In 1817, Joel Gillet stumbled upon a seedling that later became popular as Gillet's Seedling in the Ohio River Valley. The Red Rome Apple, nearly the size of a softball, matures slowly, ripening in late October. It boasts a glossy red skin and greenish-white flesh, making it a superb baking apple that holds its structure and flavor under heat. Requiring only 700 chill hours, it thrives in warmer climates.