Cortland is the kind of apple that may not impress you if you have only tried it from a grocery store – shipped from who-knows-where, bagged, and eaten long after harvest. Cortland is a great apple to have growing in your own yard because that is where it shines – it is excellent eaten fresh off the tree. Cortland apples have a yellow-green base colour covered with bright red overcolour, with some striping. They are like a McIntosh (one of its parents), but sweeter, and are great for fresh eating or baking/sauce etc. They are known for being cold hardy. Disease resistance: Cortland is one of the apples I sell because it is such a good eating apple, despite being susceptible to fire blight and scab. Both of these can be dealt with – fire blight with pruning, scab with multiple factors (siting, orchard sanitation, spraying if need be). Parentage: McIntosh x Ben Davis. Developed at the NY Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, in 1898, and introduced to the public in 1915. Named after Cortland County, NY, close to where it was developed. References: Cortland Apples. Disease Susceptibility of Common Apple Cultivars. Apple Cultivars and Their Uses. Apple Varieties for Box Elder County. Image 1: Smith, M. (1971) National Apple Register. Image 2: Prides Corner Farms. Image 3: Online Orchards.
