It’s fun to pick apples at an orchard, but it’s even more fun to look for crab apples in your own neighborhood. These small fruits are easy to find, simple to store, and extremely flavorful when used in food dishes.
Don’t believe us? Keep reading to learn more about the unsung heroes of the apple family.
The following excerpt is from The Fruit Forager’s Companion by Sara Bir. It has been adapted for the web.
Crab apples are one of the most underappreciated fruits out there. Although they have an unfortunate name, these tiny wild apples are completely edible and have a delightful tart flavor when used properly in recipes.
As a long-time gardener and forager, I’m always sad to see people pass up crab apples, thinking they are purely ornamental. But with a little creativity, these fruits can transform into all sorts of tasty treats.
In this article, I’ll explain exactly what crab apples are, where to find them, and most importantly – 11 delicious ways to use them this fall!
What are Crab Apples?
Crab apples are essentially just small, wild apples that grow on trees in the genus Malus They are the ancestors of the larger, sweeter apples we know and love today
True to their name, crab apples tend to be quite tart – more sour than regular apples. Their flavor comes from high levels of malic acid. Unripe crab apples can also have an unpleasant bitter taste due to tannins.
Crab apples grow in a wide range of sizes, from smaller than a cherry to almost 2 inches diameter. Once they surpass 2 inches, we start calling them standard apples instead of crab apples.
These fruits grow in clusters on short, spreading trees. You’ll often find ornamental crab apple trees planted in parks, yards, and other landscaped areas.
Identifying Crab Apple Trees
Luckily crab apple trees are quite easy to identify
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Alternate, oval leaves with serrated edges. They look nearly identical to apple tree leaves.
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Clusters of fruits in red, yellow, green, or a mix of colors.
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Fruits ranging from cherry-sized to 2 inches diameter.
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A short, rounded growth habit reaching 15-30 feet tall.
Crab apples can resemble hawthorns, but hawthorns have bigger thorns and extremely hard seeds, unlike the standard apple-like cores of crab apples.
When and Where to Forage Crab Apples
One of the best things about crab apples is that they provide foraging opportunities from late summer through winter. The fruits start ripening in late summer but often persist on the branches long after the leaves fall.
I’ve found some of the tastiest crab apples after the first few frosts. The cold weather helps mellow out their sourness.
Crab apples grow all across North America, especially in zones 4-8. Keep an eye out for ornamental trees in landscaped areas or scattered in woodlands.
Backyard crab apple trees are a forager’s dream! Most homeowners have no use for the fruits, so they’re happy to have someone collect them.
Choosing the Best Crab Apples
I recommend tasting crab apples before harvesting a bunch. Some varieties are far tastier than others.
Look for larger fruits, at least 1/2 inch diameter. Smaller crab apples won’t have much usable flesh once cored.
Avoid bright red varieties, which tend to be more bitter and tannic. Go for yellow, green, or mixed color fruits.
The flesh should be reasonably firm but not rock hard. And the flavor should be pleasantly tart without strong bitterness. Discard any fruits that make you gag!
What Do Crab Apples Taste Like?
When ripe, crab apples taste similar to tart cooking apples like Haralson or Liberty. They have a pronounced sour flavor due to the high malic acid content.
Some people describe the flavor as a mix of apples and cranberries. There are also hints of spice.
While crab apples are too sour to enjoy raw for most people, cooking mellows out their flavor. When combined with sugar and spices, crab apples transform into something special.
Now let’s get into the fun part – all the tasty ways to use crab apples!
11 Delicious Uses for Crab Apples
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Crab Apple Jelly – High in pectin, crab apples make an excellent tangy jelly. Use it on biscuits, toast, or peanut butter sandwiches.
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Crab Apple Chutney – For an Indian-inspired relish, cook crab apples with vinegar, onions, dried fruits, and warm spices like cinnamon and cloves.
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Crab Apple Sauce – Puree peeled, cored crab apples into an applesauce-like condiment or use it to make fruit leather.
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Crab Apple Cider Vinegar – Ferment crab apple juice into a uniquely flavored vinegar perfect for salad dressings.
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Crab Apple Fruit Leather – For a healthy snack, blend crab apple pulp with other fruit purees and dehydrate into chewy leather.
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Crab Apple Muffins – Add diced crab apples to your favorite muffin batter for moisture and tartness.
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Crab Apple Quick Bread – Baked goods like banana bread pair well with chopped crab apples.
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Crab Apple Liqueur – Infuse crab apples in vodka or brandy for an impressive homemade cordial.
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Crab Apple Syrup – Simmer mashed crab apples into a simple syrup, great for cocktails or pancakes.
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Pickled Crab Apples – Preserve crab apples in a brine of vinegar, sugar, and spices. Delicious with pork or on a charcuterie board.
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Crab Apple Pie Filling – For an easy dessert, use crab apples in place of regular apples in any pie recipe. Just core them first!
As you can see, crab apples are extremely versatile in sweet and savory applications. Don’t let their small size and tart flavor scare you away. With a little creativity, you can transform crab apples into all sorts of delicious treats. They make a wonderful foraged ingredient to savor the fleeting fall harvest.
Maintaining Crab Apple Trees
A crab apple tree will happily produce crab apples without any care, but pruning at the right time will keep the trees healthy and in good shape. Last year was a dry summer, and while my favorite fruit trees outside of my property struggled to produce a small amount of their normal crop, there were plenty of crab apples to go around.
So why don’t people fight to get these things? Because they are a pain in the ass. Ten pecks of apples can be picked in the time it takes to pick one peck of crab apples. And obviously you can’t just eat them out of hand. Even desirable crab apples are sour. Since the word “crabby” means a difficult or grumpy person, this sourness is probably where their name comes from. Another idea is that it’s a change from the Scots and northern English word “scrab.” The term crab apple dates from the early fifteenth century.
I am a sucker for underdogs, and so I adore crab apples, but with caveats. Their flesh, when cooked and pureed, is never silky like a good apple applesauce. You need a lot of crab apples to get a good harvest, especially if you want to core and chop their flesh to use in baked goods or chutneys.
How do you know which crab apples to pick when there seem to be so many kinds growing in yards and parks everywhere? It’s easy: if you’re sure it’s a crab apple tree, pick one and bite into it. If you spit it out right away because it’s acrid and impossibly tannic, skip that tree. If it’s sour but also has actual apple flavor and a crisp, not over-firm flesh, it’s got potential. Dark red crab apples are pretty but usually more tannic.
Always round up the time you expect you’ll need to gather any significant amount of crab apples. It can take ages to collect a pound. This is why the people who live in the high-end condos downtown keep seeing me at the crab apple trees that grow between their condos and the riverfront bike path.
In the middle of the day, the trees’ dappled shade is just what I need to relax, and I enjoy watching people ride by on the bike path. Getting a decent amount of crab apples is part of the point, but not all of the point.
In a perfect world, a good tree would drop lots of good fruit all at once. But you need to act quickly to get it before it goes bad.
Crab Apples: Small But Mighty
But someone who is resourceful and finds a tree with bigger, juicier crab apples will never be bored in the fall. Hours and hours of picking and goofy kitchen experimentation await.
The name “crab apple” comes from their small size, not the type of apple they are, because every apple seed is genetically different. For cooking purposes, you should think of crab apples as their own fruit, since you can’t use them the same way you would bigger, more common apples.
Everything You Need To Know About Crab Apples!
What can I use crab apples for?
High in pectin, a great use for crab apples is homemade pectin. Instructions here. Bake chunks of tart crab apples into muffins or quickbreads anywhere you’d use apples.
What are the health benefits of having an Apple?
Apples are a good source of fiber, which can help to regulate digestion and promote healthy weight. They are also a good source of vitamins and minerals, such as Vitamin C and potassium. Additionally, apples contain antioxidants, which can help protect the body against damage from free radicals. Overall, apples are a healthy choice and can be part of a well-balanced diet.
Are crab apples healthy?
As for crab apple’s nutrition, they’re a good source of vitamin C and have small amounts of other nutrients. One cup of raw crab apples has 83.6 calories and contains low levels of iron, calcium, phosphorus, manganese, and magnesium. These fruits also have high antioxidant activity, which may help your body get rid of harmful free radicals.
Why should you eat ripe crab apples?
Crab apples also help you to prevent your body from effecting from notorious diseases like piles and diarrhea. However, you need to consume ripe crab apples in order to prevent and regulate piles and diarrhea. It is also useful to prevent other health issues that affect the digestive system. 6. Good source of Vitamin A