Thursday, August 25, 2011

Crabapple Juice

My Grandpa Jones made the best crabapple juice when I was a kid.  He wrote out the recipe for me years ago, but I have never found the chance to try it out until now, thanks to my friend Kyla and her bountiful apple tree!

CRABAPPLE JUICE
1 ice cream pail of crabapples, halved or quartered
18 c. boiling water
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 1/2 - 2 c. sugar

Bring the water and cream of tartar to a boil while you chop the apples.  Pour the apples into the boiling water and remove from heat.  Cover and let sit for 24 hours.  Strain and add sugar.  Bring to a boil for 5 minutes.  Bottle or freeze juice.
I only added 1/2 c. sugar to see how it would taste, and it was perfectly fine.  At first I thought my grandpa must have been nuts to add so much sugar to his juice, but it turns out the apples my friend gave me weren't crabapples, they were some other kind which aren't as tart.  So I guess it's best to just add 1/2 a cup of sugar at a time and do a little taste testing as you go, so you don't end up with something too sweet.

My kids said this was their favourite apple juice.  The other night I poured it into port glasses and the kids thought it was such a great idea, my daughter has declared that every Tuesday we will drink apple juice out of those little glasses!
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33 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is the apple measurment before or after the apples are cut up? Thanks for the recipe!

Kathy Blais said...

Before they are cut up

Anonymous said...

Thank you. This is a great, simple recipe. I've made this juice for two years now (and counting). :)

Anonymous said...

Do I need to take the cores out?

Kathy Blais said...

No, you don't need to core the apples.

Anonymous said...

Great thx.. I'll let ya know how it turns out

Larry Burdeny said...

Do I have to use creme of tartar? Would it not be the same if I don't?

Melanie said...

Silly question... how big is "1 ice cream pail"? Ice cream here comes in many size tubs. Can you maybe post a ratio of apples to water?

Laraby said...

I think standard ice cream pails are 4litrs, or 1gallon?

Laraby said...

I think standard ice cream pails are 4litrs, or 1gallon?

Polly said...

Absolutely amazing, thank you for sharing! We're going back for more crabapples :-)

Out of interest, I halved the recipe as I was going to use some of the crabapples in a cake. These are the measurements I used (UK): 2.25 litres water, 500g crabapples, 1tsp cream of tartar, 200g castor sugar. I also added a teaspoon of ground ginger and a cinnamon stick to it... Filled 2x 750ml wine bottles, plus a glass leftover for tasting!

Thanks again, truly delicious!

Polly

Marc&Ruby said...

My Crab Apple Juice was Red, Smelled like Cherries, and tasted like a cross of cherries and apple juice. I used 1 1/2 cups of white sugar and bottled juice in 4- 1 quart mason jars.

I'm making more. I wonder if this is how the pioneers made juice? it's so simple.

Kev and Denise said...

I have never used cream of tartar in mine and it has always worked beautifully.

Anonymous said...

Hi, how many cups of juice does this make? Thank you.

Anonymous said...

When I boil the apples in water and cream of tartar, do I cut the apples or leave them whole

Anonymous said...

Hi, so I made this with whole apples and mmmmm it's good, thank you so much. I'm going to make more

campfiredog said...

I am going to try this today. How long will it keep in wine bottles, corked. Those that have bottled in quart jars, do you process.

campfiredog said...

I finished a batch of this juice yesterday. It is really good. I am starting another today. I wonder if I can make it as a double batch..

Qu said...

I also am not aware of how much a bucket of ice cream equals?!! Please let me know I’ve got a lot of crabs and this sounds absolutely delicious!🙏❤️

Unknown said...

What do you use to strain it? Cheesecloth or just a colander?

Daemon said...

4 quarts

Unknown said...

An ice cream pail is 5 quarts.

dfnurse777 said...

I too am wondering what to stain it with.

Anonymous said...

Being a Brit, what are the quantities that we’d understand? Pints, weight what is c? Thank you!

Anonymous said...

i made this years ago and hot water processed to store all winter in quart jars

Anonymous said...

Rosy and delicious!

Anonymous said...

After boiling the juice there were still seeds and blossom pieces so I used a coffee filter nested in a fine strainer. Worked very well.

Anonymous said...

Do the apples need to be peeled ?

Anonymous said...

This is our go to hot drink when it’s cold. Tiny bit of cinnamon, even tinier amount of cloves and nutmeg. Oh so good!!

Anonymous said...

I want to avoid sugar, is there a substitute you recommend for sweetener? Maybe honey?

Anonymous said...

I made this recipe yesterday and my husband I both agree it barely has any taste. I used apple crabs. Which have a strong flavour. I used between 16 to 18 cups of cut up apples to 18 cups of water. Any idea of what went wrong I also let it sit for 24 hours.

Wetworth said...

I employed the neighborhood kids to make this recipe exactly as posted... and it is wonderful! I'm sure the apples matter, they're all different, but I came out with a slightly tart, pink apple juice.

Anonymous said...

The pectin which makes the jelly set is in the skins.