Jennifer23

I ended up with 50+ lbs of crabapples. They're delicious, but I need some more recipes! I've made applesauce, dried apple chips, crabapple jelly, and sliced and froze for pie. Does anyone have good recipes to use up my crabapple surplus?

Iceblossom

I am still a sucker for the spiced crabapples in a jar. Those violently red colored ones... When I was a young girl, they were a common garnish for the plate, a bit of lettuce maybe with a bright red crabapple or slices.

Here's a basic recipe,
https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_02/cra...e_spiced2.html

And here's a prettier version with pictures -- still no red coloring though!
https://theviewfromgreatisland.com/o...d-crab-apples/

Tartan

Can they be frozen to use in smoothies?

OurWorkbench

I don't know how crab apples would work, but Iceblossom reminded me of something along the lines of https://www.theseoldcookbooks.com/re...nnamon-apples/ and https://cookingbride.com/side-dishes...nnamon-apples/

Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.
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juliasb

I have made them into juice it is yummy. Nice and tart. Very rich.

tropit

We also have a big surplus of apples (regular ones.) Some of the things that we make from them are:

Apple Cider Vinegar: So easy to make. Can be made from the flesh, or for a light, elegant vinegar, use the skins only.

Hard, Fizzy Cider: My DH makes beer and hard, apple cider every year. It's way better and far cheaper than what you can buy in the store and both are super refreshing on a hot, summer day.

Apple Cider Soda Pop: This is natural soda with probiotics. Easy...takes just a few days, especially during this warm weather.

Plain, Old Apple cider: Just juice them and enjoy. You can freeze the juice too.

I'll be glad to send over some recipes, or steer you toward some websites, if you're interested in any of these. Let me know.

Jennifer23

Ooh, these sound great! Thank you all!

IceBlossom, I've been thinking about trying to can some like this - I've heard childhood stories of these from a few people, but never had them myself.

Tartan, I hadn't thought of smoothies, but I will be trying that out tomorrow! They're so flavorful, I bet it will be good.

Janey, I've never seen those bright red cinnamon apples before. I don't think it would work with the crabs I have (they fall apart pretty much instantly when heated), but I have bookmarked it to try out with some regular apples. I love cinnamon candies, so this is right up my alley!

Juliasb and tropit, I thought about juice/cider when I was juicing some for jelly. I'm not a huge fan of the jelly, so stopping at juice seems like a good plan.

Out of curiosity, what is the difference between juice and cider? Is it just that you squeeze the pulp to make cider, and don't squeeze for juice? Is one cooked and the other not? Or is it really just two words for the same thing?

tropit, I would love to get recipes or links for the plain apple cider and fizzy hard cider.

Thank you all!​​​​​​​
​​​

Iceblossom

It sort of depends on where you are from and the USDA, or other governmental bodies. I'd say that juices are typically strained and that raw cider is not. You can use the same apples, the same press, but that juice is clear and cider is not.

Here's the wiki -- always nice when they agree with me
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_cider

Iceblossom

That cinnamon hearts applesauce was a favorite when I was a girl But then anytime I could cook with candy was good.

I've been led to believe that the coloring was so that the less attractive apples were still usable.

Here's a recipe that combines the cinnamon hearts with the pickled type to give that red color!
https://www.food.com/recipe/spiced-apple-rings-439724

sewingpup

we used to eat crabapple pickles....they were left whole, a clove was stuck in each one, they were packed in a jar and then covered with a sweet brine and put in the canner. Nummy! The red sliced pickled ones you can buy in the grocery store just don't compare. I just found the recipe which is labeled "Aunty Dora's Crap Apple Pickles"
Cut blossom ends from crabs, put 2-3 cloves in each apple
3 Cups of Sugar, 1 Cup of Water, 1 Cup of vinegar. Boil 5 minutes or until they crack, Put in hot sterilized jars and lids and seal up tight. ...then an addition to the recipe, put jars in canning kettle in boiling water bath for 20 minutes. Have an additional note, "doubled syrup and got 7 pints" No mention of how many apples other than 12-14 apples to a quart. (guess that would be 6-7 to a pint) We made these under mom's directions of course but mom was not great on specifying amounts of things.