Recipe Wednesday! Bumper Crop of Crab Apples!

Apples, apples everywhere! All the rain early this spring prevented bugs and diseases from getting to the apple trees, so even if you didn't spray your trees,
you probably have great apples this year. Here are a few recipes to use up the harvest!

CRAB APPLE BUTTER

Ingredients:

4 pounds apples(about 16 medium)
4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves

Directions:

To prepare pulp: Cook apples down and put apples through a food mill. Combine apple pulp, sugar and spices in a large saucepot. Cook slowly until thick enough to round up on a spoon. As mixture thickens stir frequently to prevent sticking. Ladle hot butter into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, adjust two piece caps. Process 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.

Note : If butter becomes too thick add water or apple juice for desired consistency.

(from Ball Blue Book!)

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"This is a fresh tasting, pure jelly with NO PECTIN added! Just the goodness of your backyard. No commercial pectin is required as crabapples have high natural pectin content."

CRAB APPLE JELLY

Ingredients:

8 cups fresh crabapples
water as needed
3 cups white sugar
1 (3 inch) cinnamon stick (optional)

Directions:

Remove stems and blossom ends from crabapples, and cut into quarters. Place them in a large stainless steel or other non-reactive pot or saucepan. Add enough water to be able to see, but no so much that the crabapples are floating. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. The apples should soften and change color.
Strain the apples and juice through 2 or 3 layers of cheese cloth. You should have at least 4 cups of juice. Discard pulp, and pour the juice back into the pan. Bring to a simmer, and let cook for 10 minutes. Skim off any foam that comes to the top. Next, stir in the sugar until completely dissolved. Continue cooking at a low boil until the temperature reaches 220 to 222 degrees F (108 to 110 C). Remove from heat.
Pour the jelly into sterile small decorative jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Process in a hot water bath to seal.

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CRAB APPLE LIQUEUR

Ingedients:

4 quarts crabapples, washed,cored and quartered
4 cups sugar
3 cups vodka

Directions:

Fill 1 (4-quart) mason jar with tight-fitting lid with prepared crabapples.
Add the 4 cups of sugar and three cups of vodka.
Store the jar on its side, turning once every day for 16 days to help the sugar to dissolve.
After 16 days, filter out the fruit bits and bottle.

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CRAB APPLE BREAD

Ingredients:

1/2 c. shortening (or use oil)
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. soda
2 tsp. salt
2 c. chopped red crab apples, peeled
2 c. flour

Directions:

Mix all together. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.

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CRAB APPLE JUICE



Cover crab apples with water. Cook about 15 minutes. Let cool. Drain well.

2 c. juice
2 c. water
1/3 c. sugar

Boil 5 minutes. Pour while hot into jars. Can, or cool the juice well, then freeze.

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"Somebody’s little girl—she played once under a crab-apple tree in June and the blossoms fell on the dark hair.
Let ’em dream long as they want to … of June somewhere… and crabapple blossoms."
~from "Crabapple Blossoms" by Carl Sandburg
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***BONUS RECIPE***
Use up those peels & cores! :)

CANDY APPLE JELLY

After peeling your apples, you boil the skins and core (minus the blossom end) to make jelly. To the boiled juice add about 1/2 c. red hots candy and make candy apple jelly...

APPLE JUICE JELLY RECIPE:

(Makes about 4 (8 oz) half pints)

Ingredients:

1-3/4 cups unsweetened apple juice (14 oz)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 3-oz pouch Ball® RealFruit™ Liquid Pectin
3-1/2 cups sugar
4 Ball® Plastic (8 oz) Freezer Jars

Directions:

1.) COMBINE apple juice with sugar in a large bowl, mixing thoroughly. Let stand 10 minutes.
2.) ADD entire contents of pectin pouch and lemon juice. Stir for 3 minutes
3.) LADLE freezer jelly into clean freezer jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Apply caps and let jelly stand in refrigerator until set, but no longer than 24 hours. Serve immediately, refrigerate up to 3 weeks, or freeze up to 1 year.