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Idared apple

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Idared

Idared - the red apple from Idaho - is an attractive apple with a mild apple flavor.

Its main feature is its remarkably long storage potential - even in a domestic fridge it will readily keep for 6 months.  As a result it has become quite popular, both in North America and Europe, even though its flavor probably only rates as average.

Idared apple identification images

All images copyright Orange Pippin unless otherwise stated.

  • Idared
  • Idared
  • Idared

USDA identification images for Idared

The identification paintings in the USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection span the years 1886 to 1942.

    Citation: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705.

    Parents and other ancestors of this variety


    Offspring of this variety


    Visitor reviews

    • 19 Aug 2023 
      I live in the south of France and planted idared about three yrs ago now this the the tree is 3 metres and about 40 apples some small and maybe 10 large. The not a huge flavour but is crisp and fresh not bad but not a wow apple. I am happy to grow any apples in our heat of 30 degrees
    • 21 Oct 2020  MAYO, Ireland
      I have 37 different apple varieties on my orchard. Idared would be one og my favorites. A very tasty, beautiful apple when picked and eaten fresh. Don't like it that much after it's stored for 3-4 weeks. Gets very floury and loses taste.
    • 09 Oct 2020  OHIO, United States
      One of the worst tasting apples I have ever had coming fresh from a local orchard.
    • 22 Mar 2018  STOKE-ON-TRENT, United Kingdom
      Perhaps Idared has better quality fruit in areas with colder winters than here in Britain. My own tree has good yield for a cordon and the fruit keeps well into spring. However it is completely tasteless and has no value as a dessert variety. It is better in pies with some spices, but can't compare to more well-known cooking varieties.
    • 10 Nov 2015  WASHINGTON, United States
      Does anyone ship Idareds like to Colorado?
    • 13 Oct 2012  NY, United States
      I have no idea how a person can manage to get a couple hundred apples in a crisper in a refridgerator. At least not the size apples we get here in NY. They must have been awful small, maybe more like crabapples????? I have seen apples in Arizona and they don't grow much bigger than crabapples.
    • 06 Sep 2012  ARIZONA, United States
      We have a Granny Smith and an Ida Red, both about 20 years old growing at our cottage near Show Low, Arizona (Alt 6,000 ft). Late frosts means no apples in many years, but this year both produced huge quantities. The Ida is the best! Great pies, cakes and applesauce, and we will store a couple of hundred in the crisper of our beer fridge, to enjoy during the warm Arizona winter.
    • 30 Oct 2011  WI/BARRON, United States
      We have been buying Idareds in the fall for at least 4 years. With refrigeration they keep until June. Flesh is crisp and white with sweet/tangy flavor similar to Jonathon. Excellent for pies, baking, frying, eating fresh
    • 14 Oct 2011  ONTARIO, Canada
      I picked some Ida Red apples from a local Orchard and they are perfect large juicy firm apples.A good choice !
    • 06 Oct 2011  NEW BRUNSWICK, Canada
      I bought a bag of Ida Reds on my way back from Nova Scotia, and they taste suspiciously like McIntosh; not like some Ida Reds I purchased a few years ago which as I recall were sweet and quite firm. The apples I just bought are tangy and somewhat soft. I'm not satisfied with them. Next time I buy an Ida Red, I will sample it first.
    • 10 May 2009  ONTARIO, Canada
      This apple,honestly, doesn't number among my favourites, but it's very useful because it keeps in ordinary cool basement storage extremely well, better than a Golden Russet or Northern Spy(which are traditional Canadian/American winter storage varieties).I wouldn't grow this if I was limited to just a few trees because there are better tasting varieties. But for homegrown apples in late winter, it's the best keeper I've found. It's pretty good in pies, too, although I've never seen it listed as a cooking apple.
    • 13 Nov 2008  PAYERNE, Switzerland
      A wonderful sweet yet sharp taste that remains consistent. I have rarely ever found a "wooden" tasting Idared.

    Tree register

    United States

    United Kingdom

    Hungary

    Ireland

    Portugal

    Canada

    Australia

    • Hayden in Winslow, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA

    New Zealand

    Spring blossom records for this variety

    2022 season

    • 25th April  2022  - tree owned by James in Glynn,, Ireland

    2011 season

    • May  2011  - tree owned by Leslie in Kelowna, Canada
    • May  2011  - tree owned by v in Lucknow, Canada
    • 13th April  2011  - tree owned by James in Melbourne, United Kingdom

    2010 season

    • April  2010  - tree owned by Leslie in Kelowna, Canada

    Record your blossom dates in our Fruit Tree Register - more >>.


    Harvest records for this variety

    2016 season

    • November  2016  - tree owned by Elaine in Mold, United Kingdom

    2013 season

    • 3rd week September  2013  - tree owned by Gary in Chesaning, United States
    • 2nd week April  2013  - tree owned by Katrina in Nelson, New Zealand

    2011 season

    • 2nd week October  2011  - tree owned by Leslie in Kelowna, Canada
    • 2nd week October  2011  - tree owned by v in Lucknow, Canada
    • 1st week September  2011  - tree owned by James in Melbourne, United Kingdom

    2010 season

    • 1st week October  2010  - tree owned by Leslie in Kelowna, Canada

    Origins

    • Species: Malus domestica - Apple
    • Parentage: Jonathan x Wagener
    • Originates from: Moscow, Idaho, United States
    • Introduced: 1930s
    • Developed by: Idaho Agricultural Experimental Station
    • UK National Fruit Collection accession: 1976-146
    • Some historical details taken with kind permission from 'The New Book of Apples' by Joan Morgan and Alison Richards , illustrated by Elisabeth Dowle, published by Ebury Press, 2002.

    Identification

    • Country of origin: United States
    • Period of origin: 1900 - 1949
    • Fruit colour: Red
    • Flower colour: Pink - light
    • Leaf colour: Green
    • Annual cycle: Deciduous
    • Awards: RHS AGM (former) 1993
    • Alleles: 3
    • Alleles: 7

    Using

    • Picking season: Late
    • Keeping (of fruit): 3 months or more
    • Flavour quality: Good
    • Flavour style (apples): Sweet/Sharp
    • Discoloration of fruit: Oxidising
    • Cropping: Heavy
    • Fruit persistence: Ripens over a period
    • Food uses: Eating fresh
    • Food uses: Culinary
    • Food uses: Juice
    • Picking period: mid-October
    • Wildlife: RHS Plants for Pollinators

    Growing

    • Gardening skill: Beginner
    • Flowering group: 2
    • Pollinating others: Average
    • Ploidy: Diploid
    • Vigour: Average vigour
    • Precocity: Precocious
    • Bearing regularity: Regular
    • Fruit bearing: Spur-bearer
    • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    Climate

    • Frost resistance of blossom: Good resistance
    • Cold hardiness (USDA): (3) -40F / -40C
    • Climate suitability: Temperate climates
    • Climate suitability: Warm climates
    • Summer average maximum temperatures: Cool ( 20-24C / 68-75F)
    • Summer average maximum temperatures: Warm (25-30C / 76-85F)
    • Cold hardiness (RHS): H6 (to -20C)

    Other qualities

    • Disease resistance: Average
    • Powdery mildew: Some susceptibility
    • Fire blight: Some susceptibility
    • Cedar apple rust: Some susceptibility

    Where to buy trees

    The following tree nurseries offer Idared apple trees for sale:


    Where to buy fresh fruit

    The following orchards grow Idared:

    United States


    United Kingdom


    France


    Canada


    Australia




    References

    • Cedar-Apple Rust  
      Author: Stephen Vann, University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture (FSA7538)
      Rated as susceptible - control usually needed where CAR is prevalent.
    • Apples for the 21st Century
      Author: Manhart
    • Fruit Expert
      Author: Hessayon

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