Monday 27 May 2013

crab apple paste

this year my crab apple tree (malus gorgeous) produced its largest yet crop of crabs and, because they looked so pretty on the tree, i was tempted to leave them on the tree well into the winter months..i did that last year though and many dropped to the ground and rotted so by the time i noticed there were only a few left..

in the past i've always used the fruit to make crab apple jelly but this year i didn't really want to make any more jelly..that's because i'd made a few, albeit small, quantities of different jellies in late summer with various mixes of blackberries, elderberries, apples and plums..having made quince paste a few days earlier the idea of using the crabs to make crab apple paste was just a natural progression..




crab apple paste
tea with hazel

ingredients

crab apples (mine weighed 1500 gms)
sugar
lemons

method

~ remove the crab apple stalks and wash well
~ place in a shallow baking tray with a couple of tablespoons of water, cover with foil, and bake at 160 deg c for an hour or until soft
~ puree the fruit in a mouli
~ measure the pulp and place in a large saucepan
~ for every cup of pulp add 3/4 cup of sugar and the juice of 1/2 a small lemon
~ place the saucepan over a diffuser and heat slowly until the sugar has dissolved then increase heat and cook stirring regularly until thick and the spoon leaves a trail on the bottom of the saucepan 
~ spoon the paste into a baking paper lined tin and leave to set for 24 hours
~ cut into squares and store in an airtight container or wrap pieces in baking paper strips and place in cellophane bags

comments:

~ i like quite a tangy paste but for a sweeter palate increase sugar to 1 cup per cup of pulp
~ the quantity of fruit i had made 16 generous pieces of crab apple paste which cost, excluding the cost of gas and electricity, about $0.03/piece









verdict:

i wasn't sure how the crab apple paste would turn out but it has a lovely colour and, even though i've only tasted a small piece, a delightfully tangy crab apple flavour..i plan on doing a cheese board with bread as part of dinner for my children tomorrow night so it'll be interesting to see how it's received by them..

23 comments:

  1. You make it look so easy, thanks for sharing...I will too :-)

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    Replies
    1. it's really easy to make wcd..but it does require a bit of close attention during the boiling stage so that it doesn't burn..

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  2. An excellent use of something that usually just falls off the trees. I might have to take advantage of this recipe along with some of the wild rosehips that are everywhere at the moment and see if I can't make myself some pasty vitamin C :)

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  3. rose hip paste sounds really interesting or were you thinking of making jelly?..either way it sounds a great use of foraged food..

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  4. They can be eaten as an apple straight off the tree.Food from your own garden tastes especially delicious!


    Dwarf Fruit Trees & Quince Tree


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  5. It carries such a lot of blossom, stunning. I like the sound of the crab apple jelly, I bet it is delicious.




    Landscape Gardener Suffolk & Timber Decking Suffolk

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  6. When you say remove stalk, are you referring to the stem, as well as the core and seeds? Also, can this be frozen?

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  7. When you say remove stalk, are you referring to the stem, as well as the core and seeds? Also, can this be frozen?

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    Replies
    1. i just removed the stalk and cooked the crabs whole..

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  8. My crab apples are superb this year and though we don't like using a lot of sugar this sounds like a very hospitable gift for giving. Thanks for the brilliant idea.

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