Red Rebel

Good Apple Info Snapshot:

Bitter skin is not too uncommon for some of the old heirloom apples. A solid tree and solid apple. You can always save the skins for the chickens.

Good Apple Info Difficulty Rating:

Easy.

Tree Habit:

Vigorous, upright.

Apple Color:

Mostly to entirely covered with purplish red and occasionally some inconspicuous stripes; dots numerous, small, gray.

Size:

Medium to large, round; skin thick.

Flavor:

subacid – Flesh greenish white, fine-grained, moderately juicy and crisp. Some note a bitter skin which recommends peeling before eating fresh.

Bloom:

Mid-season

Ripe:

September/October

History:

This beautiful apple originated about 1850 in Rappahannock , Virginia on the farm of Captain Charles B. Wood. It was once described in old nursery catalogs as “the prettiest apple that grows.” Despite its attractiveness and fine flavor, the apple never gained a following in the South and was thought to be lost until Nurserywoman, Joyce Neighbors of Gadsden, Alabama, found an old tree growing in nearby Wedowee which had been planted in the 1930’s. 

Storage:

Good, 3 months.

Uses:

Multipurpose.