Cortland Apple

The Cortland Apple is an heirloom apple that has been a favorite of many since the time your grandparents or even great-grandparents were kids. With a Cortland Apple Tree in your yard, you’ll be able to enjoy the taste of this sweet, juicy classic just like they did. In fact, the flavor is most intense right off the tree and declines somewhat in storage, so the way to truly appreciate this variety is to avoid store-bought apples and grow your own tree. Cortland apples that have been in storage for awhile are still great for cooking and will make mouth-watering pies, strudels, cakes, jellies, and applesauce.

The Cortland Apple debuted in 1915 from the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva and was named for Cortland County, New York. Its parents were the famous McIntosh Apple, which contributed a lot of the flavor, and a variety called ‘Ben Davis’, which gave this tree its excellent cold-hardiness. Another remarkable trait of the Cortland apple is that the snow-white flesh is extremely resistant to browning, so slices you cut for a salad or fruit tray won’t get yucky. This tree opens its lovely white blossoms in mid-season and will set fruit without a pollinator, although having another Apple Tree or Crabapple Tree in the vicinity will improve production.

Our grower, Boyer’s Nursery, grows a strain of Cortland apple named Cardinal Cortland Apple, which they developed at their nursery. They tell orchard growers that they can represent it simply as Cortland and the buyer will be very pleased. The strain differences are very grower oriented but valuable enough so that Boyers has completely switched over to the Cardinal strain of Cortland. They no longer grow regular Cortland at all. Emma Lower Fleming, a member of the 5th generation running the farm since the land was purchased in 1900, tells us her great-grandmother was the one responsible for recognizing the value in the strain and naming it. In comparing the two, the Cardinal strain has a little more of a green base color and the fruit size is larger. It has all the other attributes of regular Cortland. The Cardinal addition to the name says it is a strain of Cortland.

A strain is a known cultivar that differs in some way from the natural vegetative characteristics of the original cultivar. The difference may be in fruit color development, fruit maturity or growth habit. For example ‘Daybreak Fuji’ is an early maturing strain of ‘Fuji’. ‘Super Chief Delicious’ is a strain of ‘Red Chief Delicious’.  For some cultivars, there are hundreds of strains that have been found over the years, some of which are no longer commercially available as better strains are found.

How do strains develop? A bud may naturally mutate during cell division on an established tree. If that bud grows out to become a branch producing fruit that is of different appearance; it may be noticed by the fruit grower. The branch is marked and maintained. The limb with the fruit is observed for 2-3 growing seasons to be certain it is permanent.

The difference between an apple cultivar and an apple strain is in the origin; a cultivar is a seedling apple from an intentional or unintentional cross between two apples while the origin of a strain is as a branch sport.

With a Cortland Apple Tree in the backyard, wholesome snacking is right outside your door. You can feel good about the kids indulging in these sweet treats to their heart's content. Low-calorie apples—a good source of fiber, vitamin C, and antioxidants—have been shown to combat asthma and some forms of cancer and to help your body regulate blood sugar levels.