65i red color with a green ground color, while approximately 10J had greater 

 than 80% red color with a yellow-cream ground color. Later taste testing 

 showed that the fruit with the cream ground color were too ripe, though they 

 were sweeter (Table 1). The fruit with a greener background were more tart, 

 similar to Empire. These greener fruit were judged as good, comparing well 

 with any early-season fruit. The texture of the fruit was very good, and the 

 fruit were firm (Table 1). 



Table 1. Flesh firmness and percent soluble solids of Redfree divided into 

 average and high-coloring lots and Jersey Mac. One group of Redfree fruit was 

 kept at room temperature for ^ days prior to assessment. 



Red color Time at Flesh firmness Soluble Solids 

 Cultivar (.%) room temp. (lbs) (%) 



Redfree 82% fresh 14.9 11.1 



Redfree 63% fresh 18.1 10.5 



Jersey Mac 61% fresh 15.5 10.2 



Redfree 63% ^ days 17. 'i 10.3 



Redfree comes from the Purdue-Rutgers-Illinois breeding program, and as 

 such is resistant to apple scab, cedar apple rust, fire blight, and mildew. It 

 may also be resistant to red mite. Among the named parents in Redfree 's 

 heritage are Rome Beauty, Jonathan, Red Rome, and Melba. It is an annual 

 bearer. Some descriptions suggest that it may require two pickings, though if 

 the fruit are harvested prior to peak color, this activity may not be necessary 

 and quality may be higher. Redfree presently is available from The Nursery 

 Corporation (Hilltop). 



While the information we gathered this year is very preliminary, it looks 

 like Redfree could be an excellent early-season apple, regardless of its 

 disease-resistant characteristics. It is reported to keep for up to 2 months 

 in refrigerated storage, and we found no serious loss of quality in ^ days at 

 room temperature. However, it appears that the fruit should be harvested early 

 rather than at or near full ripeness, since both taste quality and keeping 

 quality are lower in the ripest fruit. When compared to Jersey Mac picked a 

 few days earlier (Table 1), Redfree were sweeter but less juicy. Soluble 

 solids and firmness were both somewhat higher in the Redfree. If this season 

 is typical of Redfree 's quality, then it could compete well with any of the 

 popular early-season cultivars. 



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