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Crab apple jelly in a jar outside with crab apples beside it
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5 from 2 votes

Crab Apple Jelly

Crab apple jelly is a delicious golden jelly which is perfect for serving with a roast dinner or on its own with bread. It is really simple to make.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time2 hours 20 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: British
Keyword: preserve
Servings: 4 jars

Equipment

  • sterilized jam jars
  • Preserving pan or large pan
  • Sharp knife
  • Measuring Jug
  • Bowl
  • Jelly bag
  • Jam funnel

Ingredients

  • 4 kg crab apples
  • 1 kg white sugar
  • Juice 1 lemon
  • Enough water to cover the apples

Instructions

  • Wash the apples and cut out any bruises
  • Add the apples to the preserving pan and cover with water. There should be enough water to just cover the apples
  • Bring the water to the boil and simmer until the fruit is soft. This will take about thirty to forty minutes.
  • Pour the resulting pulp into a jelly bag and leave to drip overnight until no more liquid comes out.
  • Measure the amount of juice you have using a measuring jug and add to a pan
  • Add sugar to the pan in the ratio 10 parts juice to seven parts sugar ie for each 100g of juice you need 70g of sugar.
  • Add the lemon juice.
  • Bring to the boil to dissolve the sugar and keep at a simmer for thirty five to forty minutes until setting point is reached. The froth needs to be skimmed off as it builds up.
  • To check the setting point use a sugar thermometer. It needs to reach 105.5C. You can also test by putting some of the jelly on a spoon and if it solidifies it is ready.
  • Prepare the jam jars by washing them and then pouring boiling water into them. Pop into the oven at 160 C for around 15 minutes. Don't pour the jelly into a cold jar.
  • Place the jam funnel over the jar and pour the jelly into each jar until full
  • Seal whilst warm.

Notes

Don't poke the jelly bag whilst the jelly is dripping or your jelly will become cloudy.
You can modify the recipe and add a few chillis, a cinnamon stick or coriander seeds into the pan whilst the apples are cooking.
It also works well with the addition of rosehips with the apples