|
|
It's as American as the Australian Granny Smith apple pie
Nothing is more American than apple pie. Right? Well, it dependson what kind of apples are used to bake the pie. One of the mostpopular is the Granny Smithapple, which is grown in Washington State but actuallyoriginated in Australia. That's right, the Granny Smith apple gets its name from MariaAnn Smith, the grandmother who first cultivated it around 1865in ...
|
Eastwood, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney, Australia.Maria Ann and her husband, Thomas, like many of their neighbors,grew apples on their 24-acre farm. It seems that Maria Ann wasin the habit of throwing away her garbage down by a creek wherethe local raccoons usually came to eat and drink. One day shesaw a little apple seedling growing up through the pile ofgarbage. Thinking that the tree would provide shade for theraccoons, she began to nurture it. Eight years later, the treebore fruit of a variety that had never been seen before -- alarge, juicy green apple with a tart flavor and a crisp texture.Maria Ann Smith died on March 9, 1870, unaware that her applewould become one of the most popular varieties in the world. Herhusband died six years later. Their neighbors continued tocultivate her apple, and in the 1891 Castle Hill Agriculturaland Horticultural Show, "G...
...ranny Smith's seedlings" took theprize for cooking apples. By the next year, many growers wereentering "Granny Smith's" in similar competitions. The GrannySmith apple wasn't introduced into the United States until 1972.Today, visitors can still see the headstone of Maria Ann andThomas Smith where it stands in the churchyard of St. Anne'scemetery, Ryde. Part of the southern boundary of their farm isnow the Granny Smith Memorial Park. There's even an annualGranny Smith Festival in Eastwood, which draws almost 100,000people each October. Festival highlights include the firewordsdisplay and Grand Parade down Rowe Street, led by the EastwoodMounted Police. The festival also features live entertainment,rides, food stalls and associated community events.Granny Smith apples have become one of the most popular applesin the world largely because of their versitility. They can beused for not only apple pie, but also for cooking just abouteverything from cakes to soup and sauces. They're great insalads because after they're cut up the slices don't turn brownas fast as other varieties. They also go well as garnishes withwhite meats such as pork and chicken, and they freeze easily.And on top of all that, they also tase good right off the tree!Interested in this subject? Try this link for more of thesame....
|
