Autumn 2024 planting seasonPre-order now for EU delivery December 2024 - March 2025

Early Red Meat apple trees

Malus domestica
Early Red Meat
  • Picking season: Mid
  • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
  • Flowering group: 3

Early Red Meat is an early-season apple with a striking marbled red / pink flesh.

The flavour is quite acidic and this is a variety best used in the kitchen, where the red flesh can be used to advantage.

The juice of Early Red Meat is also an attractive dark pink colour, with a very sharp flavour.

The apples are ripe in the second half of August, and should be picked and used within a week or so as they do not keep.

In spring the dark pink / red blossom is particularly attractive.

 

Bio / Organic  fruit trees

Early Red Meat organic apple trees for sale

  • 1 yeartree on M116 rootstock23.25€
    Medium tree (2m-3.5m after 10 years) Bare-root
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Growing and Training

Early Red Meat flowers mid-season and is easy to pollinate, however like most apples with red blossom and bronze leaves it is likely to be a poor pollinator of other apples.

The apples are naturally quite small, so it helps to thin the fruitlets if there is a heavy fruit set in the spring, as this will improve the size of the apples.


Early Red Meat characteristics

  • Gardening skillAverage
  • Self-fertilityNot self-fertile
  • Flowering group3
  • Disease resistanceGood
  • Picking seasonMid
  • Season of use1 week
  • Food usesCulinaryJuice
  • Summer average maximum temperaturesWarm (25-30C / 76-85F)
  • Country of originUnited States
  • Flesh colourPink / Red
  • Fruit colourRedRed - dark

Similar varieties

  • See also Pink Pearl
    Pink Pearl
    Pink Pearl features bright pink flesh, and pink apple blossom.
  • See also Red Devil
    Red Devil
    Red Devil is a versatile English eating apple, and produces a sweet red-tinted juice.
  • See also Roberts Crab
    Roberts Crab
    Roberts Red or Roberts Crab is an unusual red-fleshed crab-apple, with dark pink blossom, and purple fruits.

More about apple trees

While the vast majority of apples have white or cream-coloured flesh, some varieties have red flesh. Those with the most intense red flesh are usually descended from a red-fleshed crab-apple called Malus niedzetzkyana found in central Asia. The red colouration in this species also extends to the blossom, leaves and young shoots. 

Other varieties feature pink flesh or pink / marbled flesh, and these are often more palatable. 

The juice of red-fleshed apples is usually light or dark pink, and makes an attractive alternative to regular apple juice.

These varieties are of interest because of their ornamental qualities, and also because the anthocyanin compounds which give the flesh its colour are thought to have anti-oxidant properties.


This variety description was researched and written by Orange Pippin staff. Last checked: 2024.