Apples, Granny Smith
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Description:
The Granny Smith is a chance seedling originating in Australia in 1868 and named after Maria Ann (Granny) Smith. The Granny Smith apple is tangy and tart. This is THE baking apple of choice as it has a deep dense texture that allows for longer cooking. It is a great choice for pies and cobblers and even baked on its own.
The general rule is, tart apples are great for baking, whereas sweet apples make great hand fruit.
Granny Smith apples are the gold standard for baking, and Fuji or Gala apples are more for eating out of hand. Golden Delicious or Red Delicious are not suitable for baking, what you are looking for are apples that have some tartness to them to stand up to the sugar in the recipe.
The three major apple-growing regions in the U.S. are the States of Washington, New York, and Michigan.
Receiving and Storage
When storing and handling apples, avoid dropping the case as they’re very susceptible to bruising–they’re still edible, but the bruising limits their shelf life and the bruises can also taste a little bitter.
Keep apples dry and wash them right before you use them, you don’t want them sitting in your refrigerator or your cooler wet, that breaks them down quicker.
You also want to keep them away from strongly scented items such as onions. An apple will absorb that onion flavor, and nobody really wants an apple that tastes like an onion. You don’t want to keep them near ethylene, it’s not sensitive, but it will shorten the shelf-life and it can make the apples a little mealy.
Recommended Storage Temperature
The recommended optimum storage temperature for the Granny Smith apple is 32° – 40°F. We recommend you store them in the front part of your cooler (near the door). The temperature fluctuates from the front to the back of the cooler due to the location of the cooling unit and frequency of the door being opened. Download our PDF for more cooler storage hints.
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