Granny Smith And The Story Of The Green Apple

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Juicy, fleshy, red, yellow, loose, green, bitter, small and large, sweet… Apples exist in over 7,000 varieties worldwide. They are one of the most versatile fruits, and their taste sweetens or refreshes some of the most delicious desserts on earth. In pies, strudels, pies, baked or raw, they deliver real pleasure.

There are always many stories around them related to interesting recipes, events or people. One of them is the story of the Australian Maria Ann Smith and one of the popular varieties of apples. Granny Smith ”. Remember, these are those light green sweet and sour juicy apples that do not darken after cutting?

In 1868, returning from the Sydney market, Mary Ann Smith threw a few apple seeds in her compost. Maria Ann is an elderly woman, she is British by birth and very tempted in fruit growing and selection of varieties. Not long after, a young plant sprouts in the place of the thrown seeds, which she begins to take care of. When the small tree finally bears fruit, their soft and juicy taste, despite the green bark, is immediately liked by all who have had the opportunity to try. That's how it appears the Granny Smith variety (Baba Smith), who soon became a world celebrity.

Born in Pismarsh, Sussex, England, in 1799, Mary Ann Smith emigrated to New South Wales, Australia, in 1838. Her husband, Thomas, found work near Ryde, now a Sydney suburb, in a well-known fruit-growing area.

The family bought a plot of about ten hectares, on which they will grow fruit to sell at the market in Sydney, where Maria Ann's pies were a great success.

At that time, apple trees were still a rarity in Australia. A captain named Arthur Philip, the first governor of South Wales, claims to have planted some of the first apples in Port Jackson, Sydney's old name, in 1788. It is said that Captain William Bly, an officer in the British Navy, brought the apple to Tasmania the same year he stopped his ship, the famous Bounty, in Adventure Bay. The ship's botanist, Dr. Nelson, planted apple seedlings and a few seeds there, and the trees soon sprouted. Thus, Tasmania became the Island of Apples, and today it is a tradition to grow them there.

“ Granny SmithConsidered a cross between the Australian apple and the wild apple (which explains its shiny skin and its ability to survive for a long time), quickly became popular, first under the name "half Smith".

Its cultivation is spreading in Australia and beyond, thanks to its quality to be transported over long distances without changing its taste. In 1975, this bright green fruit accounted for more than 40% of apple crops in Australia.

Today it grows warm, and with its fine rind and easy cultivation quickly becomes synonymous with apple all over the world. Every October The Granny Smith Festival attracts more than 80,000 people to Eastwood, the neighborhood where Mary Ann Smith lived in Ride.

Granny Smith captures the hearts and imaginations of both artists and musicians. In 1966, the artist Rene Magritte, for whom this fruit became a kind of muse, painted a Granny Smith, crispy and green, and under it he wrote "Goodbye" - an indirect reference to the Garden of Eden. Singer Paul McCartney bought this painting a year later from art dealer Robert Fraser.

The Beatus musician says: “One day he brought this painting to our country. It was written simply "Goodbye" under this beautiful green apple. This big green apple that I have today served as an inspiration for our logo. The Beatles' new company, called Apple Corps, has just been born. The band's albums also featured a photo of a Granny Smith. Later, the musicians fought with the giant Apple for the rights to the logo, which they eventually lost.

Crispy, with a slight sour taste at the first bite, but juicy and soft afterwards, Granny Smith is great to eat. And that's not all, its resistance to cooking and its balanced, at the same time soft and sharp taste, combine perfectly with many desserts, especially with the famous apple pies. And them, Baba Smith would certainly approve.