Cortland is a cultivar of apple developed at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, New York, United States in 1898. It is a cross of the McIntosh and Ben Davis apples. It was named after Cortland County, near Ithaca, New York, home of Cornell University. It was first bred by American horticulturalist S.A Beach. Michael H. Chaplin Department of Horticulture, 106 Horticulture Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011 http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/28/11/1079.full.pdf

Characteristics After the many attributes of McIntosh were discovered, plant breeders began crossing it with other varieties to enhance its traits. One of the earliest was the Cortland. The Cortland is capable of high yield in cold climates. It ripens in early October. It is harvested after the Gala and McIntosh, and at about the same time as the Honeycrisp.

The Cortland apple is a flattened and irregular apple. Its skin is greenish yellow and deep red. Compared to the McIntosh, the Cortland is a sweet apple. It has white and juicy flesh, with a somewhat coarse texture. Cortland is a soft apple, but not as soft as McIntosh. Cortland is resistant to browning and is therefore suitable for fruit salads and charcuterie boards. It could also be used to make the filling for apple pie; in this capacity, the Cortland, a relatively sweet apple, can be used together with the McIntosh, which is more tart. Apple sauce made with the Cortland has a pink tinge. Using the Cortland with a sweeter variety, such the Honeygold or Mutsu, could enhance the flavor.

Cultivation In the United States, the Cortland is most commonly grown in New York, which is responsible for four fifths of total Cortland production in the country. It was a key variety in Vermont until the end of the twentieth century, when a tougher level of competition forced farmers to switch to more profitable varieties, such as the Honeycrisp, as well as new business models, notably pick-your-own orchards.

In Nova Scotia, Canada, during the late 2000s, apple orchardists replaced the McIntosh and Cortland with newer varieties that brought multiple times more money per bin, namely the Ambrosia, Gala, and especially the Honeycrisp. As of the mid-2020s, most of Canada's Cortland apples are harvested in Quebec and Ontario. During that time, it was one of the dominant varieties in Quebec.

Patented mutants (sports) The original Cortland variety, introduced in 1915 by the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, produced apples which were 20–30% red, and was not patented. Since then, several sports have been identified and patented: Date "Inventor" Marketed as Mutated from Assignee Habit Pattern Earlier Color Plant patent number Jan 19, 1982 LaMont Lamont, Starkspur standard Stark Bro's Nursery spur striped same same Aug 30, 1983 Nicklin Redcort standard Hilltop Nursery standard striped 2 wk. 90% red Oct 7, 1997 Hartenhof NS-911 standard Adams County Nursery standard striped same red overall

Descendant cultivars Birgit Bonnier

See also

Empire (apple) Macoun apple Spartan (apple)

Footnotes