Prima

Prima was the first variety to be released by the cooperative efforts of the Agricultural Experiment Stations at three different Universities: Purdue, Rutgers, and Illinois. (The apple’s name comes from an acrostic of the names of those three institutions, PRI.)  This was one of the first disease-resistant varieties to hit the market, and now is one of the tried and true. Although many nurseries and orchards have dropped Prima in favor of newer “designer” varieties, we still think very highly of it. Medium-large roundish fruit have a rich, yellow skin with a striking orange-red blush. Resembles Jonathan, which is buried somewhere in its convoluted parentage. Mildly tart, crisp, white flesh provides excellent eating and makes good sauce and cider. Thick-skinned so you might want to peel it first.  Keeps about a month in cool storage.