Pink Lady, The Apple With Trademark

The title might be interesting about a lady but it’s actually an apple guy's not a lady. This apple has been our favorites for valentine’s seasons. Let’s check out the interesting facts about this apple especially how they get the name.

Pink Lady® apples are elongated and have an asymmetrical shape. The skin is a vivid green covered in a pinkish blush which becomes a deeper shade of red where the apple was exposed to more sun. Pink Lady® apples have a crunchy texture and a tart taste with a sweet finish. The white flesh is juicy and crisp and offers a “fizz-like” burst of flavor.

Pink Lady® Apples Origins

In 1973, John Cripps, an Australian inspiration, came up with the idea to naturally cross two varieties, Golden Delicious and a Lady Williams apple to create a new apple, the Pink Lady® apple. By doing this, Cripps was combining the best features of two apples to create something better. 

This resulted in a stirring breakthrough in the apple industry and for consumers; with the new Pink Lady® apple not falling far from the tree and becoming an instant taste success. It is their distinctive pink coloring, fizzy flavor and mouth-watering crunch that have made them Australia’s number 1 apple. It wasn’t long before the news spread and the rest of the world had also discovered the taste sensation of Pink Lady® apples.

Fun Facts:

1. It was the first apple with a trademark.
Cripps Pink was the first apples to be awarded a trademarked name. Pink Lady is the trademark name for the Cripps Pink cultivar. What does that even mean, you wonder? It means that growers must obtain a license in order to be able to grow, pack, and market this apple variety under the Pink Lady name. Apples that are sold under the Pink Lady brand name must meet high-quality standards and every apple that goes to market as a Pink Lady has met criteria for sugar content, firmness, color, and blemishes.

2. It’s named after a cocktail.
The story of how the Pink Lady name came to go like this: Apple breeder John Cripps loved the novel The Cruel Sea by Nicholas Montsarrat. In the book, the hero enjoys a cocktail called a “Pink Lady.”

3. It’s the first apple to bloom, but the last to be harvested.
Pink Lady apples have an incredibly long growing season (200 days!), and spend more time on the tree than any other apple. They grow best in warm climates and are often found growing near wine grapes (as they too need hot weather). Here in Washington, we grow Pink Lady apples primarily in the south-central part of the state in locales known as the Columbia Basin and Tri-Cities. It’s here where spring comes first and summer and fall temperatures are hottest.

4. Pink Lady is a sweet-tart apple with great versatility.
Pink Lady is high acid, high sugar apple with a crisp bite and effervescent finish. It’s a bit tarter than sweet and very refreshing. Pink Lady apples have a bright white flesh and are one of the main varieties used to make pre-packaged apple slices. The unique skin, flesh, and flavor of Pink Lady make it one of the more versatile apples around. It’s great for snacking, salads, sauce, and for any baking occasion. We have lots of recipes and ideas featuring Pink Lady apples, including a healthy smoothie and fresh salad recipe, a DIY apple tables cape, and a guide to enjoying Pink Lady apples in new ways.

Health Benefits:

Calories, Fat and Sodium

Pink Lady apples are medium in size but pack fewer calories than you might think. According to the official Pink Lady website, an average 100-gram apple has only 50 calories. That's slightly less than the average medium-size apple; the USDA states that an 182-gram apple should have 100 calories -- 55 calories for a 100-gram apple. Pink Ladies, like other apples, contain no fat and no sodium.

Carbohydrates and Fiber

According to the Specialty Produce website, Pink Lady apples are about 10 percent carbohydrate. For a 100 gram apple, that works out to 10 grams of carbohydrate, or 3 percent of the recommended daily intake for a 2,000 calorie diet. Eight grams of these carbohydrates are sugars, mostly fructose. The other two grams are dietary fiber. You'll find fiber in both the skin and the core, though most people don't eat apple cores. The fiber in the skin provides about 9 percent of your recommended daily intake for a 2,000 calorie diet.

Vitamins and Protein

Pink Lady apples are a good source of vitamin C. A 100-gram apple provides almost a quarter of your daily vitamin C recommendation, according to the Specialty Produce website. Almost half the vitamin C is found directly under the skin, however, so you should eat the apple with the skin on. Apples also provide some vitamin A, calcium, iron, boron and pectin. However, they contain no protein.

Flavor, Features, and Composition

Pink Lady apples are good to eat fresh. Their flavor is rated as "good" by the reviewers at "Orange Pippin." Pink Ladies are slightly tart and very sweet, with a strong and pleasant aroma. They are very crisp, with thin, smooth pink-red skin and white flesh. According to the Pink Lady website, these apples are made up of 10 percent carbohydrates, 4 percent vitamins, and 80 percent water.

Serving

Pink Lady apples can be incorporated into healthy recipes, and also make good snacks and desserts. The USDA recommends dipping apple slices in peanut butter or serving them with crackers and cheese to add protein and fiber to your snack. They go well with pork and poultry, which also provide needed protein. You can bake Pink Lady apples with sugar and wine or juice, although this adds carbohydrates without added nutrition.

Reference:
http://www.aussieapples.com.au/aussie-grown-varieties/pink-lady.aspx
https://www.orangepippin.com/apples/pinklady
https://www.stemilt.com/stem-blog/all-about-pink-lady-apples/
http://www.livestrong.com/article/294412-how-many-calories-are-in-a-large-fuji-apple/