Granny Smith Apples

Granny Smith Apples have tough, shiny green skin with dots that are usually white, though sometimes purplish.

The white flesh inside is firm, crisp and crunchy. The flavour is tangy, tart and sweet.

From April to August, New Zealand & Australia ship Granny Smith apples to North America.

Cooking Tips

Holds its shape when cooked. Makes good sauce and good apple juice. Good for salads and fresh-eating.

Nutrition

Per average apple (140g) 82 calories

Storage Hints

Stores well.

History Notes

There really was a Granny Smith. Maria Ana Smith was born in England in 1800, and moved to Australia in 1838. She lived in Eastwood near Sydney, New South Wales, Australia with her husband Thomas Smith. Around 1860, she had bought some French crab apples in Sydney. She had tipped out the peelings and the cores in her compost heap by a creek. She found some seedling trees growing from the seeds. She let them grow, and the trees started producing fruit in 1868. She used the fruit for cooking at first, but then her family got to eating them, then they propagated the trees and began taking the fruit to market. (note: many slight variations of this history).

Literature & Lore

In the shade of the old granny smith,

The girl with a lisp I was with
Became most romantic,
Her antics grew frantic…
“For heaven’th thake give me a kith.”