PINKER LADY
SKILLCULT APPLE BREEDING PROJECT
This page is for information on my seedling apple Pinker Lady
Pinker Lady, she’s Bigger and Pinker
Pinker Lady is a pink fleshed cross between the Red Fleshed Rubaiyat and Cripp’s Pink (aka ™Pink Lady) released into the public domain in 2025.
The skin of pinker lady is a beautiful pinkish red. Overall, it is prettier than it’s parent, although the shade of pink/red is pretty much the same. The color is more uniform and solid. The smoothness of the skin is also very nice and it takes a high polish.
The flesh color is pink, but usually more mottled pink than solid pink. Accompanying that color are the typical berry-like flavors that are associated with red fleshed apples. The flavors are generally as subtle as the color, but quite delicious. Generic berry is probably the best description, though I’ve detected a hint of artificial strawberry similar to my apple Black Strawberry. The flesh color and flavor should be expected to vary by climate, year to year and even apple to apple in the same year. Acidity tends to be low. If I could fix one fault with it, it would be to raise the acidity, but then people who like low acid apples would be mad at me. The texture is quite nice, though it does not seem to hold up well in storage in the same way modern commercial apples do including its parent Cripps Pink.
These are small specimens off of a tree that was overbearing and barely thinned. With thinning, expect some very large fruits. Flesh color is usually mottled rather than pink all the way through.
I know very little about the growing habits and disease resistance as of 2025. The tree does seem productive and likely will require thinning. The apples can be very large if thinned well, so expect some real monsters. I thought about calling it Pink Elephant at first because the first apples it produced were all quite large.
Show quality appearance
Pinker Lady is a fun apple to eat. I think kids and adults will both appreciate it. It has looks, texture, fun pink flesh, size and good flavor. Responses from other tasters have generally been very good. For those insistent on a tart apple, it may fall a bit flat. For those that like sweet apples, it could easily become a favorite. For most of us, it will be another fun fruit to add to the broad collection of flavors and presentations given to us by the diverse apple.