Red Rebel

Why you should be excited

Red Rebel is an obscure apple from Alabama that's got plenty going for it, despite its bitter-tasting skin.

The story of Red Rebel

What do you do with an apple that's got plenty in its favour -- attractive, nice flavour, productive trees, good disease resistance -- but also has a notable downside: skin so bitter you really must peel the apple before eating?

Chances are, this question won't need to be answered by many people, as such a variety will never gain prominence and appear in a lot of grocery stores (if any), despite its desirable attributes. So we'll never know how this issue might have been resolved.

And that's certainly true of Red Rebel, as this is an apple from the southern U.S. that is little-known and appears to have never been widely grown.

Yet the positives are real. And the apple has a pretty neat name, too. So, we're happy to grow Red Rebel and see for ourselves just how bitter the skin might be. Oh, and we think that hint of bitterness could be a positive in the cider we make that’s named after this obscure variety.

Red Rebel Facts

Its origins

Unknown origins, likely in Alabama, USA, sometime before 1930.

Flavour, aroma, texture

The greenish-white flesh is fine-grained, crisp and fairly juicy, with a subacid flavour. The skin tends to be bitter, so it is best eaten peeled.

Appearance

This small to medium-sized apple is mostly covered with purplish-red skin colouring.

When they’re available

Mid-season (usually in late September).

Quality for fresh eating

Good.

Quality for cooking

Mainly used for fresh eating.

Keeping ability

We'll let you know when we find out.