Fruit

PINK PEARL was introduced in 1944 by the California plant breeder, Albert Etter. Rich flavored with bright-pink flesh, the skin is cream and pale-green with a light crimson cheek. Pink Pearl is a wonderful table apple and also makes a beautiful pink applesauce. Unlike one of its parents, Surprise, which was first noted in England in 1831, it has solid green skin, but pink flesh. It is medium in size and irregularly cone-shaped, somewhat like the Yellow Bellflower. When the skin is broken, it is aromatic. The flesh is fine-grained, crisp and has a tart-sweet flavor as grown in Central Virginia. Because of the heat and humidity, it is difficult to grow in certain parts of Virginia. With scab and rust control, the quality of the fruit is high. It blooms early with crimson-pink blossoms. Cross-pollination increases fruitfulness. Ripens in August.