Red Delicious Apples Delivery or Pickup

A red delicious apple, which is classified as Malus Domestica, is one of the most popular commercially grown apples in the United States. It is medium-sized and has a conical shape. Before the fruit is fully ripe, its thick skin turns bright red, which can lead to early harvests. The apple's skin turns into dark red with white lenticels that visibly dot the surface as it matures. The fruit's fine-grained flesh is creamy white, juicy, and crisp, and has a sweet taste with flavors of melon. 

This apple variety looks a lot different today than when it was first discovered. Over a period of almost 100 years, improvements were made, modifying the fruit's juiciness, firmness, color, and shape. Red delicious is the parent apple of many popular varieties such as the Fuji, Empire, and Starkrimson apples. 

Red delicious apples contain a high level of vitamin C and dietary fiber. They provide a small amount of sodium and vitamin A and traces of iron and calcium. They have higher antioxidants compared to other apple varieties, most of which are contained in the skin.

Red delicious apples are ready to harvest about 135 to 155 days after the trees are in full bloom. Although this isn't an exact number, it gives you a good idea of when to start checking them for ripeness. 

There are visual indicators to tell if red delicious apples are ripe. However, they can be extremely unreliable. For example, a red delicious apple's color can become fully red long before it is ripe. The only reliable visual indicator is when you see the apples drop. Large quantities of apples drop from the tree only when the fruits have already been ready to be harvested. Although you might miss some of the red delicious apples waiting for the drop, it's one of the sure-fire ways to determine when they're ready. 

A more reliable way to check the red delicious apple's ripeness is to press your thumb into the apple's flesh to determine if it has started to ripen. Without a frame of reference for how young apples feel, it can be very hard to tell. To learn the difference, consider practicing feeling the apple when it's very young and continue doing so until harvest time. 

Another way to determine if the apples are ripe is to slice them open. Ripe red delicious apples have black- or dark brown-colored seeds, while unripe red delicious apples have white- or light-colored seeds. You can also taste the apple to determine what the flavor or texture is like. Young apples are very starchy, as they haven't turned the starch into sugar yet. If the flesh is mildly sweet and soft and the seeds are brown, the apple is ready. 

A red delicious apple is best used in fresh preparations, as its flesh doesn't hold up well when cooked. You can add it to fruit, green, or chopped salads. You can also use it as an edible garnish on burgers, quesadillas, and sandwiches. Because a red delicious apple's flesh easily breaks down, you can successfully slow cook it and turn it into a puree to make sauces and for soups. The apple's flavor complements well with pecans, mustard, cherries, chard, horseradish, cheddar cheese, and cinnamon.