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Crab Apple Jelly Recipe

27th September, 2009

Crab Apples

Castor Sugar

Juice of 1 Lemon

Crab Apple Trees are burgeoning with fruit at the moment. The trees are a great wildlife food larder, and birds love the fruit. However, theres more than enough to go around so why not pick some and make some Crab Apple jelly that can be used as a delicious jam.

1. Collect apples and then give them a good wash in hot water.

2. Cut out any bruised flesh and also remove the blossom heads - (the hard bits at the end).

3. Fill pan with water and add apples. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 20-25 mins until the crab appples are nice and soft. Drain water and give them a mash with a potato masher.

4.Place fruit in a muslin bag or clean tea towel then place over a saucepan that will collect the crab apple juice. Resist giving the bag a squeeze as this could cloud the jelly. Leave overnight.

5. The following day pour the collected Crab Apple juice into a measuring jug. Then for every 100ml of juice you will need 70ml of sugar. So if you have 250ml of crab apple juice, you will need to measure out 185ml of sugar.

6. Pour the juice back into the pan and add the sugar and lemon. Stir on a boil, let the sugar dissolve and keep removing any froth that gathers.

7. After about 35 minutes pour the crab apple liquid jelly into clean preserve jars whilst still warm. Tightly seal the jars and place in a cool dark storage place such as a kitchen cupboard or food larder.

8. Experiment - This is the standard recipe for Crab Apple jelly, but for variation you can give the jelly a twist by adding another ingredient such as cinammon, chillies, vanilla, rosemary, sloe etc.