LOCKPORT, N.Y. — Two new varieties of apples will be appearing on local grocery store shelves this fall.
The two new varieties—SnapDragon and Ruby Frost — are being harvested from Dobbins Family Farm in Lockport and are the result of years of hard work and cultivation.
“We’ve got great volume this year. We’ve nearly doubled the volume we’re going to have this year on SnapDragon,” said Brett Baker, an account manager for apple marketing firm United Apple Sales.
A larger harvest means there are enough apples to supply stores across the state.
SnapDragon apples are a cross between a Honey Crisp and another state-grown variety. Ruby Frost apples are the result of a vitamin C study and combines high levels of that nutrient with resistance to browning, making it a grower-friendly variety, said Susan Brown, a professor in the School of Integrative Plant Science at Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Cornell’s horticulture department worked with a group of apple farmers from across New York State, called Crunch Time Apple Growers, to develop the two new varieties.
Brown said researchers are constantly working on creating newer, stronger and tastier varieties that can withstand the changing climate.
"What we're trying to do is do something that make an apple respond to a range of events," she said, adding that Ruby Frost apples are able to stay on a tree longer without dropping to the ground and bruising.
Both varieties are expected to be on the shelves of Tops, Wegmans and Aldis later this fall.