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Distinctive Granny Smith breaks the mold of sweet-and-similar industrial
apples. It packs some real acidity. And, that color!
Large and classically shaped, this variety is slightly ribbed and slightly tapered (though more cylindrical than conical). The skin is a beautiful spring green, on closer inspection resolving into two distinct shades.
In the stem well and elsewhere the color is rich and saturated. In many other regions the green is glazed and milky.
These two veridian tints mix in streaks on most of the surface. The many large lenticels are lightest of all. The apple is firm and its aroma has citrusy overtones.
Inside is medium-dense white flesh shot with green highlights, full of tart
juice. It is crisp but not "breaking" and each bite has a little give to it.
Though her acidity asserts itself there is a good deal of balancing sweetness.
Lime, pear, and cane sugar mingle together, and the balance suggests an almost vinous quality. The skin is a bit chewy and there's a little nice lingering astringency.
Depending, maybe, on time of harvest, Granny can be harsh, but at best this variety is lively, refreshing, and no great challenge to enjoy. Her crabapple ancestry expresses itself gracefully in her taste. The dense flesh and assertive flavor make this one great for cooking, too.
This variety's year-round success holds a lesson for growers and breeders tempted to replicate the success of the Latest Sweet Thing. Granny was found as a chance seedling in New South Wales in the second half of the 19th Century.
No one bred this apple or would try to, yet it is probably Australia's most well-known apple export. Instantly recognizable, The Beatles chose it as the logo (at right) for their record label.
Update: If you like Granny, you might also enjoy these!
eatin one now
ReplyDeleteI know some bakers who would disagree with you!
ReplyDeleteBut I find that Granny is good for all sorts of cooking where you'd like the apple to retain its shape.
I bought a GS apple tree and am dismayed by it. It is particularly prone to large aphid infestations. At its best, it makes a poor cooking apple. I have no idea why it is recommended by cooks/cookbooks. Cooked, it has a mealy texture with no jouice, so it is awful in apple pie. Makes deplorable applesauce. Go for a Pippin! No comparison
ReplyDeleteA chacun son goute! I find they answer well for baking.
DeleteI think Granny Smiths must vary wildly in taste and texture based on where/how they are grown. The ones I can find where I live are similarly disgusting, and have a strong taste of something like the way hay smells when they are cooked. I don't like it all, I never use them in baking any more and have given up trying to find 'good' ones, as I can only assume the people raving about them are somehow eating a different tasting apple.
DeleteCurrent Granny Smiths differ from what I remember when I first discovered them years ago. Perhaps it's just a reflection of the sad state of my teeth, but they seem much harder now, and the taste is unbearably tart.
ReplyDeleteI used to really love this apple.
John, I believe the big growers standardly pick early, which could account for the tartness.
DeleteI believe John Bunker says Granny has been degraded by sporting. We humans just can't leave well enough alone, it seems.
Hi Adam, the Ryde council history page address has changed to https://www.ryde.nsw.gov.au/Library/Local-and-Family-History/Historic-Ryde/Historic-Figures/Granny-Smith
ReplyDeleteThank you, Marc! I hate it when links break. You've helped me to fix this one!
DeleteI love Granny Smiths for pies and cobblers! That's why I planted even more of the trees in my backyard orchard - to have enough to cook with and eat.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes think it is a small miracle that we can buy a truly tart apple in supermarkets at all! Still my go-to cooking apple out of season for that reason.
DeleteMy favourite ever since childhood, and I love it when it's really tart and the flesh is crispy. I find that sweeter varieties are not necessarily unedible when they get slightly mealy, but this one is, and I only like it when it's really crunchy. :-D I even included it in a tattoo I have on my shoulder, inspired by Magritte's painting "Ceci n'est pas une pomme". :-p
ReplyDeleteGranny is a really fine apple. Sadly often not allowed to mature fully before harvest. See John H's comment upthread.
DeleteHave you ever considered doing an "if you like" for those of us who really like apples at the tart end of the spectrum. Although Granny Smith is available almost year round, I'd love to have other options for variety, but find most everything else in the supermarket too sweet. (Did have a Pazazz recently and found it nicely on the tart side, though more acid than sour.)
ReplyDeleteHi Anne,
DeleteThis is a great idea, though perhaps more challenging than it seems.
For instance, I would not have thought of Pazazz by a long shot—it is much too sweet.
As are virtually all of the other apples that are generally available in supermarkets.
Reine de Reinettes can be quote bracing in tartness, though not always, and Reinette Simirenko, though not so tart, has some similar qualities (and is very good).
Anne, it's up!
DeleteLoads of spelling mistakes in this blog post, remember the z is your enemy. The word 'recognise' has no z. Likewise its 'mould' and not 'mold'.
ReplyDeleteHello, Dave, and thanks.
DeleteSadly, my blog is not error proof, and I am grateful to anyone who brings mistakes to my attention for me to fix.
I write, however, from Massachusetts, which is one of the 50 American states.
American English has diverged from the mother tongue. For instance, last Monday was Labor Day here, not Labour Day.
I sympathize with anyone who cares about language, but cannot sympathise.
To note these and other differences is interesting; to understand them is a noble pursuit.
But I suggest it is snobish, and untrue, to elevate one for over the other, outside of the appropriate national context, of course.
It would strike a false note for me to put on British airs.
Consequently I humbly insist on my American "recognize" and "mold" (and the double quotes that demarcate them), without in any way insisting that others conforms to those usages.