Texture – Firmness
Firm and crisp

Internal Character
Yellow to cream

Flavor
Bouquet of easy-going sweet flavors

Uses
Excellent for fresh eating, salads and sauce; Very good for pies, baking & freezing

Facts of Interest
The Gala apple was discovered by New Zealand orchardist J.H. Kidd in the 1920’s. It was introduced to the commercial market in New Zealand in 1965. Gala didn’t make its way into the U.S. market until the middle 1980’s, but since then it has become a favorite of American consumers.

A cross between Cox’s Orange Pippin, an old English favorite, and Golden Delicious, some strains of Gala also have Red Delicious, Golden Delicious and Cox’s Orange Pippin in their family tree. Gala is a sweet, snappy, aromatic apple that is usually red-and-yellow striped. High-quality Washington Gala apples will be solid and heavy, rather than soft and light.

The variety ripens in August in Washington, and is one of the earliest-ripening apples available from the state. One of the unique features of Gala is that it can be grown with good quality results in both temperate and warm apple-growing regions, and it is generally regarded as a low-chill variety (i.e. it can be grown in regions which experience less than 800 hours of cool winter temperatures a year). Talk about a great apple: Crisp snappy bite over a mellow sweetness. Looks great, smells sweet, eats like a dream!