Crab Apple Jelly Recipe

Follow our easy Crab Apple Jelly recipe to make a delicious accompaniment to use alongside many dishes especially your Sunday Roast!

Chances are if you’ve gone foraging this year you may have come across some lovely little crab apples. As the UK’s native apple tree, the fruit is usually too sour to eat raw but is delicious when turned into a jelly like in this recipe.

If you did manage to forage some little treats this year and you have plenty of rowan berries then you might want to check out our Rowan Berry Jelly too.

How to make Crab Apple Jelly 

Ingredients:

• 4 kg crab apples
• 1 kg unrefined granulated sugar (or to taste)
• 1 lemon, juiced
• Water

Method: 

1. Start by collecting your apples together, remove any of the bruised fruit and greenery that may have been collected up with the batch. Remove the stems and wash the apples.
2.  Cut the apples into chunks or quarters (no need to core or peel) and place in a large saucepan. Add water to the pan so that it only just covers the fruit.
3. Bring the pot to a rolling boil then reduce the heat and simmer until the fruit is soft. (Approx 25-30 mins)
4. Once the fruit is soft enough, pour the pulp into a jelly bag or muslin cloth and leave to drip into a clean pan overnight. Don’t try and squeeze the mixture to get more juice as this will result in a cloudy jelly.
5. When you come back to it in the morning you should be left with a pant of juice.
6. Next, you will need to measure out how much juice you have and add the correct amount of sugar. Use the ratio 10 parts juice to 7 parts sugar. Add the juice of your lemon to the mixture, bring back to the boil and stir until all the sugar is dissolved.
7. Once the mixture has reached a rolling boil, cook like this for 40 minutes, skimming off the froth that forms as you go. Test the set of the jelly by placing a small spot on a cold plate. If it solidifies then it is ready to be put into jars.
8. Pour your mixture into warm, sterilized jars, seal them tightly and place in a cool dark place for a nice even set.

The unopened jars of jelly should last between 6 - 12 months. Once opened make sure to place in the fridge to keep it fresh and delicious.

What to Eat Crab Apple Jelly with

Now that you've completed your delicious batch of Crab Apple Jelly, the only thing left to do is to eat it. But what do you eat it with?

Crab Apple Jelly is sweet and works with both sweet and savoury meals. Try it with your meat with your Sunday Roast or even for afters on a piece of toast or slice of cake.

Know someone who might enjoy making this? Send them their very own crab apple tree gift and send this recipe onto them.