Crab apples are a tasty fall fruit, but it can be tricky to identify when they are fully ripe and ready for picking. Follow this guide to learn the signs of ripe crab apples and get the best flavor from your harvest.
What Are Crab Apples?
Crab apples are small, sour wild apples that grow on crab apple trees. There are over 800 different cultivated varieties. Crab apples range in size from about 1 inch diameter up to 2 inches wide.
Common crab apple colors include red, yellow, orange, and green. Some have stripes or blotches on the skin
Unlike regular sweet apples, most crab apples are too tart to enjoy raw. Their eye-catching appearance and sharp tang make them ideal for cooking, baking, canning, and crafting.
When Is Crab Apple Season?
Crab apples ripen in fall, around the same timeframe as regular apples. Their peak season ranges from August through October depending on your region.
Crab apples may start ripening as early as July in warmer climates. In colder areas, some varieties hang on trees until November.
Check your local crab apple tree to see when fruit typically appears in your area. Mark your calendar to monitor trees weekly as crab apple season approaches.
How to Tell When Crab Apples Are Ripe
Ripe crab apples will display these characteristics:
Color
The fruit will reach its mature color, like red, orange, yellow, or mottled Greenish crab apples need more time on the tree.
Firmness
Mature crab apples feel firm but yield slightly when gently squeezed, like a ripe peach. Underripe fruit is rock hard.
Seeds
Inside, ripe crab apples have brown or tan seeds. If seeds are white, pink or green, it’s not ready.
Taste
Take a small bite. Ripe crab apples taste moderately tart, not completely sour.
Factor in all signs – color, firmness, seeds and taste – to accurately determine ripeness.
When to Harvest Crab Apples
Pick crab apples once multiple fruits on the tree meet the ripeness criteria above.
Leave any that are still hard, green or high up. Keep checking back every few days as more will ripen.
Gently twist ripe crab apples to separate them from branches. Use care not to damage limbs.
For highest pectin, harvest slightly underripe. For eating fresh, allow to fully ripen on tree.
Handle picked crab apples with care to prevent bruising. Remove any that are damaged or moldy.
Storing Fresh Crab Apples
Enjoy freshly picked crab apples soon for best flavor and texture. Properly stored, ripe crab apples keep 2-3 weeks.
Place unwashed crab apples in a single layer in a cool, dry spot. Don’t stack them.
Avoid sealing in plastic bags, which causes faster spoilage. Use a paper bag instead.
Refrigeration extends freshness slightly but also softens texture. Only chill prepped crab apples.
Cook or preserve within 1-2 weeks. Discard any with mushy spots or mold.
Delicious Uses for Ripe Crab Apples
Ripe crab apple hauls lend themselves to many tasty uses:
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Make crab apple jelly, jam, butter, chutney, sauce, relish. High pectin gives an excellent set.
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Bake into pies, tarts, muffins, breads, pancakes, crisps. Combine with sweeter fruit.
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Craft gorgeous wreaths, centerpieces and garlands with the decorative fruits.
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Infuse crab apple vinegar or liqueur. Use in dressings, marinades and cocktails.
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Press crab apples into cider. Chill straight or mulled as a fall drink.
Help! What If My Crab Apples Are Still Green?
Don’t worry if some crab apples are still green and hard when you pick them. Try these ideas:
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Extract pectin by simmering and straining unripe crab apples. It’s loaded with pectin.
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Cook down into sauce. Long cooking softens texture and concentrates flavor. Sweeten to taste.
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Infuse vinegars or alcohols for a longer time to maximize flavor extraction.
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Use firm green crab apples in floral displays or decorations. They still look pretty!
Enjoying Crab Apple Bounty
With their short harvest window, crab apples are a fleeting fall fruit. Monitor trees closely for ripeness signals as summer winds down. Time your picking carefully and handle the fruits gently. Then capture the crab apple’s signature tang in jams, baked goods and more! Making the most of the tart little apples is a tasty way to welcome autumn.
Flavour and How to Use
The genus name ‘Malus’ means evil – perhaps because the fruit is so lip-puckeringly sour? Crab Apples are generally very tart when eaten raw, with a blend of slightly sweet and ever so sour.
The fruit tends to be processed/cooked to make it into something rather delicious. If you slice open the fruit and the seeds are brown, it is ripe and ready for your recipes. There’s no need to peel them before using.
It’s worth noting that different trees do produce fruit with slightly different flavours, with some varieties sweeter than others. Crab apples are great infused in alcohol, whether it’s gin, brandy or rum or to make a juice, cordial, or cider. If you make a crab apple syrup, this can be used in everything from cocktails and puddings, to breakfasts and game dishes.
The beauty of crab apples is that they are jam packed with natural pectin, the stuff that makes a jam or jelly set – a tart but taste bud-tingling amber-pink crab apple jelly is a thing of beauty! We also use them to make fruit leathers, pie fillings or mini toffee apples.
Many people overlook the fact that nature’s larder doesn’t just provide free, delicious and seasonal food – but also has incredible nutritional and benefits too.
Crab Apples are no exception, high in vitamins A, C and D, which our bodies need for a strong immune system. The high pectin acts as a prebiotic, helping to maintain good gut health. Also rich in polyphenols (which have antioxidant effects) and soluble fiber (which can help lower cholesterol levels).
The crab apple blossom is often associated with fertility, marriage, and love. If you throw pips into a fire while repeating the name of your love, the love is considered to be true if the pips explode!
It is vital to know how to identify correctly to make sure you can safely enjoy nature’s delights.
Like with all apples, crab apple seeds contain amygdalin, a compound which, when broken down in the gut, can turn into cyanide. If making jelly or jam, you will strain the pulp from the juice so you needn’t worry about the seeds. The amount is minimal (it is said you’d need to consume 150 apple seeds before experiencing any negative effects) but it’s always good to be cautious!
Crab apples are most likely to be confused with the wide variety of apples available, or other members of the rose family, notably wild plums when young.
Fortunately, the fruits of both plants are edible, so if you do mistake them, it’s not a problem! Apple Wild Plum
Foraging at our Cookery Courses
Many of our Cookery Courses include a short foraging walk as part of the day, introducing you to a handful of commonly found wild ingredients.
Crab Apples facts & history
FAQ
When should crab apples be picked?
Foragers should wait for crabapples to ripen completely and become soft before harvesting. Some sources suggest waiting to harvest them until after the first frost in the fall. Crabapple flavor varies from tree to tree and from one variety to the next.Aug 31, 2021
How to tell when crab apples are ready?
Will crab apples ripen off the tree?
Not exactly. While apples may soften after being picked, their sweetness and flavor won’t improve off the tree. This is why it’s so important to wait until they’re fully ripe before harvesting.
Can you eat crabapples right off the tree?
As with other apples, do not eat the core or seeds which contain a toxic compound that can turn into cyanide when eaten. Crab apples are sour because they contain more malic acid – the same taste as in unripe apples. Many people are surprised to hear that crab apples are edible straight from the tree.
When do crab apples ripe?
Crab apples ripen from late September through November in most regions. However, the ideal harvesting time is after the first hard freeze. Frost helps soften crab apples and mellows their tart flavor. Here are signs crab apples are ripe and ready for picking: Color change – Skin color shifts from green to yellow, orange, red, or mottled.
How do you know if crab apples are ripe?
Different types of crab apples are different colors at maturity. If you know the apple type of the tree you’re harvesting, you can tell when they’re ripe or nearly ripe by the intensity of the color. Colors can range from various shades of red to yellow and green .
When do crabapples ripen?
Crabapples ripen in the fall, around the same time as regular apples Their peak season ranges from August through October depending on your region’s climate. Some ripen as early as July while others hang on trees until November. Check your local crabapple variety to know when fruit typically appears in your area.
How long do crab apples last?
Enjoy freshly picked crab apples right away. They also store well chilled for several weeks. Short term storage: Refrigerate ripe crab apples in a perforated plastic bag for 1-2 weeks maximum. Check regularly and remove any spoiled fruit. Long term storage: Crab apples keep for months in the freezer.
Are crabapples red or yellow?
Note: While the crabapples shown here are red, many will be a yellow-orange color when they’re ripe. That’s why you go by the seeds and not the skins. I’m planning to use my crabapples to make applesauce, apple butter, apple jelly and apple pie filling. You can pretty much use them in place of the apples called for in any baked/cooked recipe.
When do crab apple trees grow?
In the wild, crab apple trees grow in woodland edges, thickets, fencerows, and abandoned homesteads. Their flowering period is spring, with fruits maturing in late summer through fall. When Are Crab Apples Ready to Pick?