The Red Prince

The Red Prince (another new apple variety) is a great example of the new trends in apple production and marketing.  Introduced only a few years ago, it is Ontario's first genuine winter apple.  And I'm eating one as I write this.

The Red Prince was first discovered in an orchard in Germany.  It is a naturally occurring cultivar of Yellow Delicious and Red Jonathan.  It was named after the orchard owner, Mr. Princen, with a nod to the deep even red colour of the apple.

Irma and Marius Botden, who ran a tree nursery in Holland, immigrated to Canada in 2001.  Before immigrating they negotiated the right to be the only growers of Red Prince in Canada, and they brought rootstock from their own nursery with them.  This is the high density orchard they planted some years ago, the only source of Red Prince apples in Canada.

The orchard looks better in the early fall, with green leaves and apples.  The high density rows and relatively small trees are much easier to harvest - with a return per acres double that of a conventional orchard, as I mentioned yesterday.

The straight narrow rows with access space in between allow for maximum reception of sunlight, which promotes the growth of apples.  It also helps with the 75%n reduction in pesticide use.

We were reminded of this story when Mrs. F.G. bought a bag of apples a week or two ago.  Looking up the 'Red Prince' on the internet provides quite a lot of detail.  Unusually, this is the best apple for sales in the winter.  Indeed, it is stored or 'cellared' (like a fine wine) and only available after Jnauary 1st (and only in Ontario).

It is a wonderful apple for eating, especially at this time of year.  If you can find it in your local supermarket, I urge you try it.  I think it's already become my new favourite.