Granny Smith
History :
The cultivar originated in Eastwood, New South Wales, Australia (now a suburb of Sydney) in 1868 from a chance seedling propagated by Maria Ann Smith Sherwood, from whom comes the name. The tree is thought to be a hybrid of Malus sylvestris, the European Wild Apple, with the domestic apple M. domestica as the polleniser. Widely propagated in New Zealand, it was introduced to the United Kingdom c. 1935 and the United States in 1972 by Grady Auvil.
By the 1960s Granny Smith was practically synonymous with 'apple' and the variety was used by the Beatles as the logo for their company 'Apple Records'. The tough skin and amazing keeping qualities meant it could easily be shipped around the world. It requires a warm climate to ripen properly, and performs well in the main apple-growing regions of the southern hemisphere. In the northern hemisphere it is grown in France and the warmer zones of North America. In some parts of Canada the Granny Smith is referred to as a Green Delicious.
Appearance and flavor:
There is only one word to describe the flavor of Granny Smith: acidic. It is an uncompromising crisp hard apple with a very sharp taste. However, served slightly chilled it can also be very refreshing, and works well in salads. They are eaten raw and commonly used in pie baking. The flavor sweetens in storage. . The acidity definitely mellows significantly, and it then takes on an amazing balanced flavor. When it's fully ripe, it's simply one of the best, crunchiest, most balanced table apples. The fruit has hard, light green skin and a crisp, juicy flesh. Granny Smith apples are light green in color. It goes from being green to turning completely yellow and looking almost like Golden Delicious.
Picking time: Starting mid-October.
