Soons Orchards does not grow Granny Smith apples, nor will any honest grower in New York (with the rare exception of Long Island and the Westchester coast perhaps). The reason is simple: Granny Smith will not finish in this climate – we don’t have a long enough growing season. If we grew it, or if others in most all of NY did, we’d get a green-fleshed, immature apple by the time of a hard freeze. Looks like a Granny Smith, but not very good.
Recipes often “call” for Granny Smith because they are typically available at the supermarket year round, thanks to imports from New Zealand, California and elsewhere. Simply substitute an apple on the tart side and you’ll be fine. Gravensteins, Greenings, Cortlands, Winesap, Idared – there are many choices depending on the time of season. Your recipe will be better with a local, fresh apple than something shipped around the world and most likely coated in a waxy preservative (ewww!).