Crabapples, Martha and Jelly

First of all you may be wondering what the heck is a crabapple. A crabapple is a wild or cultivated variety of tree that are relatives of apple trees but produce a small sour fruit.

Up here in Virginia the crabapple trees are different from the crabapples trees I had in Georgia. My old crabapple tree (still standing today) was about 40 years old (maybe older when I was a kid) and is at least 80 years old now. It produces a white flower and looks like a wonderful snowball tree in spring when it is all in bloom. The fruit from this tree was yellowish skinned with white flesh and being about the size and shape of a golf ball. The bees and wasps and yellow jackets loved that tree in the late summer and fall. As a kid would pick the fruits and nibble at them. My mother would fuss and tell us we would get a 'belly ache' but we never did. She never made us jelly from those crab apples either. One year before we moved from the old house I did make a very small batch of jelly and it was devine.

The crabapples trees that are popular here in Virginia give a very small fruit. About the size of a cherry, in some cases smaller. People plant the trees for their lovely blossoms and shade but often turn up their noses at the fruit as if they can't be bothered with the lowly sour apple cousins. I have three crabapples. Two of them flank my path to the koi pond and one is deeply root on the far side of the pond. The two standing century produce a yellowish fruit and they ripen and soften quickly in spring and fall off. The other tree blooms in lovely pink flowers that soon give way to deep pink fruits that hang in clusters very much like cherries. They are ripening now on my tree and the color is gorgeous.

So what does Martha have to do with crabapples? Martha has something to do with everything it seems but this one is in particular a funny story. If you remember when Martha was a guest of the penal system in West Virginia she got in trouble for harvesting and making crabapple jelly for the other inmates. I think the warden was an ass about the whole thing and Martha was ever Martha by taking sour old crabapples and turning them into sweet jelly. You know that old line "When life hands you lemons?" try this one instead, "When life hands you crabapples - Make jelly." Martha did.

 So how does oe make jelly out of sour old crabapples? (Isn't that a great name for sour fruits? Crabapples!)

Crabapple jelly is very simple to make. Pretty much all jely is easy to make. Jelly is the thickened, sweetened, juice of the fruit. Jam is the thickened, sweetened juice and pulp from fruit. Both are easy and now days can be made nearly fool proof.

First - get yourself some small canning jars with bands and brand spanking new lids. Do NOT try to use old lids! Send the bands and the jars through the dishwasher to wash and dry on a high heat cycle. This sterilizes the jars for you. Don't open the dishwasher until you need the jars. If you do not have a dishwasher hand wash the jars in hot soapy water. Rinse well. Place in a pot of boiling water and let the boil until you need them. In a smaller pot of simmering water place the new lids that you have washed in it and leave them until you need them.

Second - Pick your crabapples. Wash them well, removing all stems and inspecting for damaged fruit. Place them in a stock pot and add just enough water to barely cover the top. Bring to a boil and simmer the fruits until soft.

For jelly - strain off the juice using a colander. Then strain that juice through muslin or cheesecloth to get the pure pulp free liquid. For every cup of liquid add 1 cup of sugar. Then add 1 extra cup of sugar -just in case. Put the mixture back into a clean pot making sure all of the sugar is dissolved before it comes to a boil. Boil for about 2 minutes. Stirring well add one box of pectin (Sure Jel is the brand I use). Continue stirring for about 2 minutes and remove from heat. If any foam has formed on the top spoon this off.

 For jam - strain off the juice using a colander. You will have juice and some pulp particles. For every cup of liquid and pulp add 1 cup of sugar. Then add 1 extra cup of sugar - just in case. Put the mixture back into a clean pot making sure all of the sugar is dissolved before it comes to a boil. Boil for about 2 minutes. Stirring well add one box of pectin (Sure Jel is the brand I use). Continue stirring for about 2 minutes and remove from heat. If any foam or scum has formed on the top spoon this off.

Third remove your jars from the dishwasher or your pot of boiling water. Make sure your hands are clean and do not grab the jars by the lip or let your fingers touch the inside. You want to them as sterile as possible.

Pour the jelly/jam into the jars leaving about one quarter inch of space  at the top of the jar. If the lip of the jar has any jelly/jam dripped on it use a clean hot cloth to wipe it clean.

Take one of your lids from the simmering water and place it on the jar making sure you do not handle the inner side. Remember clean clean clean is the key to good canning.

Place a band ring on the jar and screw it down tight.

I have seen many people take a jar and place it upside down and when it cools they turn the jars over and check for sealing.

PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS!

Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!

Not all things will seal properly. Even though the sugar content is high you could poison yourself or your family! If you can this way you are very lucky to have never gotten sick.

To properly can jelly/jam from sugared fruit:

In a large pot of boiling water place the jars right side up making sure there is about 2 inches of water over the tops of the jars. Boil for 15 minutes.

Remove jars. Place them on a clean towel on the counter top or table and allow them to cool naturally. You will hear the pop of the lids as they vacuum seal themselves.

Once the jars are completely cooled check to be sure each one is sealed. You can hold it up and look across the lid and see a small dimple. You can feel the slight dent in the lid.

If you do not see or feel the jar lid dimple it probably is not sealed properly. The lid is faulty and needs to be replaced. Remove the band and old lid. Heat a new lid. Make sure the lip of the jar is clean. Apply a new lid. Screw on the band tightly and process in boiling water again.

 Put your jelly/jam on a shelf and leave it sit for a few weeks. This aging lets the flavor develop. When I can in the summer I make the kids wait until late fall when the weather is cold before opening jelly/jam/preserves.

This process I have described above is often refered to as water bath canning. It is done only to very high acidic food stocks. It is used mostly for jam, jelly, preserves, marmaladies, etc - things with a very high sugar content because nothing can live and grow in that kind of environment. It is also used for things that are pickled. Nothing lives in vinegar very well either. Not everything can be canned in this manner.

NEVER TRY TO CAN GARLIC OR MEATS IN THIS MANNER.

Garlic, meats, and most vegetables must be canned using a pressure canner. It is the only way to be sure germs are killed inside the jar. A simple water bath process will not do the job. This is how people poison their families.

I don't want to put a damper on anyone's jelly/jam making. The process is easy and not dangerous at all. But I don't want anyone to think that this method can be used for anything and everything and something horrid happen simply because a novice did not know.

Go out and buy yourself the Ball Blue Book for canning. It has tons of recipes and the processes for canning almost any kind of food you can imagine.

If your budget is short or you are very frugal call your local extension office (you know, the people who sponsor 4H for kids). They have tons of information printed that you can have for free. They are being paid with your hard earned tax dollars so put them to work for you.

If you happen to run across an old pressure canner at a yard sale or estate sale. Grab it up and take it home. You just saved yourself about two hundred dollars. The county extension office also is able to test the pressure on your canner and set it properly for you. Or point you in the direction of purchasing a new seal or pressure gage. I love my pressure cooker and canner. I use them all the time.

Happy canning!