Crab Apple Jelly

Delicious crab apple jelly, shimmeringly pale pink, reminds me of my childhood.

Of all the preserves, jelly really ticks my fuss free boxes thanks to minimal chopping and no time consuming peeling, coring or stoning.

I’m now also a convert to small batch preserving, and here’s a great recipe for less experienced jam makers. The high levels of pectin in crab apples means that getting it to set is straightforward so don’t be afraid, just give it a go!

One of my abiding childhood memories is of my mother making jams, jellies and preserves. I particularly remember jelly making; the jelly bag full of cooked fruit hanging from on an upturned stool on the kitchen worktop with the juice first running through in a steady steam, and then the drips getting slower and slower and eventually stopping as the mixture strained, and watching that last tantalizing drop that resisted gravity and clung to the bottom of the bag.

My mother would tell me “NOT to poke the jelly bag” as that would lead to cloudy jelly; as mother, as daughter:  the cry “Do NOT poke the jelly bag” has now been uttered from my lips to visitors to my kitchen who have looked as if they might be getting a little too close to it for my comfort.

Crab or wild apples are small tart fruit, trees literally dripping with crab apples are often found in gardens as they look attractive, all too often the fruit are left picked and fall and are left to rot under the tree.

Crab apple jelly is a beautiful salmon pink colour which I greatly enjoy having in the store cupboard; it goes well with pork in place of apple sauce and is equally delicious on toast or bread.

How to Make Crab Apple Jelly

Step One – Wash the crab apples, and chop each one in half. Cut out any bruising. Place in a sauce pan, and add water to cover about 3/4 of the fruit. Heat on the hob until just boiling, and then simmer gently for 40 minutes or so until the fruit is soft. Cover with a lid to minimize evaporation.

Step Two – Strain the liquid from the fruit pulp. The easiest way of doing this is by supporting a jelly bag above a large bowl.An upturned stool, chair or small table is perfect for this if you don’t have a jelly bag stand. If you don’t have a jelly bag, you can use a muslin cloth and tie up the corners. Fill the bag with the fruit, and leave it to strain for 12 hours or so – overnight is perfect. As I’ve said, for perfectly clear jelly don’t poke or squeeze the bag.

Step three – add the sugar. I find the easiest way to work out how much to add is to weigh the liquid and then add an equal weight of sugar. Crab apples are very sour, so do need a lot of sugar. Make sure you use a good sized saucepan – at least twice the volume of liquid.

Step four – heat the juice to dissolve the sugar. As it simmers, foam will form on top. Scoop off the foam with a slotted spoon; this removes impurities and makes for an even clearer jelly.

Step five – once the sugar has dissolved, the jelly is ready to be set. Prepare the clean jam jars by placing then in an oven heated to 140C/275F/GM1. Heat up the liquid until boiling rapidly, and start testing to see if it’s set. Crab apples contain a lot of pectin, so

Hints and Tips for Making Jelly

• Don’t overcook the fruit, or the flavour of the final jelly will be lost. Simmer the crab apples gently, with a lid on the saucepan.
• Never poke or squeeze the bag as the jelly will go cloudy
• If you run out of time then freeze the juice before turning it into jelly.  Or cover and leave in the fridge for a few days.
• For the absolute best results, tap the jam jar as you fill it so the air bubbles come out.

Post originally published September 2007, re-shot (with a 2007 vintage jar of jelly) and updated October 2017.