This is Australia’s first red-flesh apple and it's delicious

Available in Switzerland for decades, Redlove apples are finally in restaurants and nurseries across Australia.

These are not your average apples.

These are not your average apples. Source: Gabrielle Easter

The Redlove, a red-flesh apple first bred in Switzerland, is now available here through Lenswood Apples.

“From the outside, it looks like a standard red apple with a red skin. It’s not until you cut it in half or that you take a bite that you realise it has a red flesh,” says Lenswood’s commercial manager, Hamish Franks. Its taste is similar to a Granny Smith: tart, sharp and only a little bit sweet.
Redlove apples, served on biscuits with avocado and cheese.
Redlove apples, served on biscuits with avocado and cheese. Source: Sam Luke
The Redlove can be baked, stewed, juiced or eaten fresh. “Because of the red pigmentation, when it’s cut and put on a cheeseboard, it doesn’t oxidise as quickly as a white-flesh apple would,” explains Franks, who also suggests adding it to salads.

“Early indications from our tests show that it’s 15 to 20 per cent higher in antioxidant[s] than a standard apple due to the red pigmentation of the flesh,” he adds.

Chef Dean Zammit, from Pike & Joyce in the Adelaide Hills, was one of the lucky few to get his hands on the apple this month. He served it compressed, with cured ocean trout, dill puffed wild rice and crème fraîche.
The Redlove is also great in a baked dessert, as cooking accentuates the red colour of the flesh. 

Lenswood is Australia’s only licensee of the Redlove apple, which is also available in Europe, North America and China. The cooperative has around 30 growers in South Australia, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia.
Because of the red pigmentation, when it’s cut and put on a cheeseboard, it doesn’t oxidise as quickly as a white flesh apple would.
The first fives bins of the Redlove were picked in South Australia. The harvest was smaller than expected and the apples were bearing minor marks because of a bad hailstorm in the Adelaide Hills at the end of 2017.

While next year’s harvest is expected to be larger, the apples will still mostly go to restaurants. But Franks doesn’t rule out making them available to the public in the future.
In the meantime, you can grow them at home. Redlove apple trees are available in nurseries and stores, including Bunnings Warehouse. Spring is the best time to plant the tree, which is easy to grow.

 
There’s hope that the Redlove will revive interest in the fruit. According to data from Apple & Pear Australia, the consumption of fresh apples has been slowly declining in the last few years. Granny Smith, Delicious, Pink Lady, Fuji and Gala are the most popular varieties.

But Franks says there has been strong interest in the Redlove apple because of its uniqueness.

Lead image by Gabrielle Easter.

Love the story? Follow the author here: Twitter @audreybourget and Instagram @audreybourget.

Share
SBS Food is a 24/7 foodie channel for all Australians, with a focus on simple, authentic and everyday food inspiration from cultures everywhere. NSW stream only. Read more about SBS Food
Have a story or comment? Contact Us

SBS Food is a 24/7 foodie channel for all Australians, with a focus on simple, authentic and everyday food inspiration from cultures everywhere. NSW stream only.
Watch nowOn Demand
Follow SBS Food
3 min read

Published

Updated

By Audrey Bourget


Share this with family and friends


SBS Food Newsletter

Get your weekly serving. What to cook, the latest food news, exclusive giveaways - straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS On Demand
SBS News
SBS Audio

Listen to our podcasts
You know pizza, pasta and tiramisu, but have you tried the Ugly Ducklings of Italian Cuisine?
Everybody eats, but who gets to define what good food is?
Get the latest with our SBS podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch SBS On Demand
Bring the world to your kitchen

Bring the world to your kitchen

Eat with your eyes: binge on our daily menus on channel 33.
This is Australia’s first red-flesh apple and it's delicious | SBS Food