Gala (apple) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids 'Gala'
Species	Malus domestica
Hybrid parentage	'Kidd's Orange Red' × 'Golden Delicious'
Cultivar	Gala
Origin	New Zealand, 1930s

Gala apples often have stripes or spots.

The Gala is a very popular type of apple. It has a sweet, mild flavor and a crisp, but not too hard, texture. You can spot a Gala apple by its orange or reddish skin, which often has stripes or spots.

Gala apples first came from New Zealand in the 1930s. Like many named apple types, they are grown by cloning. This means new trees are grown from parts of old trees, so they are exactly the same. In 2018, Gala apples became the most produced apple in the United States. This was a big deal because the Red Delicious apple had been number one for over 50 years!

What Do Gala Apples Look Like and Taste Like?

Gala apples are not just one solid color. They usually have vertical stripes or spots. The main color is often orange. They are known for being sweet and having a fine texture. Gala apples are great for eating fresh. You can also use them for cooking, especially to make sauces.

Where Do Gala Apples Come From?

The very first Gala apple tree grew from a seed in the 1930s. It was planted in Greytown, New Zealand, by an orchard farmer named J.H. Kidd. This new apple tree was a mix of two other apple types: a Golden Delicious and a Kidd's Orange Red.

J.H. Kidd chose this special apple in 1939. It was then introduced to the world in 1960. Later, in the 1980s, Gala apples started to be grown a lot in the UK. Today, they make up about 20% of all eating apples grown there. They have even taken the place of another popular apple called the Cox's Orange Pippin.

Different Kinds of Gala Apples

Sometimes, plants have natural changes called "sports" or mutations. These are like small, natural changes in their genes. Many different types of Gala apples have been found this way. Most of these new types were chosen because they had more red color.

One very famous type is the Royal Gala. The original Gala apple had orange stripes and a bit of orange blush over a yellow background. But the Royal Gala has much more red color. It was first patented in 1977.

The Royal Gala is a pink-red apple that is usually eaten fresh. In places like New Zealand, the Royal Gala is now much more common than the original, lighter-colored Gala apple.

New Apples from Gala

The Gala apple has also been used to create many new and exciting apple types! Scientists and farmers often cross different apples to get new flavors, colors, or textures. Here are some apples that have Gala as one of their parents:

When Can You Find Gala Apples?

In the northern part of the world, Gala apples are usually picked from May to September. But you can often find them in stores almost all year round! This is because farmers use special ways to store them. They use cold storage and controlled atmosphere storage. These methods keep the apples fresh for many months.

In Australia, Gala apples are ready to pick from late January. Even though the main picking season might only last for 9 or 10 months, you can still find them all year. This is thanks to cold storage. Sometimes, these stored apples might taste a little different, perhaps slightly less sweet, than those picked fresh in season. In the UK, the season starts in late summer (August).

Images for kids

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  A Gala apple from South Tyrol, Italy, with a special sticker showing it has a protected origin.

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  A 'Royal Gala' apple, showing its deep red color.

See also

In Spanish: Gala (manzana) para niños