We have several crab apple trees on our homestead so I decided to make some Crab Apple Jelly with some of them. It's quite easy and makes some really, really delicious jelly.
Crab Apple Jelly
crab apples
sugar
apple cider vinegar
I soak my crab apples in a sink full of water and I add in about 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar. Let the apples soak for 30 minutes. If the crab apples are big enough, remove the stems. Our crab apples were super tiny and I just left the stems on them. We had about 3 1/2-4 lbs. of tiny crab apples.
Now, put the crab apples into a large pot and cover with water.
Bring them to a boil and then simmer them for 30 minutes. Pour through a sieve and now you have the juice needed to make the jelly. At this point, I threw out the boiled crab apples for the goats and donkeys. Take the juice and measure it. We ended up with 6 cups of juice.
Put the juice into a pot and add in the sugar. We used 4 1/2 cups of sugar but just use 3/4 cups of sugar for every 1 cup of juice you get. I also stirred in 4 drops of red food coloring to make it look prettier but that is not needed. The juice shown above is what it looks like without the added color.
Bring the mixture to a boil, turn the heat down to medium and let it gently boil for 15 minutes, stirring the whole time. Once the timer goes off, pour into hot sterilized jars and water bath process them for 10 minutes. Crab Apples contain natural pectin and do not require any added. You can use Clear Jel if you want though for a better set.
This made us 7 jars of jelly.
This jelly goes great on homemade biscuits or toast.
I made apple jelly for the first time this year. This post makes me want to find some crab apples.
ReplyDeleteThanks! It is a great way to use up crab apples!
DeleteWe've got at least one apple tree in our yard. It may be a crabapple tree - they are kind of small. This would be a great way to use some of that fruit. We don't have livestock yet, but I know at least two of our neighbors do.
ReplyDeleteLuAnn, crab apples are small. Do a search online and it is a great way to use these up.
DeleteI love crab apple jelly! It's been over 20 years, maybe 30, since I have eaten it. I certainly wish I had trees. :) Please stop by and share on Thursday's Treasures. http://www.recipesformyboys.com/2013/09/thursdays-treasures-week-102.html
ReplyDeleteWill do and thanks for letting me know about it.
DeleteI have never tried making this, but I will now. Thanks for the great recipe. Thanks for linking up this week at The Gathering Spot. You are my featured blogger this week :) Have a wonderful week!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for allowing me to link up with you each week. I am so honored that my post was chosen and was featured. I am proudly displaying the featured button!
DeleteCool! Never even tried crab apple jelly!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing at Back to the Basics for Tuesdays with a Twist!
Have a wonderful week!
http://back2basichealth.blogspot.com/2013/09/tuesdays-with-twist-24.html
Mary, thanks for letting me link up with you and for you stopping by my page!
DeleteI've heard of crab apple jelly, but I've never tasted it or made it. I have been ignoring the crab apples in my yard for years! We'll be trying this this year. Thank you for the recipe and tutorial
ReplyDeleteMelinda, did you ever try out the recipe?
DeleteI would very much appreciate that your content.I love jamming.
ReplyDeleteApple Trees & Magnolia Trees