrigerator.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
Red Pippin apples were given the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit (RHS AGM) in 1993. This award is based on an assessment of the variety’s growth characteristics within the climate of the United Kingdom. Varieties that have been awarded are stamped with an RHS seal, which is meant to be a recognizable symbol of quality for growers and home gardeners. The awarded varieties are also regularly reviewed and reassessed to ensure that they are still exhibiting quality attributes. Red Pippin apples were reassessed and reconfirmed in 2013, favored for their flavor, easy-to-grow nature, and extended storage capabilities.
Geography/History
Red Pippin apples were developed at the East Malling Research Station in 1986 in Kent, England. The variety was bred from the cox orange pippin and the idared apple and was selected for its quality flavor and adaptability. Today Red Pippin apples are not commercially grown, but they are found through specialty growers at local farmer’s markets in the United Kingdom. The variety is also found through garden centers and online seed catalogs for home garden use.
