Approximate Ripening: Mid September
Uses: Salads, eating, sauce
Trivia: Developed at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva in 1898, a cross between Ben Davis and McIntosh. Cortland was introduced to market in 1915.
Notes: Cortland was one of the early descendants of the wildly popular McIntosh, yet while it inherits some of McIntosh’s qualities (including that hint of tartness), it blazes its own trail with a flavor that leans more to tangy sweetness. The fruit is lovely: crimson blush covered with darker red stripes and dotted with pale green specks. Since Cortland won’t brown quickly after cutting, it’s great for salads, kabobs, or fruit plates. It also makes a delicious (and very light colored) single variety sauce.