(Airlie Red Flesh)
Hidden Rose is a plain green-skinned apple, but when you bite into it you find the unusual rose pink flesh inside.
As with many red or pink-fleshed apples the blossom is a deeper pink than is found in regular white-fleshed apples. This puts Hidden Rose in the middle of the spectrum which runs from regular mainstream apples with white or light pink blossom, green leaves, and white or cream flesh, to the dark-fleshed crab apples which usually have very dark pink blossom and bronze leaves.
Hidden Rose apples ripen quite late in the season. They have a pleasant tangy flavour, and overall this is one of the better-tasting red or pink-fleshed varieties. The apples can be kept in cold storage for several months.
Contact us if you would like to go on the waiting list for next season.
Let me know when Hidden Rose apple trees are back in stock.
If you do not hear from us by March you can contact us to pre-order for next autumn.
Hidden Rose was named in 2001, but was discovered in the 1960s growing as a seedling tree near Airlie in Oregon, USA. It is still widely known by its original name - Airlie Red Flesh.
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.
