Granny Smith apple

Malus domestica

The most instantly-recognised of all apples, and perhaps Australia's most famous export.

Granny Smith apple photo tape

Parentage: Unknown - possibly French Crab
Origin: Australia
Introduced: 1860s
Season: Dec-Jun
Apple cultivar ID: 112900


Perhaps the most instantly recognisable of all apple varieties and one of the most widely known, Granny Smith is also one of Australia's most famous exports.

Granny Smith pre-dates the modern approach to apple development and marketing. Like all the best old varieties it has a bizarre history, being discovered in Austrialia in the 1860s as a seedling growing in a rubbish tip. The true parentage is still unknown. The discoverer - a Mrs Mary Smith of course - found that the apple was versatile for cooking and eating, and was involved in spreading its popularity. In an inspired piece of marketing she called the new apple Granny Smith. By the 1960s Granny Smith was practically syonymous with 'apple' and the variety was used by the Beatles as the logo for their company 'Apple Records'.

Granny Smith was one of the original staple supermarket varieties, and one of the first international varieties, a role for which it was well suited. The tough skin and amazing keeping qualities meant it could easily be shipped around the world. It requires a hot climate to ripen properly though and is not grown commercially in the UK.  The trademark apple-green skin requires warm days and nights - we have seen Granny Smiths grown at a relatively high altitude in central France which develop a blush because of the cold night temperatures towards the end of the growing season.

There is only one word to describe the flavour 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. Nevertheless, its share of the international market is on the decline, with supermarkets preferring to sell bi-coloured varieties with a sweeter flavour.

Update: Granny Smiths in Central California, from Axel in Santa Cruz

Here in coastal Central California apples can remain on the tree well into February. Our nights get quite cool, mid 30's to mid 40's, but we rarely experience freezing temperatures. Daytimes are usually in the 50's to low 60's. In that climate, Granny Smiths go from being green to turning completely yellow and looking almost like Golden Delicious. What is more significant is how the fruit tastes. The acidity definitely mellows significantly, and it then takes on an amazing balanced flavor. I can't imagine anyone ever selecting such an apple and promoting it unless they got to taste it in this form, because when it's fully ripe, it's simply one of the best, crunchiest, most balanced table apple I've eaten.

We have several apples growing in this area that are very late ripening, e.g. January and February. Lady Williams, Pink Lady, Hoover, Hauer pippin and Granny Smith all come to mind. These are all essentially inedible in November, and don't become tasty until January, Some will also mellow on the tree, but the BRIX goes way up if left on the tree. Of course, in our climate, some apple trees retain their leaves all the way into January. I have one tree called 'Sweet Valentine' named for the fact that the fruit ripens on valentine's day. It was discovered locally as a rootstock seedling shoot in an abandoned orchard.

It is said that the best apples are the ones that ripen when the leaves begin to turn and fall off. The theory has it that the nutrients that went to the leaves go to to the apples. I've tasted Fujis left on the tree, and they develop an incredibly sweet water core, almost like eating pure honey - too sweet for my taste, but it is a fun experience.

For us, since our apples grow into January, it makes the late apples the best quality apples we can grow. Unfortunately, no one in commercial apple growing cares, because the entire fruit growing industry is bent on only one thing: getting the first fruit to market to get the highest possible price. The end result is that a lot of these amazing late varieties are simply forgotten, or they don't let them ripen properly, as is the case with the granny smith.

Visitor comments

(Use the form at the bottom to add your own comments, or reply to one of the existing comments)

30 Jul 2008 02:27   Gary from UK
Are there any Granny Smith hybrid apples?Reply to this comment
15 Jun 2008 23:22   Lucas V, from Rainier, OR
I noticed that the history is conflicting with a story in "The New Book of Apples." It says that the woman who found it was a Mrs. Anne Smith. It also says that the one of the parents is French Crab. Mrs. Smith found the seedling in a stream where she had dumped some apple remains from Sydney, moved it, and used its apples for cooking. A boy said they were good to eat. Mrs. Smith's family propagated the tree, and the rest is history.Reply to this comment
09 May 2008 03:21   Mathew Cheruvathoor from South India
Granny Smiths are being seen in shops in Kerala recently. Really good apples, what's best about them is the texture; very dense and crisp. stays fresh for quite a while. superb taste, not too sweet, very refreshing.Reply to this comment
24 Apr 2008 13:34   Alan from Norfolk/UK
Which are the best varieties to have with Granny Smith apples for pollination in the UK. Many Thanks AlanReply to this comment
23 Apr 2008 19:22   Baxter, David from Dordogne, France
Is it true Granny Smith apples are not grown in UK ? OP: Not commercially to my knowledge. They are grown in France though, e.g. Limousin.Reply to this comment
23 Feb 2008 04:25   Reece from Australia
These apple r so mad and refreshingReply to this comment
06 Feb 2008 03:28   Josh Comery from UK
Granny smith apples rock!!!! I'm eating one right now :) Its sour, but refreshing.Reply to this comment
27 Nov 2007 00:00   Michaela from USA
I love these apples because they are a bust of sweet and sour combination in every bite.Reply to this comment
17 Nov 2007 23:26   Gagik Movsesyan from Burbank, CA, USA
I've always called this apple as my favorite "sour" apple, because my grandpa had planted two of these apple trees in our backyard back in Armenia and every fall we been harvesting and wraping in papers for winter with my grandma. In dedication of my fathers memory/he passed away six month ago in Armenia/ and for his 89th B-day, today I have planted a gorgeous Granny Smith apple tree right in front of my balcony. God Bless Mrs Mary Smith.Reply to this comment
02 Nov 2007 15:37   Brad from USA
I've always liked sweet-tart combinations, so this has always been one of my favorite fruits It is also very crisp and not too juicy, which I like in an appleReply to this comment
09 Oct 2007 02:18   Kelly Crutcher from USA
I've always liked these apples. They're great by themselves, but I think they're best when they've been chilled slightly first.Reply to this comment

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  • 09 Aug 08  Axel Kratel  Santa Cruz, California, United States

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