Unfortunately for the poor Crab-apple, I have taken to calling them crap-apples over the years, call me childish if you will, but they are crap apples: Never one to please you on an autumn stroll, a crab-apple straight of the ground won’t do much for your taste buds, that tart sharpness is better put to use in the kitchen with a few store cupboard staples, than wolfed down straight off the tree.
In the same way as hawthorn berries, crab-apples pack a lot of pectin, especially in the skin. It is for this reason crab-apple jelly is the most obvious choice when converting this fruit into something edible. Surely there can be other uses for them than just jelly? After having a good think about it, I decided there were.
Crab-apples make particularly good ammunition: In my youth many a brisk October day was spent with friends and black widow catapults, nailing each other in a primitive form of paintball. Yes, they do hurt! Especially because they rarely explode like paintballs and ping off skin and bone mercilessly.
Crab-apples are sometimes added to batches of cider to make for a more interesting flavour. In some cases crab-apples have been crossed with other varieties of apple types and you do come across a few trees which have a more favourable taste, but very rarely.
In terms of gathering, they are very easy to harvest, either shaken straight off the tree or collected off the ground. It takes barely anytime to get yourself a good hoard to take home to process into something a little more user friendly.
When I returned home with my batch of Sussex Crab-apples I wasted no time in getting stuck in to some apple experimentation. Baked, crab-apples become quite palatable in much the same way as cooking apples do. I felt they might make quite a useful addition to a chutney, I had just made a batch so I fancied something different and decided to concentrate on using the pectin-packed apples for a spot of jelly making and maybe a little boozing…
Weston’s finest Crab-apple jelly:
This will make a clear jelly, if you are after a cloudy one then mush the apples through your muslin when the time comes…
- 8 cups of Quartered Crab-apples
- 3 cups of white sugar
- A pinch of cinnamon
Wash the apples and chop them into quarters (skins, cores and all). Place in a stainless steel pan and add enough cold water till you can just see it sitting between the apples.
Bring to the boil and then turn the heat down to a gentle simmer for 12 minutes.
Remove the apples from the heat and place in muslin or an old pair of pantyhose. To get a clear jelly it is important that you DON’T squeeze the mush out, but leave the muslin bag to drip into a saucepan in its own time.
Take the strained juice and place back on the hob and bring to the boil again. Add the sugar and the cinnamon and stir for about a minute. Boil hard for an hour until the setting point is reached (108-110C), then skim off any foam.
Pour into warm sterilized jars, allow to cool and seal. Place in the fridge till needed.
Other uses: Booze!
I mentioned earlier using it for boozing…why not? In this case it is important to pour out a little of your jelly before it has reached the setting point, basically just after all the sugar has dissolved. This will give you a rich apple & cinnamon syrup, perfect for using with alcohol.
The syrup is a wonderful addition to mulled cider (make sure to use a dry cider or it may be too sweet) or can be mixed in an old-fashioned glass with a little vodka and lemon juice over ice. If you are feeling a little Latin, then try using a light rum, a few lime quarters, the syrup and crushed ice and give it a good muddle (mix) and you will end up with what is referred to in the cocktail business as a Caipirissima.
To do the crispy apple slices pictured above, simply heat a little golden syrup in a pan, core and finely slice an apple (use a mandolin if you wish), dip the slices in the syrup and place on greaseproof paper. Put in a preheated oven at 190C till browned.
Crab-apple trees are extremely common throughout Britain, they tend to be found just as frequently in cities as they do in the countryside, so you have no excuse where you live. Crab-apple season is upon us people! Put plastic shopping bags to good use and go fill them up, add a few hours in the kitchen and you wont have to buy so many Christmas presents for relatives!
Hello there,
I have been quietly enjoying your blog for a few months. I have a recipe for pickled crab apples if you are interested. The apples are kept whole and pickled in a spiced sweet-sour brine. They are supposed to be good with roasted meats (and presumably game, which is right up your alley). I haven't tried it yet because I haven't found any crab apples, but I'm curious how it would turn out. Let me know and I'll send it along to you. Thanks from Minnesota, USA for the fun blog!
Posted by: Lillian | October 22, 2008 at 11:18 PM
Dear Lillian,
Thank you for the comments, glad you have been enjoying the blog! I would love to take a look at the pickled crab apple recipe- sounds amazing, I had my crab apple jelly with duck the other night and it was great cut the richness perfectly.
Regards,
Nick.
Posted by: Nick Weston | October 23, 2008 at 09:32 AM
I love your jelly jars! I bought a quart of crab apples from a farm stand last year because they were so pretty. My favorite use for them was in braised red cabbage. They added the perfect tart/sweet component.
Posted by: Maggie | November 09, 2008 at 01:25 AM
Those jars remind me strongly of Dowe Egburt coffe jars - we have many of those we use for dry storage - am I right, and do you find they work well for jam/jelly?
Posted by: Kevin | March 20, 2011 at 03:49 PM
They are indeed the same coffe jars- very handy and a nice tight seal- finished the jelly before longevity was put to the test...
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Posted by: Nick Weston | March 23, 2011 at 06:51 PM
My crabapple tree is covered in bright red little sour apples. Most people (that are not gardeners) tell me they are worthless and to be used for kids and teenagers for a crabapple fight. My little ones like to just pick and eat (or more like suck) on them.
Posted by: Max | June 22, 2012 at 11:49 AM
Hi there, I just found your blog post after searching for sussex crab apples, as I'm in sussex and trying to find out if where the wild crabapples grow in my area - I want to make some crabapple cider! If you wouldn't mind sharing whereyou got yours, that'd be lovely of you!
Posted by: tara | August 08, 2013 at 04:56 PM