Crab Apple Jam

We are lucky to have an abundance of crab apples in the woodland near our house and what better way to get the kids involved by foraging and making some yummy crab apple jam? Crab apples are brilliant for jam making as they contain lots of natural pectin (stuff that makes jam thick and sets well) so you don't even need to buy jam sugar, normal granulated sugar will be fine. This was our first attempt at jam making ever and the result was fantastic. It is both tart and sweet at the same time - a true taste sensation!


The following recipe should give you approx one large jar of jam. Its easy to scale up the recipe if you have more apples or want to add another fruit. 


You will need...

1kg crab apple
approx 400g granulated sugar
1 muslin cloth

Wash and roughly chop the crab apples, removing the stalks. Leave the cores in as it all adds to the pectin levels which help the jam set. Put into a heavy bottomed pan and add water so it comes up to about halfway of the amount of fruit. Bring to the boil and simmer.

Squash and stir the fruit occasionally until you have a lovely apple pulp. While your apple is 'pulping' its a good idea to boil the kettle and fill up your glass jar with boiling water to sterilise. Take care as glass may shatter at high temperatures. A good way to deal with this is to put a metal spoon into the jar as you pour the water to help disperse the heat. Remove once full. 

When your apple is is ready, get a large bowl and lay a sieve over the top. Place muslin cloth inside sieve and scoop in some of the apple mixture. Squeeze to extract as much juice as possible and repeat with the rest of the apple pulp. Measure out how much juice you have. You will need around 400g of sugar for every half litre of juice. Add juice and sugar to a clean pan and slowly bring to the boil, allowing sugar to dissolve. Then rapidly boil for about ten minutes, scooping off any scum that comes to the surface. Simply pour into your warmed jars, seal with waxed paper and lid. Jam is best left for a few weeks to mature before eating and should keep for up to a year. 

Enjoy!