Kidd's Orange Red Apples

James Hutton Kidd was a New Zealand orchardist, community leader and self-directed plant breeder based in Greytown, Wairarapa.

He admired the color and appearance of American apples but believed many lacked the flavor of traditional English cultivars. He therefore began a deliberate breeding program to combine beauty with better eating quality.

Te Ara records that Kidd made the Delicious × Cox's Orange Pippin cross in 1912.

The National Fruit Collection records the cultivar as raised in 1924 and introduced to Britain around 1932. Those dates describe different stages: the original cross, selection of the seedling and later distribution.

Delco combines the parent names DELicious and COx.

The short breeder's name clearly communicated the cross before the fruit was marketed more broadly as Kidd's Orange Red.

Once the apple showed commercial promise, Kidd planted several acres and sold propagation rights to the New Plymouth nursery firm Duncan and Davies in the early 1930s.

Te Ara records the sale at £2,000—a substantial recognition of the value of Kidd's breeding work at the time.

It is best described as an early-20th-century heritage cultivar rather than a colonial-era heirloom.

Its age, breeder history, rarity and importance to later apples make it a natural fit within Honeycrisp.com's collection of historic and hard-to-find varieties.

Kidd's Orange Red is a cross of Cox's Orange Pippin and Delicious / Red Delicious.

Cox contributed the goal of rich aromatic flavor; Delicious contributed stronger red coloring and commercial appearance.

Yes. James Hutton Kidd later crossed Kidd's Orange Red with Golden Delicious.

One seedling from that work became Gala, named and released after Kidd's death. Gala eventually became one of the world's most widely grown apples.

A redder sport of Kidd's Orange Red — the same apple, selected for darker color.

Sports like that are how a lot of apples reach the market: someone spots a branch coloring up better and propagates from it.

Yes. National Fruit Collection records identify Kidd's Orange Red as a parent in the pedigree of Telstar.

The cultivar's influence therefore extends beyond Gala, even though Gala became by far its most famous descendant.

The ground color is yellow, typically covered by orange-red blush, scarlet stripes or mottling.

Humidity, sunlight and maturity can make the finished color range from glowing orange-red to a duller russeted red.

Not always. Light russeting, netting or patches can occur on the skin.

Russet is a natural corky skin finish, not dirt or rot. Its presence can reduce supermarket uniformity without reducing flavor quality.

The fruit is usually medium-sized and slightly conical or truncate-conical.

Some apples can look mildly ribbed or lumpy rather than perfectly round.

The flesh is generally cream-colored to pale yellow, fine-textured, firm, crisp and juicy.

Natural fruit varies with tree position, sunlight, maturity, rainfall, humidity and the growing season.

A photograph represents the cultivar generally; it cannot guarantee the exact blush, striping, russeting or shape of every apple in a box.

They lean sweet but retain enough acidity to feel balanced and lively.

The sweetness is often described as honeyed, while the Cox heritage adds aromatic complexity beyond simple sugar.

Aromatic apples release volatile compounds that tasters may describe as floral, honeyed, citrus-like, perfumed or gently spicy.

Those impressions vary by person, maturity, orchard and season, so the apple should not be reduced to one guaranteed flavor note.

Yes. Good fruit has firm, crisp, fine-textured flesh.

The crunch is substantial without necessarily feeling as brittle or explosive as Honeycrisp.

Yes. Juiciness is one of the consistent qualities reported by the National Fruit Collection and specialty orchard sources.

Yes. Specialty sources emphasize that Kidd's Orange Red develops its best flavor when allowed to mature fully.

An apple picked too early may taste sharper and less aromatic, while fruit left too long may sacrifice firmness or storage quality. Orchard judgment is therefore important.

Temperature, sunlight, rainfall, crop load, harvest timing and storage all influence sweetness, acidity, aroma and firmness.

Heirloom and heritage apples express the season rather than tasting identical every year.

Harvest varies by climate. Virginia growers may pick in September, while the National Fruit Collection records mid-October in the United Kingdom.

For a Northeast orchard, a practical working window is generally late September into early October, with the actual date determined by fruit maturity and the season.

Visit our Apple Harvest Calendar for current seasonal guidance.

No. Harvest dates are approximate windows rather than guaranteed shipping dates.

Different trees may mature over several picking passes, and orders ship as suitable fruit becomes available for packing.

Visit Fresh Apples Ready to Ship for current inventory.

If the crop is still developing, check Apples Still Growing.

No. Kidd's Orange Red is an annual crop.

Once the harvested and refrigerated supply is sold, the next fruit must wait for another growing season.

Published sources vary considerably, from roughly one or two months to several months in cold storage.

The safest customer guidance is that good fruit can keep for several weeks and potentially a few months under proper refrigeration, without promising one fixed duration.

• Refrigerate promptly after delivery.
• Use a crisper drawer or breathable container.
• Allow some airflow around the fruit.
• Avoid unnecessary bruising.
• Inspect stored apples periodically.
• Use any softening or damaged fruit first.
• Keep apples away from onions, garlic and strong food odors.

Short storage can help acidity and sweetness feel more integrated, but Kidd's Orange Red is also highly valued fresh near harvest.

Unlike a dedicated winter keeper, it should not automatically be held for months before tasting.

Yes. Fresh eating is the variety's signature use.

Firm crisp flesh, juice, honeyed sweetness and rich aroma make it a classic dessert apple for people who enjoy complex flavor.

Yes. Thin slices pair well with aged cheddar, Gouda, Brie, blue cheese, toasted nuts and honey.

The apple's aroma and sweetness are especially effective beside salty or nutty cheeses.

Yes. Crisp texture and aromatic sweetness work well with greens, fennel, celery, walnuts, goat cheese and vinaigrettes.

Treat cut slices with lemon water if appearance matters, because all cut apples can brown.

Yes. Firm flesh makes it useful in tarts, crisps, cakes and baked apples.

Because it is naturally sweet and aromatic, use added sugar and spice thoughtfully rather than covering the fruit's own flavor.

Yes. It can create a sweet, aromatic sauce, especially when blended with a sharper apple for additional acidity.

Yes. Specialty sources identify juice as one of its best uses.

Its sweetness, aroma and acidity create flavorful fresh juice, although results vary with harvest maturity.

Yes. Kidd's Orange Red can contribute sweetness, aroma and fresh fruit character to cider.

It is generally used as part of a blend rather than used on its own.

Yes. Try it with pork, poultry, sausage, cabbage, roasted squash, chutney or stuffing.

Yes. The skin is edible and contributes fiber along with the whole fruit.

Natural russeting may feel rough but is not harmful.

Kidd's Orange Red is uncommon in ordinary supermarkets because it is grown on a much smaller scale than its famous descendant Gala.

When our crop is available, you can buy Kidd's Orange Red apples online from Honeycrisp.com and have them shipped from our orchard operation to your door.

Check Fresh Apples Ready to Ship for current availability.

This is a limited annual crop.

Visit Apples Still Growing for upcoming fruit, or explore our Heirloom Apple Collection for other rare and historic varieties.

Package options depend on crop size and current inventory and may include gift boxes, larger boxes or two-box combinations.

The products above this information section are the current source for package sizes, pricing and availability.

Gift boxes are designed for presentation and greater individual fruit protection.

Bulk cases generally provide more fruit for the money, but apples are packed closer together and may have a greater chance of cosmetic bruising during transit.

Cox's Orange Pippin is one of the parents and contributes the goal of rich, perfumed dessert quality.

Kidd's Orange Red is generally sweeter, more strongly colored and somewhat firmer, reflecting the influence of Delicious.

Red Delicious is one of the parents and contributes strong red color and attractive form.

Kidd's Orange Red usually offers much richer aroma, more acidity and a more layered flavor than the mild sweetness associated with Red Delicious.

Gala is the easier everyday apple: mild, sweet, crisp and widely familiar.

Kidd's Orange Red is generally more aromatic, richer and more complex, with more visible russet and less supermarket uniformity.

They are not parent and child. Instead, Kidd's Orange Red and Golden Delicious were crossed to produce Gala.

Golden Delicious brings mellow honeyed sweetness; Kidd's Orange Red brings stronger perfume, color and Cox-derived complexity.

People who enjoy it may also appreciate Gala for approachable sweetness, Golden Delicious for honeyed flavor, or other aromatic dessert apples derived from Cox's Orange Pippin.

Kidd wanted to combine the appearance and market appeal of American apples with the stronger flavor of English varieties.

Kidd's Orange Red became the first major proof that his approach could work.

Specialty sources generally describe it as a reliable but not especially heavy cropper.

That moderate productivity, combined with russeting and variable finish, helps explain why the variety did not become as commercially dominant as Gala.

Like most apple cultivars, it benefits from compatible varieties flowering nearby so bees can move pollen between trees.

Home growers should confirm local bloom groups and pollination partners with the nursery supplying the tree.

It preserves James Hutton Kidd's breeding legacy, a direct genetic link to Gala and a richly aromatic flavor that modern high-volume apples do not reproduce exactly.

No. It was created through conventional hand pollination and seedling selection in James Hutton Kidd's orchard.

Yes. Peel and slice them before freezing for later cakes, crisps, pies, sauce or cooked dishes.

Frozen apples soften after thawing and are better suited to cooking than fresh eating.

Yes. Firm, aromatic flesh can make flavorful dried apple slices.

The tree is not known for exceptionally heavy crops, and the fruit may russet or develop a less polished finish than supermarkets prefer.

Gala—its descendant—became much easier to grow and market at scale, while Kidd's Orange Red remained a specialty apple.

No. Rarity means uncommon, not universally superior.

Kidd's Orange Red is especially rewarding for people who value aroma, honeyed sweetness and complex dessert-apple flavor. Someone seeking a very tart or exceptionally large apple may prefer another variety.

Sixteen varieties, most of which you will never see in a supermarket — Keepsake, Baldwin, Brock, Blue Pearmain and more.

The whole list is on the Heirloom Apple Collection page. If you like Kidd's Orange Red, that is a good place to go next.

Yes. Crossed with Golden Delicious, it produced Gala — now one of the most widely grown apples on earth.

Gala is the apple almost nobody objects to. This is where its flavor came from.

You can taste the connection — the same honeyed sweetness — but Kidd's Orange Red is far more aromatic and more complex, with a nutty, almost perfumed quality.

Most people who try both find the parent the more interesting apple. Gala is the easier one.

Delicious crossed with Cox's Orange Pippin, made by James Hutton Kidd in New Zealand in 1912.

Cox is the great English aromatic apple, and that is plainly where the perfume comes from.

A New Zealand orchardist and amateur breeder who set out to combine the looks and reliability of Delicious with the flavor of Cox's Orange Pippin.

He succeeded, and then his apple went on to parent Gala. Not bad for a private breeding programme.

Sweet, aromatic and nutty, with a firm, fine-grained flesh. There is a honeyed depth to it that modern sweet apples rarely have.

It is a connoisseur's apple — small, not especially pretty, and much better than it looks.

Yes. Like nearly every apple, Kidd's Orange Red will not set a decent crop alone, so plan on a second variety flowering at the same time within bee range.

Most mid-season apples will do it — Cortland or Golden Delicious are easy partners.

Roughly 32 to 40, depending on how the fruit sizes that year. A peck is about 10 to 12 pounds.

That is enough for several pies, or a good batch of sauce with fruit left over for eating.

Gala for the direct descendant, and Golden Russet for another small apple with a big, nutty, honeyed flavor.

Ambrosia has the same kind of aromatic sweetness if you want something we grow in quantity.

Small plantings, hand picking, uneven fruit and no volume buyer. A supermarket apple is priced on millions of bushels and a national distribution network; an heirloom is not.

What you get for it is a flavor and a history the volume varieties simply do not have.

Eat it beside a Gala. The family resemblance is obvious and so is the difference, and it is a lovely way to understand how apple breeding works.

It is an eating apple first and last. Do not waste it in a pie.

His work helped establish New Zealand as a major source of successful modern apple varieties.

Kidd's Orange Red was his first major success, and Gala—developed from one of his later crosses—became internationally dominant after his death.

Early export markets rewarded attractive red fruit, while experienced eaters still wanted the flavor of traditional European apples.

Kidd's breeding program was an early attempt to combine both goals rather than accepting a trade-off between beauty and taste.

Why did Kidd's Orange Red start a family tree?
It wanted everyone to know Gala came from good stock.

Why was Delco renamed?
The apple decided its breeder deserved top billing.

Why did the orange-red apple blush?
Someone called its flavor richly aromatic.