A classic, delicious crab apple jelly, that can be adapted to how ever many crab apples you are starting with!
I've only made crab apple jelly once before, many years ago. I wasn't planning on making it this year either, until my Dad offered up a basket of apples left-over from his batch of jelly. He even threw in the "instructions" that my Mom had written out for him to follow.
Despite the commercial basket, these crab apples did not come from any market. Oh they were grown in Ontario alright ... but on the tree in front of the local funeral home. My Dad picked them himself, perhaps under cover of darkness. (I didn't ask ;)
It wasn't until I got home that I realized that the provided instructions were a bit lacking. Despite some clear warnings (that would be the part in all caps and underlined), there were key parts missing like how many apples to start with, how long to cook the apples and how much sugar to add etc.
I hit up google to fill in the blanks and by the end of the afternoon, had 3 beautiful jars of crabapple jelly.
Of course, then I had to bake up a batch of my English Muffin bread, since I knew it was the perfect place to spread a bit of this delicious jelly. And it was.
Cook's Notes for Crab Apple Jelly
The freshest crab apples make the best jelly, so always start with apples as fresh as possible.
Wondering why the sugar is heated? Heating the sugar brings it closer to the temperature of the heating juice, so that when it's added, it will dissolve more quickly and you won't have to boil the jelly as long to reach the setting point.
Do be sure to WATCH THE SUGAR CONSTANTLY while it is heating in the oven, to avoid it over-heating and dissolving!
I have to be honest and say I'm not really sure why the jelly is placed to set on a "sunny windowsill". My Mom says it helps create a clear jelly (the ultimate goal in jelly making). I'm not sure how, but I do it any way, because why not :)
Speaking of cloudy jelly, another reason that jelly becomes cloudy is if you poke or press the apple pulp while it's draining, so resist the urge. Just collect and use juice that drains naturally from the apples.
How to Test if Jelly is Set with the Wrinkle Test
- Place a glass plate in the freezer for about fifteen minutes before starting to make your jam.
- To test your jam, turn off burner under jam. Spoon a puddle of jam onto the cold plate from the freezer. Run your finger through the jam on the plate. If jam wrinkles along the edges next to your finger line, it is set. If it seeps back in to the space where you ran your finger through, it is not yet set.
- If jam is not set, rinse the plate with cold water and return it to the freezer. Turn the heat back on under the jam and cook for a few minutes longer then test again. Repeat until jam wrinkles when tested.
What to do if your jelly didn't set
It happens and it can happen for any number of reasons. If you have left your jelly out for 24 hours and it didn't set, simply dump the contents back in to your pot and re-boil it until it sets (use a thermometer to cook to 220° F. or until it passes the wrinkle test, as above. If you want to be super-sure it's going to set the second time, you could also consider adding a bit of commercial pectin.
Crab Apple Jelly
Ingredients
- 1 basket crab apples
- Cheesecloth (muslin or old (clean) cotton pillow case, for draining fruit)
- 2-3 cups White sugar
- Clean jars
Instructions
- Prepare your apples by washing, removing the stems and cutting off the blossom ends. You can leave whole or cut in half. If your apples come from a wild tree (ie. not sprayed), you may want to cut in half to make sure the inside is good. That's what I did.
- Place prepared apples into a large stock pot and add water, just until it just peeks through the top of the apples (if any of your apples are floating, you've got too much). Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer, without stirring, until apples are softened, 10-15 minutes.
- While fruit is simmering, place a large colander over a bowl and line with tripled-up cheesecloth, a piece of muslin or a cotton pillow case.
- When fruit is tender, pour into prepared colander and leave to drain for 2-3 hours. RESIST THE URGE TO POKE, PRESS OR SQUEEZE the pulp to get more juice. It will make for a cloudy jelly. Just let gravity do it's work and discard the pulp when draining stops.
- Measure out the amount of juice and make note of how many cups of juice you have (I got 3 cups of juice out of this basket of apples). Add the juice to a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring, for about 20 minutes, skimming off any foam, as necessary.
- Meanwhile, measure out sugar. You'll need 3/4 cup of sugar for every cup of apple juice that you had. (So if you had 4 cups of juice, you'll need 3 cups of sugar). Place the sugar in a stainless steel or oven-proof bowl (or on a baking sheet, alternately) and pop into a 300° oven anywhere from 5-15 minutes, stirring it around a couple of times (time in the oven will vary depending on how much sugar/oven etc., so WATCH CLOSELY. It should be hot to the touch, but not so hot it starts to melt around the edges.).
- When sugar is hot, remove from oven. Remove pot with apple juice from the heat. Stir in the hot sugar just until it is dissolved. Place the pot back on the heat and WITHOUT STIRRING, boil for 5-8 minutes, until jelly reaches 220° on a thermometer or passes the cold plate test*.
- Ladle jelly into clean jars and leave with lids off until almost cool (without moving jars around). When jelly is almost cool, seal with lids. Let stand in a sunny window, undisturbed for 24 hrs. Wax and store.
Ruth says
After making the jelly I use the pulp to make crabapple butter. A double win. i like to make it quite spicy with a bit more cloves and it tastes delicious with a roast pork dinner.
Jennifer says
Great idea, Ruth! Thanks :)
Heather says
I purchased a crab apple tree from a Walmart parking lot at the end of the season; the poor thing looked tired, and I felt sorry for it. We gave it a home in the back garden, western exposure, and almost immediately it began to thrive. Its leaves grew glossy green and the tiny pale apples dotting its branches swelled and transitioned to a velvety ruby red. Yesterday, my little granddaughter, who is a toddler, began picking the apples. I joined in and soon the tree's branches were bare. Not wanting to waste the fruit, I looked on-line for a crab apple jelly recipe. I was so pleased to come across yours, the only one I found which is scalable. Your instructions are very clear, and the end result is magical. Five perfect 125 ml jars of jelly. Many thanks to you for sharing this recipe, and to the generations of women in your family who kept this recipe alive. Tomorrow morning, I will be making your English Muffin Bread. :)
Jennifer says
Such a lovely way to spend a day! And so glad you have some lovely jelly, too :) Do enjoy! Thanks :)
Melissa says
Hello,
I was wondering if there's a chance of mould growing during long storage with this type of wax process? I was looking into paraffin wax, as previously I had lids that 'popped' due to the heat in the jars, placing lids on immediately, but when I followed the instructions in this recipe, I veered away from that technique, not realizing it was because wax was to be applied. So in a moment of panic, not owning wax or knowing what it was about, I looked further into it. I gather this method requires the wax to be hot at the same time as the jelly and it's poured onto the hot jelly, therefore creating a perfect seal as the wax rises to the surface. This method however, states to let the jelly cool down, then put on the wax. Would that not potentially seal in spores that were caught during the cool down phase with the lids off? I'm admittedly stressed over this as I have 18 jars and intended this to last a couple of years.
Jennifer says
Hi Melissa and I understand your concern. I have presented the recipe here as made by my mother and hers before her. Obviously canning standards have evolved since then. As I am not a master canner, I can't offer canning advice. I would refer you to research reputable sources for the current suggestions for safe canning of jelly.
Melissa says
Thanks for your response! Interestingly, 16 lids have inverted ‘bumps’ and don’t release when being pushed down on so I seem to have 16 strong seals (I guess the jelly temp was still ‘hot’ enough funny enough). For the two that didn’t seal I presume I remove the lid and pour the wax on, then put the lids back on? Thanks again!
Melissa says
It's a good thing your instructions state to place the jelly in a window with the sun. The lids are popping back out and now I know the seals aren't adequate. I'll have to take the lids off and apply the paraffin to the top of the Jelly if that's the correct way to add it.
Jennifer says
Yes, simple melt the wax over very low heat and pour a layer directly onto the set jelly. Allow to set before replacing lid.
Ron says
After I have removed the stems and blossom ends, do I have to cut the apply open and removed the centre Apple seeds?
Jennifer says
Hi Ron and no, you don't need to core the apples. As this is a jelly, you will only be using the juice and all the apple bits will be trapped in the cheesecloth and discarded.
Constance says
This is a wonderful recipe, makes delicious jelly. I followed the instructions even heated the sugar. It must be an old recipe to be so simple. Will absolutely be making it again next crabapple season. Thank you for sharing.
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Constance and yes, this is from my Mom, who probably got it from my Grandmother, who probably got it from her mother :) Thanks and enjoy!
Gillian says
Hi Jennifer
Great recipe, instructions made it simple and easy!
Just need a reminder on the length of time to re-sterilize jars in the oven, if using
that method. The lids, I always re-boil until paraffin is cooled and it’s time for lids.
A fun experience with my 11yr old granddaughter Calle, who helped pick the crabapples!
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Gillian. As for sterilizing jars in the oven, 20 minutes at 275F should do it! Thanks :)
Cindy says
Do you have a measurement on the amount of apples? Ours are wild from our backyard tree
Jennifer says
Hi Cindy, you can start with any amount of apples. If you read through the recipe, once you have boiled the apples and extracted the juice, you will use the amount of juice you have produced to calculate how much sugar you need to add (see recipe instructions Steps 5 and 6). I suggest a batch starting with no more than a basket of apples the size shown and doing multiple batches, if necessary, if you have more apples to use up. It just becomes too unwieldy with more than that. Hope that helps.
Melody says
This has become my fav recipe. I reduce my juice down by half so it’s extra concentrated. So yummy
Jennifer says
Sounds delicious, Melody! Thanks :)
Lori says
Hi there, Your recipe looks great, going to try it now. If I seal with paraffin wax does that mean I won’t have to do a hot water seal? Or can I omit the wax and do the hot water seal?
Jennifer says
Hi Lori, the paraffin wax sealing is the old-school way of preserving this jelly. As this is an old recipe (several generations handed down), this is how it was done back then vs. the more modern technique of hot water sealing. I, personally, have never hot water sealed this jelly. Someone commented here that it works just fine, though again, I haven't tried it myself. My feeling is that hot water sealing would probably be the preferred/safer method of canning now, though I still do wonder a bit about how the heat of the hot water bath affects the "jelling". So I guess my thinking at this point would be to try one jar with hot water sealing and then, if all goes well, do the rest of them that way and skip the paraffin. Hope that helps :)
Sherri says
How do you do the 'seal with wax' part? Years ago, we poured melted paraffin right on top of the hot jelly.
Jennifer says
Hi Sherri, you just want to melt the paraffin over low heat in a saucepan (just until liquid), then pour it over the set jelly (after 24 hours). Pour on just enough to seal the jelly from the air (somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 inch). Allow to cool and harden, then replace the lid and store.
Irene says
Have been making this receipe since 2016 - BEST receipe ever!!!!
If instructions are followed, this produces a beautiful, clear jelly. From personal experience, an instant thermometer ensures the best results.
In the process of filing my receipes (still use a paper system!) and couldn’t resist another comment.
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Irene :) My parents have been making this jelly for decades (and their parents before them, I'm sure :) And you're right, I love an instant read thermometer for this, too! Thanks!
Rosaleen says
I made crabapple and blackberry jelly and put in 3 sterilised bowls with no lids. Can I put I put in refrigerator and use up within 1 week.
Jennifer says
Hi Rosaleen, yes, it will be fine in the fridge. I would cover with plastic wrap myself though, just to keep the top of the jelly from drying out.
Kelly says
Thanks for the excellent recipe and guide! My final product came out beautiful! I could stare at this colour all day.
Can you maybe note the cooking time in your recipe/description? I didn't expect it to take so long to get to the jelly stage (I seriously thought my thermometer was broken) and maybe for newbies like me an indicator like that would help.
Thanks for the general sugar to juice ratio! Helped a lot compared to other recipes. :)
Jennifer says
Hi Kelly, So glad you enjoyed it and I agree about the colour. Makes me happy just looking at it. As for the cooking time, I didn't indicate as it really varies between kitchens, depending on how hot the sugar was (or wasn't), the thickness of the pan etc. and I really wanted people to rely on their thermometer and not the time. That said, though, I will indicate it can take a while :) Thanks!
Kelly says
Hi Jennifer!
That’s a really good point. I agree with relying more on the thermometer than anything else. I’m making another batch today using your guide but I’ve steeped lavendar in at the boil apple stage, and added a cup of separately steeped flower water. Fingers crossed!
Jennifer says
Crossed :)
Mary says
When putting the simmered apples through the jelly bag, do you also pour the water that you simmered them in or scoop the apples out of the remaining water and through the water away?
Jennifer says
Hi Mary, yes, you pour everything from the pot (water and all) through the colander.