Red Sauce

Origin. Red Sauce originated from the cross, Deacon Jones x Wealthy, made in 1910. The breeding record number was 11869, and its seedling number was Station 1311. It was selected in 1920 from a population of 45 seedlings. After only 6 years in second test, it was introduced in 1926 (Table 2). It was so named because applesauce made from the fruits is red. Red Sauce was briefly described in the Register of New Fruit and Nut Varieties (31).

Tree. Tree characteristics of Red Sauce are summarized in Table 5. Trees are large, vigorous, upright, spreading, tall, dense, and round-topped. Trees bear medium sized crops and are biennial in their bearing habit (Table 5). Trees bloom very late, nearly 4 days later than Delicious (Table 6). They blossom later than any other cultivar introduced at Geneva. It is diploid (Table 4), and the pollen is viable.

Fruit. Red Sauce fruits are illustrated in Figure 28. Fruit characteristics are summarized in Table 8. The average ripening date at Geneva is October 10, the same day that Delicious ripens (Table 7). The average number of days from full bloom to harvest is 141, 4 fewer than Delicious. Fruits hang fairly well to the tree after they have ripened.

Fruits are medium to large, 2¾ to 3 inches in diameter. They are round-conic and rather symmetrical, but halves are somewhat unequal. The stem is medium slender. The cavity is acute, medium in depth and width, and usually symmetrical but sometimes lipped. Half of the cavities are smooth and half, russeted. The calyx is medium sized and slightly open. The calyx lobes are narrow, medium in length, and acute. The basin is deep, medium in width, abrupt, furrowed, and sometimes somewhat compressed. The fruit skin is thick, tough, somewhat rough, and dull. The skin color is 90 to 100 per cent dark red, and the color pattern is striped. The dots are numerous, large, and very conspicuous. The dots are large white areas of skin, with lenticels in their centers which are russet brown producing a halo effect. The calyx tube is long, narrow, and conic. The stamens are in the median position. The core tip is somewhat protruding and slightly fleshy. The core is large and open. The carpels are oval. The seeds are large, wide, and plump.

The flesh is cream colored, with a reddish tinge in the part of the flesh which is external to the vascular bundles. The red pigment is more prominent in the calyx half of the fruit than it is in the stem half. The red flesh is more conspicuous in fully ripe fruits than it is in somewhat immature fruits. The flesh is semifirm, coarse, crisp, tender, juicy, and sour. When the fruits are not fully mature, the flesh is astringent. The eating quality is poor. For such a firm apple, the fruits have a very short storage life, about 20 days at 31°F (Table 10). The fruit contains less than 10 mg ascorbic acid per 100 gm fruit, which compares with 37 for Calville Blanc and 4 for McIntosh (96).

Red Sauce is a special-purpose cultivar which was named because the fruits usually develop red flesh from which an attractive red sauce can be made. The fruits are well colored and sprightly in flavor, but of value only in the kitchen. They cook unusually well; pies and sauce are judged by some to be refreshing (102).

Commercial Usefulness. Nursery trees of Red Sauce were sold by the New York State Fruit Testing Association for 22 years, 1924-45 (Table 2). In the 1960-68 period, it was not known to be sold by any commercial nursery (Table 3).

In 1954, Red Sauce was tested at experiment stations (186) in Delaware, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Ottawa. In 1963, a survey of apple clones in the United States (79) showed that it was tested at stations in Connecticut, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and Wyoming. In 1968 (184), it was tested at stations in New York, North Dakota, and Ontario.

Red Sauce has been suggested for planting in Pennsylvania (50), but in Ohio (75) it is said to be not worth planting except as a novelty.

Apple cultivar comparisons conducted in 1951 at the Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station (6) showed that Red Sauce did not have enough superior qualities to replace older cultivars that have become well established in that state.

One commercial apple grower in North Dakota grew a few unsprayed trees of Red Sauce and found that their fruits resisted attack by apple maggot, while other nearby cultivars became severely infested.

Red Sauce was never planted on a commercial scale, anywhere. It is not recommended for planting.

— Roger D. Way, Apple Cultivars Introduced by the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, 1914–1968 (1971)