Red Delicious

The quintessential apple, Red Delicious was developed around 1870 from seedling rootstock, according to W.A. Taylor from the USDA. It arose on the farm of Jesse Hiatt in Peru, Iowa and was first named Hawkeye. In 1895, Stark Brothers Nursery renamed it when C.M. Stark bit into the apple he exclaimed ‘My that’s delicious – and that’s the name for it’. He spent $750,000 advertising what proved to be the ideal commercial variety, producing heavy crops of sweet apples that remained shiny, bright red no matter how long they stood out on display. The original tree was almost killed in winter of 1940, but a shoot grew up from the roots, and still stands protected by a fence. Best for crunching out of hand and in fruit cups and salads. Try a Red Delicious apple right from the tree, we guarantee it’ll beat the supermarket version!