Crab Apples

Feral_Moon

I've found a lovely crab apple tree where I walk my dog and it is currently laden with fruit, although still fairly green so I don't think it's quite ripe yet. I assume I have to wait until they go red?

What sort of recipes have people tried before? I don't want to pick them unless I can find a good use for them.

Islandmaid

Crab Apple Jelly is lovely, goes great with Pork or cheese

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/7661/crab-apple-jelly

thriftwizard

Crab apple & cranberry chutney's lovely; there's a slow-cooker recipe somewhere online which I'll try to hunt up for you. And crab apple jelly is also an excellent & unusual filling for jam tarts, nicely tangy & refreshing. I also add them to quince marmalade/jelly, but that rather depends on finding some quinces; Japonica quinces (those little lumpy things) work very well. Most people just let them rot on the (prickly) bush and are only too happy to let someone else pick them!

Money_maker

They start to fall when they're ripe, some are yellow when ripe rather than red. Love crab apple jelly on toast & its the only 'jam' my daughter will eat!

[Deleted User]

Gosh I can remember eating crab apples when I was young as we had a tree in our garden,back then virtually anything was fair game to eat as rationing made most children almost immune to sour things

We had very little sugar to sprinkle on things, so you just did without.

I have never been that keen on sugar and only have caster sugar indoors for cakes. I know you can whizz up ordinary sugar in the blender ,but I have never bothered.

My late Dad used to make all the jams and jellys in our house and was darned good at it as well. If you have a laden tree think of it as 'free' food, as the jelly is delicious on toast

thriftwizard

Not the same site, but I think it is the same recipe: Crab Apple Cranberry slow-cooked chutney - I used rosemary instead of thyme, as it grows easily here but thyme struggles, and it was fabulous, if I say it myself. Proof of the pudding was that there was none left at Christmas.

jackyann

Not all crab apples go red. But as you really have to cook them, then their exact ripeness isn't critical.
I chop out any bruised bits, everything else goes into making jelly with all sorts of flavourings.
Basically, you boil them with whatever else you are using until they are soft. Strain through a jelly bag (or old pillowcase) overnight (no squeezing - it will go cloudy). Measure, then boil with sugar: Ilb sugar to 1 pint of juice - after about 10 mins it will set.
My favourites are mint or rosemary to go with lamb and tarragonor thyme to go with chicken. I have also used blackberries, and on one occasion when I "inherited" a bottle of port, I made port jelly which was wonderful with cheese and I put into pretty dishes as Xmas gifts.
Crab apples are also the usual base for "rose petal jam" which is too delicate for my robust palate, but also makes a lovely gift.

Nargleblast

Our crab apple tree has fruit which turns a vibrant red when ripe, and best time for picking is October.

crazy-cat-lady_2

Spotted this thread and was hoping to steal some ideas. I have a big tree in my front garden and i try every year to use the fruit, but sadly the kids from the neighbourhood wander past and pick all the apples. THIS YEAR i will beat them to them!

I found this recipe a few days ago and plan to have a go at it. Just bought a bunch of jars so i can make a good amount of it for friends and family too.

http://www.grouprecipes.com/25133/crab-apple-chutney.html

Also, i've gone to pinterest and put crab apples in there. Lots of ideas, mainly crumbles, jellies and chutneys..but a few different ideas and recipes.

DigForVictory

Mum made crab apple syrup when we were small & made us have a dose every day for the vitamin C. (War must have been hell - it's what she was raised on as right & so we got a dose of it.)

The not quite ripe & vivid green are even more pectin rich so I'd chuck half a bucket into almost any jam I'm making just to save nervous wear & tear & buying pectin.

This recipe seems pretty straightforward.

Mojisola

Crab apple vodka is very nice - the only downside is that it looks like a sample you'd take to the surgery.