The first Gala apple tree was one of many seedlings resulting from a cross between a Golden Delicious and a Kidd’s Orange Red planted in New Zealand in the 1930s by orchardist J.H. Kidd. Donald W. McKenzie, an employee of Stark Bros Nursery, obtained a US plant patent for the cultivar on October 15, 1974. It is a relatively new introduction to the UK, first planted in commercial volumes during the 1980s. The variety now represents about 20% of the total volume of the commercial production of eating apples grown in the UK, often replacing Cox’s Orange Pippin.
Apple Gala/ Red Apple
Full Name: Apple Gala/ Red Apple
Scientific name: Malus domestica ‘Gala’
Higher classification: Apple
Origin: New Zealand, 1930s
Rank: Cultivar
Hybrid parentage: ‘Kidd’s Orange Red’ × ‘Golden Delicious’
Calories: An average medium-sized gala apple weighs 140 grams and contains 80 calories.
Gala is a colonially propagated apple cultivar with a mild and sweet flavor. In 2018, it surpassed Red Delicious as the apple cultivar with the highest production in the United States, according to the US Apple Association. It was the first time in over 50 years that any cultivar was produced more than Red Delicious.
