- Gala (apple)
Infobox Cultivar | name ="Malus domestica" 'Gala'
image_width = 250px
hybrid = 'Kidd's Orange Red' × 'Golden Delicious'
cultivar = 'Gala'
origin = flagicon|New Zealand New Zealand, 1920sGala is a
cultivar ofapple with a mild and sweet flavor.Appearance and flavor
Gala apples are small and are usually red with a portion being greenish or yellow-green, vertically striped. Gala apples are fairly resistant to bruising and are sweet, grainy, with a mild flavor and a thinner skin than most apples. They are also considered to be a very soft eating apple due to their lack of
crispiness , well-suited fordenture wearers. Quality indices include firmness, crispness, and a lack of mealiness.History
Gala apples were developed in
New Zealand in the 1920s by orchardistJ.H. Kidd . They are a cross between aGolden Delicious and aKidd's Orange Red . Many sports of Gala have been selected, mostly for increased red color, including the popular Royal Gala.Season
Gala apples are grown from September through June, but, like most apples, are available almost all year through the use of
cold storage andcontrolled atmosphere storage. Australian Gala are available from late January. California fruit is available until October.Royal Gala cultivar
Royal Gala is a cultivar resulting from a sport of the Gala apple in the 1970s. It is a pink-red dessert apple and is therefore usually eaten fresh. Royal Galas are usually harvested in early to late February.
Storage
The optimum temperature for storing apples is between -1° and 1°C (30 to 34°F), and the optimum
relative humidity is 90 to 95%. Like many fruit,ethylene gas can speed ripening and spoilage and reduce firmness. [http://postharvest.ucdavis.edu/Produce/Producefacts/Fruit/apple_gala.shtml]External links
* [http://www.nyapplecountry.com/gala.htm New York Apple Association description]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.