Granny Smith Apples

Photo of Maria Ann Sherwood known as Granny Smith and husband Thomas from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granny_Smith

Granny Smith, the discoverer of Australia's most useful apple died in 1870. In the early 1860's, Mrs. Maria Ann Smith tipped out some rotten Tasmanian Apples on the bank o£ a creek at her home in Eastwood near Sydney. A tree that grew from a seed of these apples produced a fruit found to be good for both eating and cooking. Mrs. Smith cultivated a few trees and a relation, Edward Gollard, planted a small orchard with cuttings from these trees. The fruit made a name for itself and in 1895 the Government Experimental Station at Bathurst started to develop this new variety.

Granny Smith Apples were first grown in Doncaster in the early 1920's. One of the first growers was George Sell at East Doncaster, but the variety did not become well known till about 1940. The Granny Smith ripened at the end of the season and kept well in cold storage - qualities that made it one of the most profitable apples grown in the district.

The Society would be interested to know who was the first grower of Granny Smith Apples in Doncaster.

Irvine Green writing in 1970 08 DTHS Newsletter

See also: Granny Smith - Wikipedia