How To Make Crab Apple Jelly

An Easy Recipe for a Tasty Preserve

© Sarah Stefanson

Aug 19, 2008

A blossoming apple tree is a beautiful sight in the spring, but crab apples covering your yard later in the summer can be a major nuisance. Wasting all that fruit doesn’t feel good either, so pick those apples before they fall and do something useful with them. Crab apple jelly is delicious and relatively easy to make. It should require no commercial pectin, since crab apples are naturally high in pectin, but you may want to add some to ensure that your jelly turns out.

Harvesting Crab Apples

Crab apples are ripe when they turn red, but in my experience, once they are completely ripe, the worms start to get at them. Going through a ton of worm-infested apples is annoying and time consuming, so I advise picking your apples when they are only about half ripe. Look for apples that have a slight reddish tinge to them, but still plenty of yellow colouring.

Rinse your apples in cold water then remove stems, leaves and blossom ends.

To Make Clear Jelly, or Pulpy Jelly

There are several ways to make jelly and they will all give you one of two results: either clear, brightly coloured jelly or cloudy, pulpy jelly. The following are the methods I’ve found reliable.

Option #1

To create a clear jelly, start by chopping the crab apples in quarters. Keep an eye out for worms and discard any infested fruit. Start with 8 cups of apples and put them into a large stainless steel pot. Add water to the pot until you can see it and stop before the apples start floating. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and leave for about 10 minutes until the apples get soft and change colour. Resist the urge to stir, since the more the apples move, the cloudier your jelly will get.

Remove the pot from the heat and pour the apples and water through several layers of cheesecloth or a strong pair of pantyhose. Do not squeeze the apple mush; just let it drip into a pot until no more liquid escapes. You should end up with approximately 4 cups of juice.

Put the pot with the apple juice back on the stove and bring it to a boil for a few minutes before adding 3 cups of white sugar. Allow to boil until the mixture reaches 220 to 222 degrees F (108 to 110 C). If you don’t have a thermometer, wait until the jelly sheets from a metal spoon. Pour into sterile jars, leaving a quarter inch of space at the top.

Place the lids on the jars and the heat of the mixture should seal them. If not, seal them in a hot water bath.

Option #2

For a slightly cloudy, but equally delicious jelly, start by putting your halved crab apples through a juicer. Skim off any foam that collects on the surface. Then, starting with boiling the juice and adding sugar, repeat the rest of the process from above.

A Little Extra

To add a different flavour to your jelly, you can add spices such as cinnamon, cloves or nutmeg.

Clear Jelly

Cloudy Jelly

Option 1 & 2

Apple Blossoms

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