The infamous pink apple
Flavor profile and description
Tart and mildly sweet, Hidden Rose Apples® have a distinctive flavor with hints of strawberry lemonade. It has a pale yellow skin covered in a faint red blush and speckled with white freckles. The vibrant pink flesh is both crisp and juicy.
Preparation
The apple’s brilliant color is best showcased when served raw and thinly sliced. Eat with sweet or savory spreads, robust cheeses or as an edible garnish to liven up any dish.
Even when cooked, the tart flavor of the Hidden Rose Apple® and bright color remain. Its beautiful rose-colored flesh makes the apple an attractive addition to salads, sauces and pies.
The Hidden Rose Apple® story
The original tree from which today's Hidden Rose Apple trees are grown was located on land belonging to Lucky and Audrey Newell in Airlie, Oregon. The "parent tree" of the unique apple known as the Newell-Kimzey variety grew in the middle of the Newells' meadow just six feet from an abandoned, hand-dug well.
In the mid 1960s, the Newells moved to a large property and sold the eighty acres where this one and only red-fleshed apple tree stood.
Two decades later, Louis Kimzey, former field manager at Thomas Paine Farms, was walking through the Newells' old orchards and picked an apple from a large tree. Biting into it, he was amazed to find the pink flesh of what would become known as the Hidden Rose Apple®.
The first Hidden Rose Apple® orchard was planted by Eric Schwartz in 1992. Eric enjoys farming in Oregon and Washington and has a particular fondness for growing fruit trees and protecting the environment. He is a conscientious grower who cares deeply about preservation of the land and minimal use of chemicals for all growing operations on his farms.
Thomas Paine Farms is the first farm in the United States to be certified for “sustainable agricultural practices.” The apple is certified “organic” by The Oregon Tilth Organization and the United States Department of Agriculture.