So you came home from harvest with a lot of beautiful red crabapples...

So you came home from a harvest with a lot of beautiful red crabapples.  Now what?  Well, there are lots of great things that can be done with crabapples.  First, you should be aware that there are several types of crabapples.  The smaller ones, like in the picture at the top of this page, are called Dolgo crabs.  They are fantastic for making jelly because they produce a really great colour.  My jelly recipe is handed down from my mother and is pretty simple.  Throw the crabapples in a pot with an inch or so of water.  Cook them, stirring often, until they are soft.  You might want to mash them with a potato masher.  Then put them in a pillowcase and let it hang overnight over a bowl.  You could use a jelly bag as well.  (I tie my pillowcase to my cupboard doorknobs).  Then put the juice in a pot and add up to an equal amount of sugar.  Boil, skimming the foam off the surface periodically.  When it starts to thicken, check it by putting a drop or two on a cold plate and sticking it in the freezer for a couple of minutes.  Its done when it is the consistency of jelly.  Put into clean canning jars, seal, and boil for 10 minutes before taking out to cool.  Done!

There are several larger crabs, all pretty similar.  Kerr and Rescue are two of these.  There are lots of things that can be done with the larger crabs.  Crabapple cake, crabapple pie and applesauce made from crabapples are all good.  I chopped some crabapple and put it in muffins.  You can also dry crabapple slices or create a pulp and turn in into fruit leather.  Check out this link for more ways to use crabapples:

http://www.homefamily.net/?p=33

Enjoy your crabapples!