How to Can Whole Crab Apples

Apple pie filling is easily found on grocery store shelves, but seldom do you find crab apples. These small, sour apples are often overlooked when harvest time comes around, yet they can make a delicious jelly, apple butter and when canned whole, a tasty desert. Eaten out of the jar, the spicy cinnamon-apple flavor of canned crab apples can please the most picky of pallets. They also make a wonderful gift for Christmas.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Crab apples
• 6 to 8 pint-size canning jars with lids and twist off rings
• Canning pot
• Canning tongs
• 2-quart cooking pot
• Strainer
• Slotted spoon
• Soup ladle
• 5 cups water
• 3 cups sugar
• Red hots
• Cinnamon sticks
• Cloves
• Towel
• Paper towels

1. Sort the apples. Discard any that have worm holes or soft spots. Wash the apples thoroughly and place into the 2-quart pan. Cover apples with water and cook on high heat until the water boils. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain the apples.

2. Fill the large canning pot with water until the water level covers the tops of the pint jars. Heat the water until boiling. Remove the lids and rings from the pint jars, and sterilize the empty jars by heating them in the canning pot.

3. In the empty 2-quart pot, mix together water, sugar and red hots and heat. The mixture will make a medium thickness syrup that will be poured into the jars with the crab apples. Stir the mixture until all the red hots are melted. Add the cinnamon sticks and cloves to the syrup and heat. Continue to stir the mixture so that it doesn't burn.

4. While periodically stirring the syrup mixture, remove the pint jars from the canning pot with the tongs, and place them on a towel on a sturdy surface. Fill the jars with the cooked crab apples. Pack the jars so that they are full, but not overstuffed.

5. Remove cinnamon sticks and cloves with slotted spoon from the syrup. Carefully ladle the syrup mixture into the jars until all the apples are covered. Add enough syrup so that there is only a ½ inch of space at the top of the jar. Wipe off all spills, and place flat lids on top of the jars. Twist on the rings tightly, and using the tongs, place filled jars in the canning pot. Cover the pot and process on high heat for 10 minutes. Remove the filled jars and let them cool.

6. Store processed jars in a dry, cool place. You can decorate the jars with ribbons and give as gifts or open and pour the contents into a bowl to enjoy. Crab apples can be eaten like any other apple.

Tips & Warnings

• A lighter syrup can be made using more water to thin the mixture.
• You can also add raisins to the syrup mixture for an additional treat.
• Apples can also be heated before eating.
• Take care when handling the syrup mixture and using the canning pot. Both will be hot and will scald you if you aren't careful.

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