In 1868, Maria Ann Smith, a sexagenarian from Australia, purchased a crate of French crab apples. After using them to bake pies, she discarded the scraps in a compost pile. To her surprise, a sprout emerged from the pile. Smith nurtured it, and it eventually produced more apples. Despite Smith’s passing in 1870, her family continued to care for the apple tree. Over time, it grew into an orchard, and other farmers in New South Wales began cultivating it. In 1890, the apple won a cooking competition under the name Granny Smith’s seedling, propelling its popularity. By World War I, Granny Smith apples had become widely known. Today, according to Google Trends, Granny Smiths rank as the third most searched for apple variety, following Honeycrisp and Gala. Search interest typically peaks during October and November.
