Foraging crabapples

Man o'the woods foraging fallen crabapples in January :~)

I thought I'd add a post about last month's crabapple find while I'm on a bit of a roll ... in this house you have to make the most of opportunities when they arise as they evaporate pretty fast and the chaos takes over again!

On a walk through the woods last month (January), we stumbled across alot of fallen crabapples nestling in the leaves. We only had one jar of crabapple jelly left from the previous batch in 2009 so more needed making pretty quickly!

Crabapple hiding in the leaves

Crabapple jelly recipe
4lb crabapples
2 pints water
6 cloves
Sugar

It's such an easy recipe so don't be put off thinking it's tricky! Wash and quarter the crabapples, cutting out any bruised or damaged parts. Don't bother to peel or core the fruit. Put the fruit in the pan with the water and cloves. Bring to the boil and simmer until soft. Mashing with a regular potato masher helps to break them down too.

When the crabapples are completely mushed, strain them through a jelly bag (or tea towel/muslin tie between the legs of an upturned chair). Don't squeeze of hurry the juice or you'll push some of the solids into the jelly which will make it cloudy.

Measure the juice. For each pint of juice add 1lb of ordinary sugar. Place in a pan and heat gently until the  sugar is completely dissolved. Boil it hard to setting point then pour into small hot jars and cover. 

The finished jelly