Stevation:

Don't believe the mites would be the problem. They would have to bronze all the leaves to have much effect. But if you were getting snow starting in mid Sept, you are in a very short growing season for Granny. We have been 70s and 80s the last six weeks. One day in 50s. My grannys still aren't ripe to my taste. In yrs past I've left them on the tree until mid Dec and still didn't think they were ripe. If you have liked them in the past, just figure this was a bad yr and hope next yr returns to normal.

The Fruitnut

Sorry they don't taste good this year. Those are really beautiful apples. I've heard Granny Smith develops a blush but haven't actually seen it having only experienced grocery store specimens.

So, probably the weather then, huh? I did leave about 30% of the apples on the tree, just to see what happens to them. They're getting a lot of lightly freezing nights these days, so I don't know how long they'll keep ripening, but since I have more than I can use and my neighbors don't seem real interested when I mention the tough skin this year, I guess I'll just wait and see if the ones on the tree continue to get any better.

Question: I cut some up to make a pie on Sunday (good one, too!), and a few of the apples had an unusual sort of clear, dark flesh inside. Kind of spotty coloration like that. Is that caused by freezing?

Thanks for the responses.

Stevation:

It certainly is reasonable to conclude that the interior deterioration of your apples is caused by low temperatures. That is the effect that freeze/thaw cycles have on most fruits and vegetables. Watercore in apples can cause a clear effect, but usually not dark in color.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Hey, thanks for the heads up about watercore. Being a backyard fruit grower, I don't have extensive knowledge on apples, so I hadn't heard about watercore before. I googled some photos, and it looks like that's probably what I see in some of my apples. Not many, but some are like that.

I can't address the tough skin on a Granny Smith as I've never seen it. I can say that after about 180 days from full bloom you are not going to see much improvement in fruit from Granny. It might taste a little better, but at the expense of storing. I wouldn't let them hang after several freezes. One would be the limit. Apples can have vintage years just like wine grapes. Sorta.
IMHO

stevation,

Are the seeds dark?

It seems like other clues are pointing to the fact that they may be technically ripe, just not very good.

I'd been of the understanding that watercoring was more common in fruit that have been allowed to stay on the tree past ripe. And bitterness isn't the kind of thing I'd expect to go away with more maturity.

Also, I know blush can occur independant of ripening, but the comments I'd heard in the past with Granny Smith is that the blushing comes with them ripening and that most commercial operations pick them early on purpose.

I probably have less direct experience than you do, so take my comments for what they are worth.

Well, I know it was in full bloom on April 13th, when I have a digital photo of it. 180 days would have been October 13th, but I do always leave them on the tree till late October in other years. Well, anyway, they don't taste bad if you peel them, like I did on Sunday when I made a pie with them. It's just the peel that has some bitterness, not the flesh.

I do think this was just a bad year for this tree, and I'm sure it will be better next year. I've had five good seasons from it before this, so I'm not really worried. As for eating these, we'll probably just cut them with the slicer and eat the slices so we can throw out the skin, unless the skin softens up a bit while they're sitting on the counter.

Murkey, the Grannys from Washington are often picked too early for my taste. People feel that Granny is a tart apple so what is the difference. Well, I think there is a difference, but the trade either doesn't know or doesn't care to know. There is a large Granny block down the road from me and I have seen them picked in the middle of September, taste be damed. Hey, it is a Granny Smith, it is supposed to taste like that(I guess is their logic to justify them doing that) Oh yes, I almost forgot, the price is very high at that time.
the Grannys that we grew back in the late seventies were the victim of other states telling the buyers that the red blush on our apples was sunburn. It was a lie. The blush was the result of sunny days and cold nights. If left they made an almost sweet (ok, sweeter) tasting Granny Smith apple. Now people here grow their Grannys in a real bush form for shading and little to no blush. They will still get kinda sweet after a while, I don't think the shading stops this.

I think the blush is beautiful. Consumers can be nuts sometimes. I'd love to try a fully ripened Granny sometime even though I generally like plenty of sweet in my sweet/tart.

I don't like starchy apples.

It sounds like stevation's are perfect for pie. People generally peel them for those anyway. I say freeze them and make pies, or vice versa.

You know, I was quite surprised when I first saw the blush on my Granny Smith apples when the tree was young. I thought I must have left them on the tree too long or something, because you're right -- you NEVER see them in the store with a blush. Then, after eating them, I decided the blush must be normal, because they sure tasted good! It's funny that you guys noticed it right away and commented on it. It has been a subject I've wondered about off and on these past five years.