Granny Smith

Last updated

Malus 'Granny Smith'
Granny smith and cross section.jpg
Hybrid parentage Thought to be
M. domestica × M. sylvestris
Cultivar 'Granny Smith'
OriginAustralia, Maria Ann Smith, 1868

The Granny Smith, also known as a green apple or sour apple, is an apple cultivar that originated in Australia in 1868. [1] It is named after Maria Ann Smith, who propagated the cultivar from a chance seedling. The tree is thought to be a hybrid of Malus sylvestris , the European wild apple, with the domesticated apple Malus domestica as the polleniser.[ citation needed ]

Contents

The fruit is hard, firm and with a light green skin and crisp, juicy flesh. The flavour is tart and acidic. It remains firm when baked, making it a popular cooking apple [2] used in pies, where it can be sweetened. The apple goes from being completely green to turning yellow when overripe. [3] The US Apple Association reported in 2019 that the Granny Smith was the third most popular apple in the United States of America. [4]

History

Maria Ann "Granny" Smith (1799-1870) Granny Smith.jpg
Maria Ann "Granny" Smith (1799–1870)

The Granny Smith cultivar originated in Eastwood, New South Wales, Australia (now a suburb of Sydney) in 1868. Its discoverer, Maria Ann Smith (née Sherwood [1] ), had emigrated to the district from Beckley, East Sussex in 1839 with her husband Thomas. [5] They purchased a small orchard in the area in 1855–1856 and began cultivating fruit, for which the area was a well known centre in colonial Australia. Smith had eight children and was a prominent figure in the district, earning the nickname "Granny" Smith in her advanced years. [6]

Granny Smith has a round shape with light green colour One Green Apple.jpg
Granny Smith has a round shape with light green colour

The first description of the origin of the Granny Smith apple was not published until 1924. [7] In that year, Farmer and Settler published the account of a local historian who had interviewed two men who had known Smith. One of those interviewed recalled that, in 1868, he (then twelve years old) and his father had been invited to Smith's farm to inspect a chance seedling that had sprung near a creek. Smith had dumped there, among the ferns, the remains of French crab-apples that had been grown in Tasmania. [1] Another story recounted that Smith had been testing French crab-apples for cooking, and, throwing the apple cores out her window as she worked, had found that the new cultivar had sprung up underneath her kitchen windowsill. Whatever the case, Smith took it upon herself to propagate the new cultivar on her property, finding the apples good for cooking and for general consumption. [8] Having "all the appearances of a cooking apple," they were not tart but instead were "sweet and crisp to eat." [5] She took a stall at Sydney's George Street market, where the apples stored "exceptionally well and became popular" and "once a week sold her produce there." [5]

Smith died only a couple of years after her discovery (in 1870), but her work had been noticed by other local planters. Edward Gallard was one such planter, who extensively planted Granny Smith trees on his property and bought the Smith farm when Thomas died in 1876. Gallard was successful in marketing the apple locally, but it did not receive widespread attention until 1890. In that year, it was exhibited as "Smith's Seedling" at the Castle Hill Agricultural and Horticultural Show, and the following year it won the prize for cooking apples under the name "Granny Smith's Seedling." The apple was so highly successful that the following year, many were exhibiting Granny Smith apples at horticultural shows. [6]

In 1895, the New South Wales Department of Agriculture recognised the cultivar and had begun growing the trees at the Government Experimental Station in Bathurst, New South Wales, recommending the gazette of its properties as a late-picking cooking apple for potential export. Over the following years the government actively promoted the apple, leading to its widespread adoption. [1] Its worldwide fame grew from the fact that it could be picked from March and stored till November. Enterprising fruit merchants in the 1890s and the 1900s experimented with methods to transport the apples overseas in cold storage. Because of its excellent shelf life, the Granny Smith could be exported long distances and most times of the year, at a time when Australian food exports were growing dramatically on the back of international demand. Granny Smiths were exported in enormous quantities after the First World War, and by 1975, 40 percent of Australia's apple crop was Granny Smith. [8] By this time, it was being grown intensely elsewhere in the Southern Hemisphere, as well as in France and the United States. The advent of the Granny Smith apple is now celebrated annually in Eastwood with the Granny Smith Festival. [9]

Uses

Culinary

Granny Smith are distinctive in being bright green when ripe Granny smith.jpg
Granny Smith are distinctive in being bright green when ripe

Granny Smith apples are light green in colour. The tart flavor of these apples makes them one of the most versatile varieties of apple to cook with. They are popularly used in many apple dishes, such as apple pie, apple cobbler, apple crumble, and apple cake. They are also commonly eaten raw as table apples, and at least one company (Woodchuck Hard Cider) makes Granny Smith varietal cider.

Properties

It is moderately susceptible to fire blight and is very prone to scab, [10] powdery mildew, and cedar apple rust.

Granny Smith is much more easily preserved in storage than other apples, a factor which has greatly contributed to its success in export markets. Its long storage life has been attributed to its fairly low levels of ethylene production, and in the right conditions Granny Smiths can be stored without loss of quality for as long as a year.[ citation needed ] This cultivar needs fewer winter chill hours and a longer season to mature the fruit, so it is favoured for the milder areas of the apple growing regions. However, they are susceptible to superficial scald and bitter pit. Superficial scald may be controlled by treatment with diphenylamine before storage. [11] It can also be controlled with low-oxygen storage. [12] Pit can be controlled with calcium sprays during the growing season and with postharvest calcium dips. [13]

According to the US Apple Association website, it is one of the fifteen most popular apple cultivars in the United States. [14]

Cultural references

In 1968, the rock band The Beatles used an image of a Granny Smith apple as the logo for their corporation, Apple Corps Limited. For their record label, Apple Records, one side of vinyl albums featured the exterior of the fruit, while the other side of the recording featured a cross-section of the apple. [15]

Yoko Ono's 1966 artwork Apple used a Granny Smith apple in its 2015 recreation at New York City's Museum of Modern Art. John Lennon had taken a bite from the apple on display in its 1966 incarnation at the Indica Gallery in London. [16]

The Granny Smith was one of four apples honored by the United States Postal Service in a 2013 set of four 33¢ stamps commemorating historic strains, joined by Northern Spy, Baldwin, and Golden Delicious. [17]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McIntosh (apple)</span> National apple of Canada

The McIntosh, McIntosh Red, or colloquially the Mac, is an apple cultivar, the national apple of Canada. The fruit has red and green skin, a tart flavour, and tender white flesh, which ripens in late September. It is considered an all-purpose apple, suitable both for cooking and eating raw.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden Delicious</span> Apple cultivar

Golden Delicious is a cultivar of apple. It is one of the 15 most popular apple cultivars in the United States. It is not closely related to Red Delicious.

<i>Malus</i> Flowering genus, rose family Rosaceae

Malus is a genus of about 32–57 species of small deciduous trees or shrubs in the family Rosaceae, including the domesticated orchard apple, crab apples and wild apples.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bramley apple</span> Apple cultivar

Malus domestica is an English cultivar of apple that is usually eaten cooked due to its sourness. The variety comes from a pip planted by Mary Ann Brailsford. The Concise Household Encyclopedia states, "Some people eat this apple raw in order to cleanse the palate, but Bramley's seedling is essentially the fruit for tart, pie, or dumpling." Once cooked, however, it has a lighter flavour. A peculiarity of the variety is that when cooked it becomes golden and fluffy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cooking apple</span> Apple that is used primarily for cooking

A cooking apple or culinary apple is an apple that is used primarily for cooking, as opposed to a dessert apple, which is eaten raw. Cooking apples are generally larger, and can be tarter than dessert varieties. Some varieties have a firm flesh that does not break down much when cooked. Culinary varieties with a high acid content produce froth when cooked, which is desirable for some recipes. Britain grows a large range of apples specifically for cooking. Worldwide, dual-purpose varieties are more widely grown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Braeburn</span> Apple cultivar

The Braeburn is a cultivar of apple that is firm to the touch with a red/orange vertical streaky appearance on a yellow/green background. Its color intensity varies with different growing conditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gala (apple)</span> Apple cultivar

Gala is an apple cultivar with a sweet, mild flavor, a crisp but not hard texture, and a striped or mottled orange or reddish appearance. Originating from New Zealand in the 1930s, similar to most named apples, it is clonally propagated. In 2018, it surpassed Red Delicious as the apple cultivar with the highest production in the United States, according to the US Apple Association. It was the first time in over 50 years that any cultivar was produced more than Red Delicious.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pink Pearl (apple)</span> Apple cultivar

The 'Pink Pearl' apple is a pink-fleshed apple cultivar developed in 1944 by Albert Etter, a northern California breeder. It is a seedling of 'Surprise', another pink-fleshed apple that is believed to be a descendant of Malus niedzwetskyana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diphenylamine</span> Chemical compound

Diphenylamine is an organic compound with the formula (C6H5)2NH. The compound is a derivative of aniline, consisting of an amine bound to two phenyl groups. The compound is a colorless solid, but commercial samples are often yellow due to oxidized impurities. Diphenylamine dissolves well in many common organic solvents, and is moderately soluble in water. It is used mainly for its antioxidant properties. Diphenylamine is widely used as an industrial antioxidant, dye mordant and reagent and is also employed in agriculture as a fungicide and antihelmintic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Spy</span> Apple cultivar

Northern Spy also called 'Spy' and 'King', is a cultivar of domesticated apple that originated on the farm of Oliver Chapin in East Bloomfield, New York, in about 1840. It is popular in upstate New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cripps Pink</span> Apple cultivar

Cripps Pink is a cultivar of apple. It is one of several cultivars sold under the trademark name Pink Lady. It was originally bred by John Cripps at the Western Australia Department of Agriculture, by crossing the Australian apple Lady Williams with a Golden Delicious; the result is a combination of the firm, long-storing property of Lady Williams with the sweetness and lack of storage scald of Golden Delicious.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bitter pit</span> Physiological plant disorder

Bitter pit is a disorder in apple fruits, now believed to be induced by calcium deficiency. It occurs less commonly in pears.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newtown Pippin</span> Apple cultivar

The Newtown Pippin, also known as Albemarle Pippin, is an American apple that originated in the late 17th or early 18th century and is still cultivated on a small scale. At one time, there were two very similar apple cultivars known as the 'Yellow Newtown' and 'Green Newtown', one of which perhaps originated as a sport of the other.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple</span> Fruit that grows on a tree

An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree. Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus Malus. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, Malus sieversii, is still found. Apples have been grown for thousands of years in Eurasia and were introduced to North America by European colonists. Apples have religious and mythological significance in many cultures, including Norse, Greek, and European Christian tradition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belle de Boskoop</span> Apple cultivar

Belle de Boskoop is an apple cultivar which originated in Boskoop, Netherlands, where it began as a chance seedling in 1856. Variants include Boskoop red, yellow and green. This rustic apple is firm, tart and fragrant. Greenish-gray tinged with red, the apple stands up well to cooking. Generally Boskoop varieties are very high in acid content and they can contain over four times the vitamin C of Granny Smith or Golden Delicious.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">York Imperial</span> Apple cultivar

The 'York Imperial', or 'York', is a cultivar of apple from which a number of other valuable strains and cultivars have arisen, including four sport varieties: Commander York, Ramey York, Red Yorking, and Yorking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden Noble</span> Apple cultivar

Golden Noble is an old English cultivar of domesticated apple, which is especially used as a cooking apple, since it is resulting in a sweetish puree when cooked and is a good choice for apple sauce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newton Wonder</span> Apple cultivar

Malus domestica Newton Wonder is a cultivar of apple which is usually eaten cooked due to its sourness. The variety has a similar but slightly sweeter taste than the Bramley apple and is usually used in pies or as a preserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dumelow's Seedling</span> Apple cultivar

Dumelow's Seedling is a cultivar of domesticated apple that originated at Shackerstone in Leicestershire where it was grown by Richard Dumeller in 1800. It is known by many other names including 'Dumelow's Crab', 'Wellington', 'Doncklaer', 'Beauty', and 'Belle de Vennes'. The fruit is not ready for harvest until October, being one of the last of the season, and keeps well into the next year. Though inferior for use as a dessert apple it cooks well and in early-20th century England was one of the most valuable varieties of cooking apple.

Sylvia Blankenship is an American horticulturalist and inventor. She is an emeritus professor at North Carolina State University. She identified 1-methylcyclopropene, a compound which extends the storage life of fruits. Blakenship was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2020.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Martin, Megan (2005). "Maria Ann Smith (1799–1870)". Australian Dictionary of Biography . Vol. Supplement. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN   978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN   1833-7538. OCLC   70677943 . Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  2. ↑ "Your Guide to the Best Apples for Baking and Cooking".
  3. ↑ J. Dixon; E. W. Hewett (1998). "Temperature affects postharvest colour changes of apple" (PDF). Palmerston, New Zealand: Massey University.
  4. ↑ Grondine, Tracy (2018). ""After 50+ years, Red Delicious falls to #2 as most grown U.S. apple, Gala takes #1 spot"". U.S. Apple Association. Archived from the original on 30 August 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 Christie, Michael (1988). The Sydney Markets 1788–1988. Sydney, NSW: Sydney Markets Authority. pp. 64–65. ISBN   0-7305-5714-6.
  6. 1 2 "Granny Smith". City of Ryde. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  7. ↑ "The Granny Smith Apple". Sunday Times (Perth, Wa: 1902–1954). 2 November 1924. p. 25.
  8. 1 2 Symons, Michael (2007). One Continuous Picnic: A Gastronomic History of Australia (2nd ed.). Carlton, Victoria: Melbourne University Press. pp. 110–112. ISBN   978-0522853230.
  9. ↑ "Granny Smith Festival". ryde.nsw.gov.au. Archived from the original on 15 August 2011. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  10. ↑ Dr. Stephen Miller of the USDA Fruit Research Lab in Kearneysville, West Virginia.
  11. ↑ Hall.E.G. Scott, K.J.and Coote, G.G. (1961) Control of superficial scald with Diphenylamine. Aust.J. Agric.Res. 12 :834–857
  12. ↑ Little., C.R. And Holmes, R.J. (2000) Storage technology of apples and pears. Institute for Horticultural Development, Knoxfield Vic Australia
  13. ↑ Scott, K.J. O'Loughlin, J. England, B.and Roberts, E.A. (1985) Effects of water rinses after Calcium Chloride dips, with and without additives in the control of bitter pit of apples. Aust.J. Agric. Res.36 : 305–313
  14. ↑ "Apple varieties". US Apple Association . Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  15. ↑ Camm-Jones, Ben (2011). "Apple applies for Beatles' Granny Smith logo trademark". CIO. Archived from the original on 11 June 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  16. ↑ Bruce Handy (May 2015). "The Two Must-See, Must-Do, Must Step-On Works at Yoko Ono's MoMA Show". Vanity Fair . Archived from the original on 1 June 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  17. ↑ art by Derry Noyes & John Burgoyne (17 January 2013), Postal Service Issues Apples Postcard Stamps; Release No. 13-004, archived from the original on 16 July 2021, retrieved 25 November 2021
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.