Golden Delicious
A sweet, yellowish-green apple cultivar from West Virginia.
This apple, one of the most popular in the United States, is not actually related to the Red Delicious despite its name. The original tree was a chance seedling found on a family farm in Clay County, West Virginia, and was initially called Mullins’ Yellow Seedling. J. M. Mullins sold the tree and its propagation rights to Stark Brothers Nurseries for $5,000, and the company first sold it in 1914 as a partner to their Red Delicious. It may be a hybrid of Grimes Golden and Golden Reinette.
The fruit is large, with yellowish-green skin, and is very sweet. It bruises and shrivels easily, so it requires careful handling. It is often eaten raw, used in salads, or made into applesauce and apple butter. Several cooking authorities recommend it for apple pie because its balanced flavor and high pectin content help it hold its shape when baked. It has a density of 0.79 g/cc, 13.5% sugar, 5.6 grams per liter of acid, and 10–20 mg/liter of vitamin C. The apples are harvested 130 to 150 days after full bloom.
For much of the 20th century, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, and Granny Smith were the top three supermarket apples in the U.S. As of 2025, the Golden Delicious and two of its descendants—Gala and Honeycrisp—remain among the nine most popular varieties in the country, according to the U.S. Apple Association. The apple became the official state fruit of West Virginia by a Senate resolution on February 20, 1995, and Clay County has held an annual Golden Delicious Festival since 1972. In 2013, the U.S. Postal Service honored it on a 33¢ stamp, alongside the Northern Spy, Baldwin, and Granny Smith.
In 1943, the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station crossed Golden Delicious with a Jonathan to create the Jonagold apple, which was released in 1968 and became the leading apple cultivar in Europe. As of 2025, Golden Delicious itself remains a top apple in the European Union. In 2010, an Italian-led consortium decoded its complete genome, finding it had 57,000 genes—the highest number of any plant genome studied at that time. There is also a patented mutant called Lucky Rose Golden.
- origin
- Clay County, West Virginia, United States
- discovered_by
- J. M. Mullins
- first_marketed
- 1914
- field
- Agriculture (apple cultivar)
- nationality
- United States
- known_for
- One of the top apple varieties in the U.S.; official state fruit of West Virginia; first apple to have its genome decoded
Lore & Background
The original Golden Delicious tree was found on the family farm of J. M. Mullins in Clay County, West Virginia, and was locally known as Mullins' Yellow Seedling. Mullins sold the tree and propagation rights to Stark Brothers Nurseries for $5000. The nursery first marketed it as a companion of their Red Delicious in 1914. For much of the twentieth century, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, and Granny Smith were the top three apple varieties in U.S. supermarket sales.
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. In 2013, the United States Postal Service honored it with a 33¢ stamp, alongside Northern Spy, Baldwin, and Granny Smith apples. In 2010, an Italian-led consortium announced they had decoded the complete genome of the Golden Delicious apple, which had the highest number of genes (57,000) of any plant genome studied to date.
Reader's Guide
Golden Delicious is a large, yellowish-green skinned cultivar and very sweet to the taste. It is prone to bruising and shriveling, requiring careful handling and storage. It is a favorite for eating plain, as well as for use in salads, apple sauce, and apple butter. America's Test Kitchen, Food Network, and Serious Eats all list Golden Delicious as one of the best apples for baking apple pie due to its balanced flavor and high pectin content that allows it to stay intact when cooked. Its density is 0.79 g/cc, sugar content 13.5%, acid 5.6 gram/litre, and Vitamin C 10–20 mg/litre. Golden Delicious are harvested 130–150 days after full bloom. The cultivar has a patented mutant called Lucky Rose Golden. In 1943, the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station developed the Jonagold apple by cross-breeding Golden Delicious and Jonathan trees; Jonagold became the leading apple cultivar in Europe. As of 2025, Golden Delicious remains one of the top apples in the European Union and, along with its descendants Gala and Honeycrisp, is among the top nine most popular varieties in the United States.
Did You Know?
- Golden Delicious is not closely related to Red Delicious despite its name.
- The original tree was found on the family farm of J. M. Mullins in Clay County, West Virginia, and was locally known as Mullins' Yellow Seedling.
- In 2010, an Italian-led consortium decoded the complete genome of the Golden Delicious apple, which had 57,000 genes—the highest of any plant genome studied at that time.
- Golden Delicious was one of four apple varieties honored by the United States Postal Service in a 2013 set of 33¢ stamps.
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