New apples that stay fresh for a year hit stores

(CNN) — An apple that could last up to a year in a refrigerator is starting to hit grocery store shelves across the US.

It took researchers and farmers two decades to make the Cosmic Crisp apple.

It’s a mixture of Enterprise and Honeycrisp apples.

Cosmic Crisp was developed at Washington State University.

The apple got its name from the little bright spots that resemble stars in the sky.

The acidity of the Cosmic Crisp supposedly prevents it from turning brown as quickly as other apples.

Only 450,000 boxes are available this year.

But in 2020, there should be more than two million boxes.