Kidd's Orange Red apple
Malus domestica
In our top 3 for flavour, one of the best Cox-style apples, and adds some of the scented flavour of Delicious, and a good apple for the gardener.
Kidd's Orange Red is named after J.H. Kidd, an amateur New Zealand apple breeder, working in the 1920s. Kidd might have been living in the New World, but he was clearly a fan of the complex aromatic flavours of the "English" style of apple. Like many before and since, he experimented with crossing Cox's Orange Pippin, the temperamental but definitive English apple variety. In Kidd's Orange Red he achieved that something special which marks the great from the ordinary, and set a benchmark that has rarely been matched - this is undoubtedly one of the most outstanding "English" style apples available.
The skin colour is yellow but with an extensive orange-red flush. The irregular light patches of russet give it a strongly marbled appearance - more interesting to look at than the super-smooth glossy red skins of the more modern varieties. As it ripens Kidd's Orange Red sometimes has a distinctive pink blush, but by the time it is ready to pick this has usually disappeared. The shape is slightly flattened and can be somewhat lumpy.
The visual appeal is matched by the taste. The skin is thin and the flesh is a light yellow-cream colour, and quite dense. It bites cleanly, but is firm rather than crunchy. The flavour is sweet and honeyed, considerably sweeter than Cox's Orange Pippin. The aromatic complexity of its parent is still there, but rich sweetness is the predominant impression. Like many "English" style apples it is also pleasantly chewy, and each bite seems to release yet more juice and flavour. It's in some ways reminiscent of a good French dessert wine - sweet, but with a good kick to it.
Kidd's Orange Red's other parent is Delicious (see Red Delicious), a seedling variety found in the USA in the 1870s (not to be confused with Golden Delicious) and by Kidd's time already a major commercial apple variety, and therefore a natural choice for experimentation. This is where Kidd's Orange Red gets its sweetness from.
Kidd's Orange Red is a late season variety, available around mid-October in the northern hemisphere. It is best eaten before the New Year - not that we ever make them last that long!
Kidd's Orange Red is often available from farmers' markets but has never really achieved commercial success because it does not crop especially heavily. However it is a good choice for the gardener because it is easier to grow than Cox's Orange Pippin, and unlike Delicious can also be grown in more temperate climates. Once the tree comes into bearing it tends to be a fairly reliable if unspectacular cropper.
In short a superb apple in the classic English style.
Summary
- Parentage: Cox x Delicious
- Origin: New Zealand
- Introduced: 1924
- Orange Pippin Cultivar ID: 103800
Identification
- Fruit colour: Orange
- Flesh colour: White
- Fruit size: Medium
- Bultitude apple group: 7. Flushed / striped, some russeting, sweet
Using
- Good for eating fresh
- Good for juice
- Flavour quality: Exceptional
- Flavour style: Aromatic
- Ripening period: Late season
- Use / keeping: 1-2 months Will keep in a cold store until Christmas
Growing
- Cropping: Light
- Flowering group: 3
- Fertility: Self-sterile
- Vigour: Average growth
- Gardening skill: Easy
- Fruit bearing: Spur-bearer
- Attractive blossom
- General disease resistance: Average Not usually troubled by scab or mildew
Climate
- Suitable for temperate climates
- Tolerates cold winters
- Suitable for N. England?: Yes
Other qualities
- RHS Award of Garden Merit 1993
Mature tree heights for this variety (approximate)
| Rootstock | Soil quality | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poor | Below average | Average | Above average | Very good | |
| P22 | 2.1 ft 0.6 m |
2.6 ft 0.8 m |
3.2 ft 1.0 m |
3.7 ft 1.1 m |
4.2 ft 1.3 m |
| M27 | 2.8 ft 0.9 m |
3.5 ft 1.1 m |
4.2 ft 1.3 m |
4.9 ft 1.5 m |
5.6 ft 1.7 m |
| M9 | 4.2 ft 1.3 m |
5.3 ft 1.6 m |
6.3 ft 1.9 m |
7.4 ft 2.3 m |
8.4 ft 2.6 m |
| Bud.9 | 4.2 ft 1.3 m |
5.3 ft 1.6 m |
6.3 ft 1.9 m |
7.4 ft 2.3 m |
8.4 ft 2.6 m |
| Geneva 16 | 4.2 ft 1.3 m |
5.3 ft 1.6 m |
6.3 ft 1.9 m |
7.4 ft 2.3 m |
8.4 ft 2.6 m |
| Geneva 11 | 4.9 ft 1.5 m |
6.1 ft 1.9 m |
7.4 ft 2.3 m |
8.6 ft 2.6 m |
9.8 ft 3.0 m |
| M26 | 5.6 ft 1.7 m |
7.0 ft 2.1 m |
8.4 ft 2.6 m |
9.8 ft 3.0 m |
11.2 ft 3.4 m |
| Geneva 30 | 5.6 ft 1.7 m |
7.0 ft 2.1 m |
8.4 ft 2.6 m |
9.8 ft 3.0 m |
11.2 ft 3.4 m |
| MM102 | 5.6 ft 1.7 m |
7.0 ft 2.1 m |
8.4 ft 2.6 m |
9.8 ft 3.0 m |
11.2 ft 3.4 m |
| M7 | 6.3 ft 1.9 m |
7.9 ft 2.4 m |
9.5 ft 2.9 m |
11.0 ft 3.4 m |
12.6 ft 3.9 m |
| M116 | 6.3 ft 1.9 m |
7.9 ft 2.4 m |
9.5 ft 2.9 m |
11.0 ft 3.4 m |
12.6 ft 3.9 m |
| MM106 | 7.0 ft 2.1 m |
8.8 ft 2.7 m |
10.5 ft 3.2 m |
12.3 ft 3.8 m |
14.0 ft 4.3 m |
| MM111 | 8.4 ft 2.6 m |
10.5 ft 3.2 m |
12.6 ft 3.9 m |
14.7 ft 4.5 m |
16.8 ft 5.2 m |
| Bud.118 | 9.8 ft 3.0 m |
12.3 ft 3.8 m |
14.7 ft 4.5 m |
17.2 ft 5.3 m |
19.6 ft 6.0 m |
| M25 | 11.2 ft 3.4 m |
14.0 ft 4.3 m |
16.8 ft 5.2 m |
19.6 ft 6.0 m |
22.4 ft 6.9 m |
Relationships to other varieties
Offspring of this variety:
Parents and other ancestors of this variety:
- Cox's Orange Pippin (parent)
- Red Delicious (parent)
Siblings of this variety (same parentage):
- Jupiter - Kidd's Orange Red and Jupiter are both offspring of Cox's Orange Pippin crossed with Delicious sports
See also:
- Freyberg - Developed by same breeder - J.H. Kidd of New Zealand
