Apple of the Week - Golden Delicious

The Golden Delicious is a cultivar of apple with a yellow color, not closely related to the Red

Golden Delicious

Delicious apple. According to the US Apple Association website it is one of the fifteen most popular apple cultivars in the United States.




Golden Delicious is a large, yellowish-green skinned cultivar and very sweet to the taste. It is prone to bruising and shriveling, so it needs careful handling and storage. It is a favorite for salads, apple sauce, and apple butter. The amount of acid in this apple increases, creating a sweeter flavor. In warmer growing areas, acid content is lower, creating a milder flavor.



This cultivar is a chance seedling possibly a hybrid of Grimes Golden and Golden Reinette. The original tree was found on the Mullins' family farm in Clay County, West Virginia, United States and was locally known as Mullin's Yellow Seedling and Annit apple. Anderson Mullins sold the tree and propagation rights to Stark Brothers Nurseries, which first marketed it as a companion of their Red Delicious in 1914.




The Golden Delicious was designated the official state fruit of West Virginia by a Senate resolution on February 20, 1995. Clay County has hosted an annual Golden Delicious Festival since 1972.



Harvested from autumn through winter.

Golden Delicious apples.

West Virginia is the originator of many vegetable and fruit crops, including the apples Grimes Golden, and the Guyandotte, which is believed extinct.



Low in calories Golden Delicious apples are a good source of soluble fiber, which has been proven to help lower cholesterol, control weight and regulate blood sugar. They also contain vitamins A and C, as well as a trace amount of boron and potassium, most of which is located in the apples skin.