At this time last year I was harvesting no end of crabapples and managed to use them preserved in some form or another for the whole year. I discovered several varieties, all of which were a pleasure to cook with. It became my favourite fruit – easy to pick and store, pretty, and useful in so many recipes – from spicy marinades to sweet treats. Some of my favourite recipes were: crabapple cordial; crabapple paste; biscotti; vinaigrette; chips.
I was looking forward to finding more varieties this year, maybe planting a tree or two, and trying some new recipes. However, our one tree has so few fruits on it this year, I figure I will just let the birds have them all. Here is a picture of our tree last year.
I did manage to collect some from a generous sister on a recent visit, enough to make a couple of new recipes. If you are lucky enough to have a source of crabapples this year, I hope you will find these recipes useful.
The first I made was a jam mixed with rhubarb, which is still flourishing, and a little fresh ginger. Crabapples are wonderful to mix with other fruit as they have so much pectin you don’t have to add any. I made it rather tart, but if you like a sweet jam, just add another 1/2 cup of sugar. I did not strain the crabapples after cooking, but if I can make this again I would because it would be better without the skins. The fruit is young enough the seeds are not a problem, but later in the season you will want to eliminate all of them too.
Crabapple, Rhubarb and Ginger Jam
Ingredients
1 3/4 lb or 5 cups crabapples
1 lb or 4 cups chopped rhubarb
1 cup sugar
2 Tsp grated fresh ginger
1 cinnamon stick
Method
Sprinkle the sugar over the rhubarb and set aside. Put the apples, ginger and cinnamon in a large pan and barely cover with water. Simmer until they are nice and soft, about half an hour on a low heat. At this point, I recommend cooling it a bit and straining it through a food mill or sieve.
Return the strained juice to the pot and add the rhubarb and sugar. Continue to cook about another 15 minutes until the rhubarb is tender. Pour into 3 medium sized jars.
No need to limit eating this jam just to toast for breakfast. It is also good with yogourt or with cheese.
August 12, 2014 at 4:58 pm
this must be delicious. served on a tea biscuit would be good too
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August 12, 2014 at 5:04 pm
If I was your neighbor, I would have brought my creations to barter with your masterpieces. 🙂
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August 13, 2014 at 1:56 am
You are too kind Fae.
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August 20, 2014 at 11:46 pm
I love homemade jam, and this looks delicious and tart, I never thought to put rhubarb in jam, thanks for sharing 🙂
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August 11, 2020 at 2:26 pm
After straining the Crabapple, how much juice is return to the pot?
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September 2, 2020 at 12:03 am
Sorry for the delay in responding. I have been out in the fields these last few days. I put all the juice back in the pot and boil it down until it is the right thickness – sometimes the thickness of paste and sometimes a little less for jam. To avoid having too much liquid and a long boiling time, I just cover the apples in water, having them totally submerged but no more. Hope that helps.
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