Crab Apple Recipes?

Katgoddess

I have a beautiful crab apple tree in my front garden which has loads of fruit on it. They look like small elongated golden delicious, with bits of rosy red on them.

They taste sour. _pale_

I *think* they are ripe, as lots of them have fallen onto the ground.

Does anyone have any recipes, other than the jam/jelly ones that google gives me?

Can I use them like cooking apples? Like in pies and crumbles?

I'm quite excited, as I haven't had a chance to do any old style gardening, other than my mother's tomato's. I realised this morning while waiting for someone to pick me up that I could eat them. :j

Cheers

Ted_Hutchinson

wash 6lb crab apples cut in quarters (don't bother to peel or core)
Put in a pan with 3 pints water bring to boil and simmer for hour and a half {or use half this amount of water and pressure cook for about 10 mins}
You can add cloves or bruised root ginger.
When cooked down strain through a jelly bag or Muslin cloth.
Measure the juice and boil up with 1lb sugar to each pint of juice.
Stir on a simmer until sugar has dissolved. ( I take about 10-15 minutes to make sure this is fully done)
Boil rapidly (about 8 -10 minutes) to setting point.
Pot as usual
You can scale this recipe up or down as the supply of fruit and size of pans requires. The important thing to remember is Ilb sugar to 1pt juice.

mrs_baggins

I have found a tree with crab apples but if I picked any wouldnt know ehat to do with them apart from jelly so any suggestions would be helpful

miketebb

I seem to recall my parents making wine with crab apples.

Mind you they seemed to make wine with anything back in the 70's!!

lushkat

I was watching Countryfile on Sunday and they were in the forest on a survival course. They picked loads of crab apples and then put them on a stick and roasted them in a fire - apparently (according to the presenter) they are delicious!!

thriftlady_2

When all aloud the wind doth blow,
And coughing drowns the parson's saw,
And birds sit brooding in the snow,
And Marian's nose looks red and raw,
When roasted crabs hiss in the bowl.
William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
Love's Labour's Lost, 1594

The crabs referred to here by Shakespeare are crab apples and they were added to bowls of spiced ale - wassail. See here for more info
http://www.christmasarchives.com/crabs.html

A quick google of 'crab apple recipes' brought up this site which has a good selection of non-jelly recipe http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,crab_apple,FF.html
HTH:)

Btw the 'parson's saw' refers to his sermon not his woodwork tools Sorry if you knew that - ex-teacher, old habits die hard:o

mrs_baggins

lushkat wrote:

I was watching Countryfile on Sunday and they were in the forest on a survival course. They picked loads of crab apples and then put them on a stick and roasted them in a fire - apparently (according to the presenter) they are delicious!!

well they must have different taste buds to me!! I picked a few and then wondered to myself hmmm wonder what they taste like. I had a bite and god.... spat it straight out and my mouth was devoid of all moisture. It was horrible. Perhaps they taste better after they have been cooked. Or maybe they were so hungry they didn't care

nuttywoman

BIL gave them to me today, i want to make something with them, anybody any ideas please?

meanmarie

Wash, chop...no deed to core or peel, cover with water, bring to boil, simmer until very soft. Leave to cool for a while, line a colander with kitchen towel, put pulp and liquid in, place over a bowl and leave to drip overnight. Do not press pulp through to get more juice. Measure juice, add 1 lb sugar to each pint of juice, bring to boil and boil for about 15 mins, test for setting by placing small amount on saucer, place in fridge and after a few minutes push surface on saucer,if it wrinkles turn off heat and let cool before potting in jars. To vary taste, you can put a couple of cloves in each jar...or add some chopped mint to make a jelly to serve with lamb or other cold meat.

I woke up one Sunday last year to find that a cousin had left me 6 stones of crab apples outside the door...he was in a hurry so couldn't wait!!

I think that you will like the result

Marie

Penelope_Penguin

Hi there :beer: We have a short thread with a few other ideas for crab apples. I'll add this question, so that you can browse those ideas too

Penny. x

janetmw

I have made Crab Apple Jelly with other herb flavourings:

Sage crab apple jelly is delicious with pork or poultry and Rosemary crab apple jelly is perfect with lamb.

Although my tree is loaded, I'm don't think I'll bother this year. I still have plenty left from last year and am up to my eyes with blackberry & apple jam this year.

My damson tree yielded 100lbs of fruit last year. This year we have 12 fruits!

Janet