I’ve been thinking about what I can do with the many crabapple trees that grow on the land where I work, which used to be a dairy farm and is now an apple orchard and school. Crabapples grow all over the United States, usually in backyards and neighborhoods. But like me, not many people know all the ways they can be used.
Crabapple trees are pretty and bloom with flowers all spring long. In late summer and fall, small apples grow on the trees. But crabapples are more than ornamental trees – they are edible as well!.
A crabapple is usually smaller than 2 inches, while a “standard” apple is bigger. Both are in the Rosaceae family, which is the rose family, and the same genus (Malus). Many crabapples are quite tart, but there are some sweet crabapple cultivars.
Growing crabapples in your garden or orchard is an excellent idea because they’re helpful with pollination. Honey bees and other pollinating insects love this tree. Planting one near your garden will help make sure that your vegetable and fruit trees get the pollination they need to bear fruit.
If you have access to crabapple trees, here are some of the best uses for crabapples.
Some people assume that crabapples aren’t edible because they are primarily grown as ornamental, decorative trees. However, you can eat and use them just like standard apples. Just remember that crabapples can be extremely tart, so adjust the other ingredients in your recipe accordingly!.
Crab apples are one of those fruits that often get overlooked. With their small size and tart taste, many people assume they aren’t good for much. However, there are actually quite a few health and culinary benefits to using crab apples! Here are 11 reasons you should give this underappreciated fruit a second look.
A Good Source of Vitamin C
Crab apples are an excellent source of vitamin C. One cup of crab apples contains about 9.5 mg of vitamin C, which is 11% of the daily recommended value. Vitamin C is an essential nutrient that our bodies need but can’t produce on their own. It plays a key role in immune system function, collagen production, iron absorption, and more. While eating crab apples won’t guarantee you’ll never get sick, the vitamin C will support your body’s natural defenses.
High in Antioxidants
In addition to vitamin C, crab apples contain various other antioxidants like quercetin, catechin phloridzin, and chlorogenic acid. Antioxidants help counteract oxidative stress caused by free radicals in the body. This oxidative stress has been linked to chronic diseases like cancer heart disease, and diabetes. The antioxidants in crab apples can help neutralize free radicals and lower inflammation.
May Support Heart Health
Some early research indicates that the polyphenols in crab apples may help protect heart health. One study found that giving hypertensive rats an extract of crab apple lowered their blood pressure. The antioxidants may also help reduce LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels. More research is still needed, but the preliminary findings are promising.
Aids Digestion
Like apples, crab apples contain pectin, a type of soluble fiber In fact, crab apples are one of the best natural sources of pectin Pectin acts as a prebiotic in the gut, feeding the healthy bacteria in your intestines. It also helps slow digestion, which promotes a feeling of fullness and steadies blood sugar levels. The pectin in crab apples can relieve constipation and improve overall digestive regularity.
Potential Anti-Cancer Effects
Certain compounds found in crab apples like ursolic acid and oleanic acid have been shown to inhibit cancer cell growth in lab studies. The antioxidants may also help protect cells from DNA damage that can potentially lead to cancer. More research is still needed, but crab apples may have cancer-fighting properties.
Anti-Inflammatory Properties
The antioxidants and polyphenols in crab apples give them natural anti-inflammatory capabilities. Inflammation is the root cause of many chronic diseases. Crab apples’ anti-inflammatory activity may help lower the risk of illnesses like arthritis, metabolic syndrome, dementia, and autoimmune disorders.
May Help Manage Diabetes
Animal and test-tube studies indicate that crab apple extracts may help regulate blood sugar levels. This is likely due to the pectin, which slows down the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream. Crab apples’ anti-inflammatory effects may also help protect insulin resistance. More research is still needed, but crab apples show potential for helping manage diabetes symptoms.
Promotes Oral Health
Chewing on crab apples can stimulate saliva production, which helps neutralize cavity-causing acids in the mouth. The malic acid in crab apples may also inhibit bacteria growth that leads to cavities and gum disease. Crab apples are a tooth-friendly snack that improves oral hygiene.
Natural Diuretic
Crab apples have mild diuretic effects to stimulate kidney function and fluid excretion from the body. This makes them beneficial for reducing water retention, flushing toxins, relieving bloating, and potentially aiding in weight loss. Be sure to stay hydrated when eating crab apples to avoid dehydration.
Source of Plant-Based Nutrients
While not a nutritional powerhouse, crab apples do provide some nutrients like copper, potassium, and manganese. They also contain small amounts of B vitamins. Getting a variety of plant foods in your diet ensures you get diverse vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and dietary fiber. Crab apples make a nice addition to an overall healthy diet.
Adds Flavor to Recipes
Lastly, crab apples can add a delicious tart apple flavor to recipes. They work great in foods like jellies, juices, liqueurs, sauces, chutneys, vinegars, and more. Letting crab apples fully ripen can help mellow out some of their tartness. Get creative in the kitchen with these versatile little fruits!
17 Uses for Crabapples
Don’t throw away all the crabapples in your yard or neighborhood. There are lots of ways to use them. Here are some creative suggestions to get you started!.
- Homemade Crabapple Pectin
Most jelly or jam recipes contain store-bought pectin to create the thickening needed. The naturally occurring substance pectin can be found in many fruits and berries. When mixed with sugar, it gives jams and jellies their thick, gel-like texture.
An alternative to commercial pectin is to make homemade crabapple pectin. Harvest underripe crabapples for this purpose. The more ripe a fruit is, the less pectin it contains.
Try making a batch of crabapple pectin when jelly season comes around and using that instead of the boxes from the store. It’s one easy way to cut the costs of your jelly and keep it natural.
Crabapples are naturally full of pectin. So, you don’t need any extra pectin to make crabapple jelly—just sugar to balance out the tartness of the crabapple.
Some people liken the taste of crabapple jelly to apple peel jelly, but with a more potent flavor.
This recipe for homemade crabapple jelly from Grow a Good Life is a great one to follow. They suggest using 25% underripe crabapples and 75% ripe crabapples to ensure there is enough natural pectin for the jelly to set.
Not a fan of jelly? Try making jam instead! This delicious sounding recipe for crabapple jam adds fresh mint leaves and vanilla, with a consistency similar to apple butter.
Skip the applesauce and make crabapple sauce instead. All you need is two ingredients: crabapples and your favorite sweetener.
If you don’t want to peel the apples, I like to use a food mill to make applesauce. Just cut out any bad spots and put the crabapples in a slow cooker. You can also cook them on the stove or wood stove in a pot with a little water added to keep them from burning.
In a food mill, grind the crabapples until they are soft. This will get rid of the skins and seeds. After that, add sugar, honey, or another sweetener to taste to the sauce and put it back in the slow cooker. Simmer the mixture for a few hours, or until it reaches the consistency you want.
After you make crabapple sauce, try thickening it down into crabapple butter! Add some cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves for a true taste of Autumn, and enjoy on a thick slice of homemade bread. Crabapple butter can also be canned to enjoy later.
Here are some simple instructions to follow if you want to use a slow cooker for crabapple butter.
Do your kids love fruit leather? It makes a quick, healthy, on-the go snack that you can easily make at home with a food dehydrator. If you have an abundance of crabapples, try making fruit leather.
The process of making crabapple fruit leather is quite simple once you’ve mastered crabapple sauce. Chris at Joybilee farm has a great recipe for crabapple fruit leather.
The basic process is to start with crabapple sauce that has been sweetened to taste. You simply spread the sauce on trays and put them into your dehydrator. You can make fruit leather in the oven if you don’t have a dehydrator. Just set the oven to the lowest setting and leave it there for few hours.
- Caramel Crab Apples
In Central Vermont, an annual fall outing is to the Tunbridge Fair. This is a typical harvest fair, with animal shows, carnival rides, and all the usual fair food, like caramel apples.
Caramel apples are tasty, especially when covered in nuts or other treats. Making them at home makes them extra special. A sweet type of crab apple can be used to make a smaller caramel apple that kids will love. It’s great for a fall get-together or Halloween party.
This incredible homemade caramel crab apple recipe uses maple syrup and maple sugar to sweeten!
Most people know how to pickle vegetables like cucumbers and beans, but you can also pickle fruit! A spicy pickled crabapple would be great with roasted chicken or on an appetizer tray.
When pickling anything, you want to pick the best quality fruit possible. Your pickled dish will only taste as good as the crabapples you use, so stay away from ones that have a lot of damage or blemishes.
The recipe for spicy pickled crabapples starts by making a brine with apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, and spices. This is a canning-safe recipe that needs to be processed in a boiling water canner.
Chutney complements different dishes, especially poultry or pork dishes. You may change the spices in the recipe, or you might add other herbs like oregano or rosemary.
The best way to describe crabapple chutney is a chunky, savory, spiced version of applesauce. You add onions, garlic, cranberries, and so many other yummy ingredients. Everything is placed into a slow cooker and cooked on low for six hours, then mashed.
This crabapple syrup elevates a simple fruit into a gourmet topping for breakfast foods, or a mix-in for winter cocktails. It only requires crabapples, sugar, and water.
Fall is not fall without homemade apple cider. You can use sweet crabapples instead of regular apples, or you can mix regular apples and crabapples for a balanced taste.
This recipe for crabapple cider uses only five ingredients and is a great use for a prolific crabapple tree!
If you don’t have a juicer or a cider press, this overnight crabapple juice recipe could be a fun way to make delicious juice. Remember that crabapples have varying levels of sweet/tart, so adjust the recipe as needed.
Liqueurs are great ways to preserve and enjoy seasonal harvests. One of my favorite homemade liqueurs, nocino, is made from black walnuts.
Crabapple liqueur is an easy recipe for beginners, and unlike making wine or hard cider, requires little equipment. However, you will want to plan ahead. Take a peek at this homemade crabapple liqueur recipe and double the batch for holiday gifts!
- Crabapple Hard Cider
We use apple drops from our neighborhood and a nearby orchard to make a lot of hard apple cider every year.
For fermentation to happen, your cider needs to be sweet enough, but adding crababbles to your apple blend will make it taste more complex. Some cider aficionados recommend 10-20% crabapples.
Follow my simple hard apple cider recipe to make crabapple hard cider. For more information on the best apples for hard cider, click here.
Apple crisp is one of my favorite fall desserts, and it’s so quick and easy to make when you have extra apples. Crabapples work well too, either on their own, or blended with standard apples.
If you’re looking for an easy dessert on a cold evening, try this crabapple crisp recipe. If you’re using a mix of apples, taste to sweeten.
- Crabapple Strawberry Tart
Here’s another dessert idea using crabapples: Crabapple strawberry tart.
When the crabapples are ready, take some strawberries out of the freezer. The sweet strawberries will go well with the sour crabapples. Add in the flaky pastry crust, and you have the recipe for a divine dessert.
Apple pie is one of the best ways to use crabapples! Fun fact: some species of crabapples are native to North America, which makes crabapple pie a truly American dessert!
Use your favorite pie recipe and either use a different fruit (remember to check the sweetness) or add crabapples.
Everything You Need to Know About Crabapples! | DAFT
FAQ
What can I use crab apples for?
Are crab apples edible for humans?
What’s the point of crab apples?
Can you eat crabapples right off the tree?
Can you eat crab apples?
Yes, you can definitely eat crab apples. Although crab apples are not poisonous and can be safely eaten raw, many people often prefer to cook them. On their own, crab apples tend to have a very sour flavor that isn’t for everyone. Crab apples are commonly turned into a jam or preserves, similar to apple jam or apple butter.
Are coconut crabs healthy to eat?
Crabs are rich in omega 3 fatty acids, protein, vitamins like riboflavin and minerals like selenium, copper, phosphorus. Coconut crabs are not known to be poisonous. The fat in the abdomen and the egg inside the female are the delicious edible parts. It is prepared by steaming or boiling them in coconut milk. Consuming coconut crab along with sea mango, cerbera manghas may make the coconut crab toxic due to the presence of cardiac cardenolides(cardiac active steroids). This causes electrolyte imbalance that affects the electrical conductivity of the heart.
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.
Are crab apples edible?
As you’ve certainly figured out by now, yes, crabapples are edible and safe to eat, though most aren’t generally something you want to munch right off the tree. They’re pretty tart and need some cooking and sweetening to be enjoyed. Read on to find out what you need to know about using crab apples in recipes. WHAT IS A CRAB APPLE, ANYWAY?